# Chicago VC & Startup Resource Guide

Compiled by Fiona Chen (Chicago Booth MBA, VC Fellow at LongJump). A curated list of the people, programs, investors, spaces and reading worth knowing if you're new to Chicago, new to VC, or building a startup here. Last updated 2026-10-29. Web version: https://www.myvcjourney.com/resources

## People

- **Abin Kuriakose** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuriakoseabin/) - Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, World Business Chicago (WBC)
- **Betsy Ziegler** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsy-ziegler-14237b/) - CEO, 1871
- **Brad Henderson** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-henderson-9895711b/) - CEO, P33 Chicago
- **Christopher Deutsch** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdeutsch/) - Founder, Lofty Ventures
- **Chrystal Price** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrystalcadenprice/) - City Ambassador, Lovable
- **Desiree Vargas Wrigley** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireevw/) - General Partner, The Josephine Collective and Velocity Catalyst
- **Fred Hoch** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredhoch/) - Founding Partner, TechNexus Venture Collaborative
- **Joey Mak** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeymak/) - CEO, Chicago:Blend
- **Krystal Rogers** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystalrogersminter/) - Founder, Chicago Startup Events
- **Landon W. Campbell** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/landon20s/) - Investor, Drive Capital
- **Luke Tanen** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-tanen-07b4b94/) - President and CEO, Chicago Innovation
- **Mark Tebbe** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtebbe/) - Board Member, World Business Chicago
- **Michael Fassnacht** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfassnacht/) - CGO and President, ClayCo
- **Monika Razdan** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/monarazdan/) - VC Platform & Investor Relations, Dipalo Ventures
- **Nevin Ramanujan** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nevinramanujan/) - General Partner, InnovateHealth Ventures
- **Rajiv "RajNATION" Nathan** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajnation/) - Founder, Startup Hypeman; Chapter Director, Startup Grind Chicago
- **Rebecca Sholiton Kahnweiler** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccasholiton/) - Managing Partner, LongJump
- **Salvador Dueñas** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/salvadorduenas/) - Senior Director of Programs, Chicago:Blend
- **Samir Mayekar** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chicagosamir/) - Managing Director, UChicago's Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- **Shannon McGhee** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-mcghee-330b4623/) - CEO, SeedSpot
- **Tina Hrabak** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinahrabak/) - Partner and Head of Platform, LongJump
- **Todd Walton** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddwalton/) - City Ambassador, Claude Community Chicago
- **Umama Kibria** (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umamakibria/) - Co-Founder, Play

## Meetups

- **1Million Cups** (https://www.1millioncups.com/s/account/001Ur00000IfAScIAN/chicago-il) - Kauffman Foundation's national program built around founders presenting their business to the local community over coffee. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Claude Community** (https://luma.com/claudecommunity) - Chicago meetups for people building with Claude; builders, founders and the curious. Sectors: Generalist.
- **F*ck Up Nights Chicago** (https://www.fuckupnights.com/city/chicago) - The global series where founders tell the story of a failure on stage; the most honest startup event in the city. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Grassroots Tech Community** (https://luma.com/grassrootstech) - An IRL community of Chicagoland tech enthusiasts with monthly meetups and panels; a good first room for anyone new to the scene. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Startup Grind Chicago** (https://www.startupgrind.com/chicago/) - Teaches and connects founders, and free membership gets you the newsletter and member perks. Sectors: Generalist.

## Co-working

- **Fabrik** (https://www.joinfabrik.com/social-spaces/river-north) - Member-run co-working at 440 N Wells in River North, with hot desks, conference rooms by the hour and member-hosted events. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: River North.
- **Ferris & Co** (https://ferrischicago.com/) - New co-working space located at 1 W Monroe St with dozens of desks, conference rooms, dry erase boards, and more. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **Polsky Exchange** (https://polsky.uchicago.edu/local-business-owners/reserve-space/) - Polsky Center's coworking space and community incubator on 53rd Street in Hyde Park. With flexible coworking, huddle and conference rooms, classrooms, event space, and the Fab Lab, the only entrepreneurship-focused fabrication lab on the South Side. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Hyde Park.
- **TechNexus** (https://www.technexus.com/) - The Loop-based venture collaborative that pairs corporates with startups; co-working, events and an active investing arm under one roof. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Loop.

## Newsletters

- **CHI IRL** (https://chiirl.com/) - Chicago's weekly calendar of tech and startup events, from meetups to conferences to workshops. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Chicago Startup Events** (https://chicagostartupevents.com/welcome) - Curated, founder-focused Chicago events calendar with a free "Weekly Roundup" email that goes out every Monday morning. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Ilya Strebulaev's "VC 101: Investor Decision Making"** (https://substack.com/@ilyastrebulaev) - The Stanford GSB professor's Substack series breaking down how investors actually make decisions; the newsletter companion to The Venture Mindset. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Landon's Loop** (https://www.landonsloop.com/subscribe) - Landon Campbell's (Drive Capital) newsletter on Chicago and Midwest venture, written by someone actively investing here. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Midwest Startups** (https://midweststartups.com/) - Weekly roundup of funding rounds, launches and hires across the Midwest; the fastest way to learn who's raising in the region. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Pitchbook News** (https://pitchbook.com/subscribe) - The data provider's free daily newsletter on deals, exits and market trends; the numbers everyone quotes come from here. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Tactical Fundraising by Elizabeth Yin** (https://elizabethyin.com/) - Mechanics of early-stage fundraising from the investor's side of the table and how to think about different types of funding for an early-stage startup, whether to use a SAFE, etc. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Venture Capital Journal Daily** (https://www.privateequityinternational.com/venture-capital/news-analysis/) - Daily industry news on fundraising, fund closes and LP activity, from the Private Equity International family. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Alumni Engagement** - Booth's alumni newsletter: events, reunions and ways to plug into the alumni network. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Center for Applied AI** - Booth's AI research center; talks and research relevant to anyone evaluating AI startups. Sectors: AI.
- **Polsky Center** - The entrepreneurship center's digest of programs, competitions, office hours and startup news. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Rustandy Center** - Booth's center for social sector innovation; impact investing and social enterprise programming. Sectors: Impact.
- **UChicago Alumni** - University-wide alumni news and events. Sectors: Generalist.
- **UChicago Grad Guide Weekly** - The weekly digest of graduate student life, deadlines and campus resources. Sectors: Generalist.
- **UChicago News** - The university's news service, including research with commercial potential. Sectors: Generalist.
- **The University of Chicago** - The university's general newsletter. Sectors: Generalist.

## Ecosystem partners

- **Chicago Innovation** (https://chicagoinnovation.com/) - Runs the annual Chicago Innovation Awards and year-round programs celebrating and connecting innovators. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Lincoln Park.
- **Illinois INVENT** (https://dceo.illinois.gov/) - The State of Illinois's direct equity program, funded through the U.S. Treasury's SSBCI initiative, providing growth capital to Illinois startups. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Illinois Venture Capital Association (IVCA)** (https://www.illinoisvc.org/) - The state's trade association for VC and PE; events, awards and the local push behind VC University. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **P33** (https://www.p33chicago.com/) - Nonprofit launched to make Chicago a top-tier tech hub; talent, deep tech and ecosystem-building initiatives. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **World Business Chicago** (https://worldbusinesschicago.com/) - The city's public-private economic development agency; corporate attraction, startup support and The Raise partner. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Loop.

## Incubators & ESOs

- **1871** (https://1871.com/) - Chicago's flagship tech incubator in the Merchandise Mart; programs for founders at every stage, plus the center of gravity for the city's startup events. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Merchandise Mart.
- **2112** (https://2112inc.com/) - Incubator for music, film, fashion and creative industry startups. Sectors: Media & creative. Neighborhood: Irving Park.
- **The Garage at Northwestern** (https://thegarage.northwestern.edu/) - Northwestern's student and alumni startup hub in Evanston (TIME's No. 1 university startup incubator); 1,500+ startups and $1.6B+ raised over 11 years. Programs: Jumpstart, Residency, open community events. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Evanston.
- **Hatchery** (https://thehatcherychicago.org/) - Food and beverage incubator in East Garfield Park with shared commercial kitchens and business support. Sectors: Food & CPG. Neighborhood: East Garfield Park.
- **Matter** (https://matter.health/) - Healthcare technology incubator connecting startups with health systems, payers and pharma. Sectors: Healthcare. Neighborhood: Merchandise Mart.
- **mHub** (https://mhub.org/) - Hardtech and manufacturing innovation center with prototyping labs, programs and a fund for physical-product startups. Sectors: Hardtech & industrial. Neighborhood: Near West Side.
- **Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (UChicago)** (https://polsky.uchicago.edu/) - The university's entrepreneurship hub; the NVC, Polsky Exchange co-working, deep tech ventures and the PE/VC Lab all live here. Sectors: Deep tech. Neighborhood: Hyde Park.

## More

- **Bullish on Chicago (Landon Campbell)** (https://www.bullishonchicago.com/) - Extremely extensive list of hundreds of resources across VC, startups, ecosystem partners, and various sectors in Chicago. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Techicago** (https://gotechchicago.com/) - Great list of additional events to bookmark during TechChicago Week. Sectors: Generalist.

## Programs

- **Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship** (https://www.chicagoblend.org/) - A structured, immersive fellowship built to help emerging professionals break into VC, with placements at Chicago funds. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **Illinois Venture Capital Association (IVCA)** (https://www.illinoisvc.org/) - The state's industry association; promotes VC University cohorts locally and runs events worth having on your radar. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **Hustle Fund Venture Fellowship** (https://www.hustlefund.vc/) - Virtual, for aspiring VCs, fund managers and angels, working the Hustle Fund team's live deal pipeline. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Kauffman Fellows** (https://www.kauffmanfellows.org/) - Two years, aimed at mid-career investors (mostly GPs, partners and principals). Sectors: Generalist.
- **Laconia Venture Cooperative** (https://www.venturecooperative.org/) - A part-time program where you learn by doing diligence alongside the Laconia team; another one I did myself. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Toigo LIFE Program (Venture Capital Intensive)** (https://toigofoundation.org/our-progams-and-services/life/intensives/) - Toigo's one-year program for graduate students headed into finance, with a VC-specific track: technical training, practitioner-led sector deep dives, one-on-one hiring coaching and access to Toigo's firm network. I completed this last year and it was very informative. Sectors: Generalist.
- **VC Lab (Decile Group)** (https://govclab.com/) - The free accelerator for people launching a first fund; relevant if you're thinking about emerging management. Sectors: Generalist.
- **VC University (Venture Forward, NVCA, Berkeley Law and Stanford Law)** (https://ventureforward.org/) - A 10-week virtual certificate course that gives a structured, practical foundation in venture capital. Venture Forward (NVCA's nonprofit foundation) has awarded full scholarships to at least 10% of each cohort since 2019 for aspiring and early-career VCs from underrepresented backgrounds. Sectors: Generalist.
- **VC University Bootcamp** (https://venturecapitaluniversity.com/bootcamp/) - The intensive four-day in-person version at Stanford for advanced investment professionals. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Venture Deals course (Techstars)** (https://www.venturedeals.com/) - The free online companion to the book; a good first step before paying for VC University. Sectors: Generalist.

## Job boards

- **Firm-run portfolio boards** - A16z, Index, General Catalyst and, locally, Lofty Ventures, Chicago Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners and Drive Capital all run boards for their portfolio companies. Sectors: Generalist.
- **John Gannon's Venture5** (https://venture5.com/jobs/) - The long-running one; still the most-forwarded VC job list. Sectors: Generalist.
- **NVCA Careers in VC** (https://nvca.org/careers-in-vc-2/) - The National Venture Capital Association's own board; every posting is reviewed by NVCA, so it stays low-noise. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Startup&VC** (https://www.startupandvc.com/venture-capital-jobs) - VC roles by city, updated weekly, plus a talent collective. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Venture Capital Careers** (https://venturecapitalcareers.com/) - The largest board dedicated specifically to VC, from analyst through partner-track roles, with a Chicago filter and free email alerts. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Venture Forward Job Board** (https://ventureforward.org/resources-for-emerging-vc/job-board/) - Investing roles only (analyst through partner, plus fellowships and internships) at U.S. VC firms and corporate venture arms; postings roll off after 30 days and are also shared in the Venture Forward newsletter and the VC University Slack. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Wellfound** (https://wellfound.com/jobs) - Startup roles with a Chicago filter. Sectors: Generalist.

## Podcasts

- **The a16z Show** (https://a16z.com/podcasts/a16z-show/) - Andreessen Horowitz's flagship show on tech, markets and the firm's theses. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Acquired** (https://www.acquired.fm/) - Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal's multi-hour deep dives on how great companies were built; the most-recommended podcast in VC. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Acquiring Minds** (https://acquiringminds.co/) - Will Smith's interviews with people who bought small businesses; the entrepreneurship-through-acquisition (ETA) path. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Business Breakdowns** (https://colossus.com/series/business-breakdowns/) - Colossus's one-company-per-episode breakdowns of business models and competitive dynamics. Sectors: Generalist.
- **The Full Ratchet** (https://fullratchet.net/) - Nick Moran's "Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified," podcast; it's one of the longest-running VC interview shows. Sectors: Generalist.
- **How I Built This with Guy Raz** (https://open.spotify.com/show/5pgKtfdbhYMxVHg9loLPzg) - Founder origin stories told in narrative form; the gateway podcast for entrepreneurship. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Moonshots with Peter Diamandis** (https://www.diamandis.com/podcast) - Exponential technology and the long view on what's coming. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Possible with Reid Hoffman** (https://www.possible.fm/) - The LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner on optimistic futures with technology. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Think Like an Owner** (https://tlaopodcast.com/) - Alex Bridgeman's conversations with operators and investors in small and mid-sized businesses. Sectors: Generalist.
- **This Week in Startups** (https://www.thisweekinstartups.com/) - Jason Calacanis's long-running show on startup news and founder interviews. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Venture Unlocked** (https://ventureunlocked.substack.com/podcast) - Samir Kaji's interviews with fund managers and LPs on how venture firms are built; required listening if you want to raise a fund someday. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Vital Dawn** (https://open.spotify.com/show/0oc8M2h5XvGuX7fOd4HL4H) - Adam Crisafulli's short daily briefing on financial news and how markets may react. Sectors: Generalist.

## Books

- **Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It** by Scott Kupor (2019) (https://link.amazon/B0axMGBdz)
- **The Venture Mindset: How to Make Smarter Bets and Achieve Extraordinary Growth** by Ilya Strebulaev and Alex Dang (2024) (https://link.amazon/B06fkSIg5)
- **Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist** by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson (2019) (https://link.amazon/B04cDjdDa)
- **Angel** by Jason Calacanis (2017) (https://link.amazon/B02sazKze)
- **Mastering the VC Game** by Jeffrey Bussgang (2010) (https://link.amazon/B00AqjkEB)
- **Super Founders** by Ali Tamaseb (2021) (https://link.amazon/B0iTfrMGs)
- **The Business of Venture Capital** by Mahendra Ramsinghani (3rd ed., 2021) (https://link.amazon/B07jFPV2D)
- **The Power Law** by Sebastian Mallaby (2022) (https://link.amazon/B00UO30Cz)
- **VC: An American History** by Tom Nicholas (2019) (https://link.amazon/B0dgfer8k)
- **Hustle Fund's Raise Millions** by Hustle Fund (https://thefounderplaybook.hustlefund.vc/c/raise-millions) - Free fundraising guide to help first-time founders raise millions of dollars
- **The Cold Start Problem** by Andrew Chen (2021) (https://link.amazon/B05cdYlyk)
- **The Hard Thing About Hard Things** by Ben Horowitz (2014) (https://link.amazon/B03I6Q1M3)
- **The Mom Test** by Rob Fitzpatrick (2013) (https://link.amazon/B00VxHiyi)
- **Zero to One** by Peter Thiel (2014) (https://link.amazon/B02pLieWm)
- **Fundamentals of Entrepreneurial Finance** by Marco Da Rin and Thomas Hellmann (2020) (https://link.amazon/B0gTgdicp)
- **Venture Capital and the Finance of Innovation** by Andrew Metrick and Ayako Yasuda (2020) (https://link.amazon/B0fddDQJD)
- ***A lot of Chicago investing seats sit in growth equity and PE rather than pure venture, so it's worth knowing the adjacent shelf.*** by null
- **Private Capital Investing: The Handbook of Private Debt and Private Equity** by Robert Ippolito (2020) (https://link.amazon/B0566dsbE)
- **The Credit Investor's Handbook** by Michael Gatto (2024) (https://link.amazon/B05dkXH8f)
- **The Private Equity Toolkit: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Deals Done from Sourcing to Exit** by Tamara Sakovska (2022) (https://link.amazon/B03M8HBN1)
- **Winning Moves: 105 Proven Ways to Create Value in PE-Backed Companies** by Dan Cremons (2022) (https://link.amazon/B09d4CZGc)

## Chicago VC firms by stage

- **Chingona Ventures** (https://www.chingona.ventures/) - Samara Mejia Hernandez's pre-seed/seed fund backing overlooked founders in growth markets; fintech, future of work, edtech, healthtech, food and wellness; average check around $1M, 50+ investments, Career Karma among them. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Fintech, Healthcare, B2B software. Neighborhood: West Loop.
- **Fifth Star Funds** (https://www.fifthstarfunds.com/) - "America's first friends and family fund": a philanthropically backed pre-seed vehicle providing equitable access to friends-and-family-sized capital for underrepresented (primarily Black) Chicago founders, leaning B2B/SaaS. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: West Loop.
- **Giant Step** (https://giantstep.vc/) - Deep-tech firm writing the earliest checks into aerospace and space startups building frontier hardware and infrastructure. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Deep tech, Hardtech & industrial, Life sciences.
- **Harper Court Ventures** (https://harpercourt.vc/) - UChicago-affiliated venture firm backing companies spinning out of university research and talent; AI, health, climate and B2B software. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Deep tech, Life sciences, Climate & energy, AI. Neighborhood: Hyde Park.
- **Hyde Park Angels** (https://hpa.vc/) - Chicago's largest angel group with an associated fund; pre-seed through early Series A across the Midwest, member-led diligence. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Generalist.
- **Illinois Ventures** (https://www.illinoisventures.com/) - UIUC-affiliated, research-based IT and life-science startups. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Deep tech, Life sciences, AI, Climate & energy. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **Lofty Ventures** (https://www.loftyventures.com/) - Christopher Deutsch's pre-seed-to-A firm for software and consumer tech; doubles as a community builder with a steady calendar of founder events. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Generalist.
- **LongJump** (https://longjump.vc/) - First-check fund run by Chicago founders and operators; writes roughly $110K into pre-seed rounds for Midwest founders with a strong Chicago bias, industry-agnostic with an emphasis on underrepresented teams. Runs The Raise, a six-session pre-seed fundraising program with World Business Chicago and the Coleman Foundation, where five of fifteen founders receive $10K non-dilutive grants. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Generalist.
- **mHUB Ventures** (https://mhub.org/hardtech-venture-capital) - $200K first checks into hardtech companies admitted to the Energy Tech, MedTech and Sustainable Manufacturing accelerators; 60+ investments, second fund ($20M) raised in 2025. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Hardtech & industrial, Climate & energy, Healthcare. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **Motivate Ventures** (https://motivate.vc/) - Small Chicago pre-seed/seed fund, generalist B2B. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Fintech, B2B software. Neighborhood: West Loop.
- **New Stack Ventures** (https://www.newstack.com/) - Nick Moran's pre-seed/seed fund for "remarkable founders outside the Valley," Heartland-anchored, heavy on B2B SaaS and devtools; Moran also hosts The Full Ratchet, one of the longer-running VC podcasts. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: AI, Fintech, Healthcare, Hardtech & industrial.
- **Portal Innovations** (https://www.portalinnovations.com/) - Life-sciences venture firm that pairs pre-seed/seed capital with wet-lab space in Fulton Market, for science companies spinning out of UChicago, Northwestern and UIC. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Life sciences, Healthcare. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **Propellant Ventures** (https://propellant.vc/) - Seed-stage firm across healthcare, future of work, supply chain, fintech and edtech. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Healthcare, B2B software, Fintech, Hardtech & industrial.
- **Tawani Ventures** (https://tawaniventures.com/) - The venture arm of Tawani Enterprises (Pritzker family office); generalist early-stage checks with an explicit Chicago and diverse-founder focus. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **Techstars Chicago / Long Chicago** (https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/chicago) - The relaunched three-month accelerator ($220K for 5%, open to all sectors, next deadline November 18, 2026 for the spring 2027 class) paired with Long Chicago, a new Midwest-focused venture fund; mentors include Troy Henikoff, Guy Turner (HPVP) and Brian Luerssen (LongJump). Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Generalist.
- **Velocity Catalyst Fund** (https://velocityinitiative.com/) - Early-stage fund for Chicago and Illinois founders that also backs emerging fund managers; Desiree Vargas Wrigley is GP. Relevant twice over if you're thinking about raising a fund someday. Stage: Pre-seed (first institutional check). Sectors: Impact. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **11 Tribes Ventures** (https://www.11tribes.vc/) - Chicago seed fund with a values-driven founder-wellbeing thesis; fintech, food and consumer. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: B2B software, Consumer, AI. Neighborhood: Glen Ellyn.
- **53 Stations** (https://53stations.com/) - Invests across healthcare, logistics, insurance and technology, with a preference for operationally important industries over hype cycles. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: B2B software, Fintech, Healthcare.
- **Abundant Venture Partners** (https://www.abundantvp.com/) - Andrew Swinand's seed/A fund around healthy living, consumer and tech. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Healthcare.
- **Bridge Ventures** (https://bridgeventures.com/) - Early-stage checks into healthtech, climate, social impact and B2B software, with an emphasis on durable relevance over fast flips. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: AI, Deep tech, Hardtech & industrial.
- **Buoyant Ventures** (https://www.buoyant.vc/) - Amy Francetic's seed/Series A fund for climate-risk software. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Climate & energy, AI, B2B software, Hardtech & industrial.
- **Capitalize VC** (https://capitalizevc.com/) - Mark Thomann's fund for commerce enablement platforms and consumer brands; one of the investors at The Raise 2026 matchmaking day. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: B2B software, Media & creative, Consumer.
- **Chicago Ventures** (https://www.chicagoventures.com/) - The city's flagship seed fund (formerly the I2A Fund); Midwest-first, B2B SaaS, marketplaces, fintech, logistics and digital health, with hands-on help on hiring, GTM and follow-on raises. Tock, Fooda, Cameo-era winners. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: B2B software, Fintech, Healthcare, Consumer. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **CMT Digital** (https://cmt.digital/) - Venture arm of CMT Group backing crypto, blockchain and fintech from seed onward. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Web3, Fintech.
- **Corazon Capital** (https://www.corazon.vc/) - Seed fund from Sam Yagan (OkCupid, Match) and Steve Farsht; consumer, marketplaces and software with a strong Chicago bias. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Consumer, AI. Neighborhood: Merchandise Mart.
- **Decasonic** (https://decasonic.com/) - Paul Hsu's venture and digital-assets fund at the intersection of blockchain and AI, across software, infrastructure and financial systems. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: AI, Web3.
- **Energy Foundry** (https://www.energyfoundry.com/) - Early-stage energy and cleantech fund seeded by Illinois utility settlement money; seed through B, with corporate pilot connections. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Climate & energy, Hardtech & industrial.
- **Evergreen Climate Innovations (formerly Clean Energy Trust)** (https://evergreeninno.org/) - Nonprofit-backed early climate investor for the Midwest, often the first institutional check for cleantech. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Climate & energy. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **Hyde Park Venture Partners** (https://www.hydeparkvp.com/) - Seed/Series A for "mid-continent" B2B software and marketplaces, typically companies at $500K to $3M revenue raising a first institutional round; offices in Chicago and Indianapolis; G2, Avant, High Alpha, Terminus. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: AI, B2B software. Neighborhood: River North.
- **InnovateHealth Ventures** (https://innovatehealth.vc) - Healthcare-only seed fund launched in 2024 by Ellis and Nevin Ramanujan; first institutional checks of $250K to $1M into software and tech-enabled services that align payors and providers, explicitly avoiding biotech and FDA-approval devices. Co-hosts Chicago healthcare community events with MATTER. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Healthcare, B2B software. Neighborhood: River North.
- **KGC Capital** (https://www.kgccapital.com/) - Family-office seed investor in Chicago fintech and healthcare. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: B2B software, Consumer, Fintech.
- **M25** (https://www.m25vc.com/) - Midwest-only, the region's most active early-stage investor since 2015; data-driven scoring model, $250K to $1M checks, can lead; 178 investments, Fund 4 raised in 2023. Publishes the annual Midwest Startups city rankings and runs a large portfolio community. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Fintech, Healthcare, B2B software. Neighborhood: River North.
- **Nameless Ventures** (https://namelessventures.com/) - Seed and Series A for Midwest-based technology companies, with operator-informed support; B2B and B2C software, fintech, healthtech. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Healthcare, Life sciences, B2B software.
- **Network Ventures** (https://www.networkventures.com/) - Seed-stage B2B SaaS with Chicago roots. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: River North.
- **OCA Ventures** (https://www.ocaventures.com/) - Jim Dugan's seed/Series A firm for fintech, healthtech, enterprise software and cybersecurity, US and Canada; led Sprout Social's A. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: B2B software, Consumer, Fintech, Healthcare. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **Origin Ventures** (https://www.originventures.com/) - Seed to Series A in software, marketplaces and consumer for the "Digital Native economy"; 20+ years, GrubHub and Braintree early; Chicago plus Salt Lake City. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: AI, B2B software, Deep tech, Hardtech & industrial.
- **SNAK VC** (https://snak.vc/) - Early-stage specialist in marketplace startups: liquidity, network effects and efficient transactions in large markets. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Consumer, B2B software.
- **Starting Line** (https://www.startingline.vc/) - Ezra Galston's seed fund for software and consumer businesses in overlooked categories underserved by innovation. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Consumer. Neighborhood: West Loop.
- **Venture Forward Capital (formerly New Leaf Ventures)** (https://ventureforwardcapital.com/) - Entrepreneur-led VC firm backing vertical and applied AI founders; rebranded from New Leaf Ventures in 2026. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: AI, B2B software. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **West Loop Ventures** (https://www.westloopventures.com/) - Fintech-focused seed fund. Stage: Seed (lead or co-lead, $500K to $3M). Sectors: Fintech, B2B software.
- **2Flo Ventures** (https://2floventures.com/) - Healthcare venture studio and fund that creates companies as well as investing in them; digital health and B2B health software. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Healthcare, Life sciences, Impact. Neighborhood: Merchandise Mart.
- **7wire Ventures** (https://www.7wireventures.com/) - Digital health from Glen Tullman and Lee Shapiro (Allscripts, Livongo, Transcarent); seed through B. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Healthcare. Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile.
- **Barrel Ventures** (https://barrelvc.com/) - Early-stage food-ecosystem investor backing companies modernizing how food is produced, distributed and experienced. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Food & CPG, Consumer, B2B software, AI. Neighborhood: Evanston.
- **Bluestein Ventures** (https://www.bluesteinventures.com/) - Food-industry seed and Series A. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Food & CPG, Consumer, Life sciences. Neighborhood: River North.
- **Chain Vision** (https://chainvision.xyz/) - Blockchain-focused firm backing public, permissionless infrastructure and the developer tooling around it. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Web3.
- **Cleveland Avenue** (https://www.clevelandavenue.com/) - Don Thompson's (ex-McDonald's CEO) firm for food, beverage, restaurant tech and lifestyle brands; runs CAST US, a dedicated vehicle for underrepresented founders. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Food & CPG, Consumer. Neighborhood: West Loop.
- **Create Health Ventures** (https://createhealth.vc/) - Early B2B digital health, with a thesis around care delivery, operations and outcomes. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Healthcare, B2B software.
- **Dipalo Ventures** (https://dipaloventures.com/) - Advanced manufacturing, energy, climate and physical AI; backs industrial transformation technologies. Monika Razdan (on the people list) is on the platform side, and Dipalo was in the room at The Raise 2026. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Climate & energy, Hardtech & industrial, AI. Neighborhood: Near West Side (mHUB).
- **Distributed Ventures** (https://distributedvc.com/) - Insurtech, fintech, healthcare and benefits platforms that modernize how risk, finance and workforce coverage work. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Fintech, Healthcare. Neighborhood: West Loop.
- **DRW VC** (https://drw.com/vc) - The venture arm of DRW, the Chicago trading firm; stage-agnostic checks into financial and enterprise infrastructure with technical depth. Sits naturally next to Jump Capital. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Fintech, B2B software, Web3. Neighborhood: West Loop.
- **Energy Capital Ventures** (https://energycapitalventures.com/) - Early-stage fund for sustainability and digital transformation in the natural gas and energy industries, backed by energy-sector LPs. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Climate & energy, Hardtech & industrial, B2B software.
- **Impact Engine** (https://www.theimpactengine.com/) - Jessica Droste Yagan's impact firm with both a seed venture fund and a private equity strategy; economic empowerment, environmental sustainability and health equity. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Impact, Climate & energy, Healthcare. Neighborhood: River North.
- **KB Partners** (https://kbpartners.com/) - Keith Bank's sports-and-technology fund: teams, athletes, fans and performance. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Sports. Neighborhood: Highland Park.
- **Listen Ventures** (https://listen.co/) - Jeff Cantalupo's consumer and culture fund for brands and platforms with real cultural resonance; media, creator economy, CPG. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Consumer. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **Marquee Ventures** (https://marqueeventures.com/) - Early-stage fund rooted in the Ricketts family's sports ownership; sports, media and fan engagement. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Sports, Media & creative, Consumer.
- **Moderne Ventures** (https://www.moderneventures.com/) - Constance Freedman's seed/Series A fund for proptech, fintech, insurance and hospitality; runs the Moderne Passport, an industry immersion program connecting startups with its 700+ corporate partners. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Fintech, B2B software, AI, Climate & energy. Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile.
- **Nomadic Ventures** (https://nomadicvp.com/) - Climate fund investing early in startups decarbonizing mining, manufacturing and transportation. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Hardtech & industrial, Climate & energy.
- **Off Center Ventures** (https://offcenter.vc/) - Early-stage firm at the intersection of technology and media: content platforms, audiences and digital engagement. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Media & creative.
- **S2G Investments** (https://www.s2ginvestments.com/) - Lukas Walton's multi-stage platform for food and ag, oceans and energy; seed through growth with significant follow-on capacity. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Climate & energy, Food & CPG.
- **Sandbox Industries / Cultivian Sandbox** (https://www.sandboxindustries.com/) - Runs sector funds with corporate LPs: the Blue Venture Fund (Blue Cross Blue Shield plans) for healthcare, Sandbox Insurtech Ventures, and Cultivian Sandbox for food and ag tech; pre-seed through growth. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Healthcare, Fintech, Food & CPG, Climate & energy. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **Supply Change** (https://supplychange.fund/) - Food, culture and technology; backs the brands and platforms shaping modern consumer food experiences (Chicago and Los Angeles). Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Food & CPG, Impact, B2B software.
- **TechNexus Venture Collaborative** (https://www.technexus.com/) - Corporate-venture collaboration model: invests alongside corporate partners from seed to growth and operates TeamWorking, the Loop coworking hub. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: AI, Climate & energy, Hardtech & industrial. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **Velveteen Ventures** (https://velveteen.vc/) - Values-driven firm backing businesses centered on children and planetary wellbeing; consumer, climate and social impact. Stage: Seed to Series A, sector specialists. Sectors: Consumer, Climate & energy, Healthcare.
- **Baird Capital** (https://www.bairdcapital.com/) - Venture and growth arm of Robert W. Baird; early and expansion-stage B2B tech-enabled services and healthcare in the "mid-country," with London and Singapore offices. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: B2B software, Hardtech & industrial, Climate & energy, Healthcare. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **Chicago Pacific Founders** (https://www.cpfounders.com/) - Healthcare services and healthtech, Series B through growth. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: Healthcare. Neighborhood: Gold Coast.
- **Consumer Ventures** (https://consumer.vc/) - Next-generation consumer brands, products and the enabling technology behind how people buy. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: Consumer, Food & CPG. Neighborhood: Hinsdale.
- **Drive Capital** (https://www.drivecapital.com/) - Columbus-based but with a Chicago office and the Midwest's largest fund (about $2.2B to $3B AUM); pre-seed to pre-IPO, thematically driven, with a popular $500K pre-seed program. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Energize Capital** (https://energizecap.com/) - One of Chicago's largest climate funds (founded 2016 with Invenergy backing); software and technology for a digitized, decarbonized economy across energy and industrial systems. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: Climate & energy, B2B software. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **First Analysis** (https://www.firstanalysis.com/) - One of Chicago's oldest venture firms (40+ years), Series A and growth in vertical software and healthcare IT, paired with an in-house research practice. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: B2B software, Healthcare. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **Jump Capital** (https://jumpcap.com/) - Series A/B in data-driven fintech, IT and data infrastructure, B2B SaaS and media; $1M to $10M checks from a $350M fund; affiliated with Jump Trading. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: AI, B2B software. Neighborhood: River North.
- **Lightbank** (https://www.lightbank.com/) - Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell's firm (Groupon founders), about $700M AUM, seed through growth across AI, SaaS, fintech and marketplaces; Cameo, Sprout Social, Tempus-adjacent. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: B2B software, Healthcare, Fintech, AI.
- **MK Capital** (https://www.mkcapital.com/) - Roughly $300M AUM, Series A/B in B2B software. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: B2B software, Hardtech & industrial. Neighborhood: Northfield.
- **Permanent Capital Ventures** (https://permanent-capital.vc/) - Expansion-stage fund co-founded by former LinkedIn executive Mike Gamson. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: AI, B2B software. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **Pritzker Group Venture Capital** (https://www.pritzkergroup.com/venture-capital) - Evergreen Pritzker family capital, founded 1996; leads Series A and B in consumer, digital health, enterprise and emerging tech; frequent co-investor with Chicago Ventures, Jump and Baird. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: B2B software, Healthcare, Consumer, Hardtech & industrial. Neighborhood: Streeterville.
- **UChicago Startup Investment Program** (https://polsky.uchicago.edu/) - $25M fund for UChicago faculty, student and alumni companies, via Polsky. Stage: Series A and B. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Hyde Park.
- **81 Collection** (https://81collection.com/) - Founder-focused fund for the overlooked, industrial and operationally complex sectors traditional venture ignores: manufacturing, logistics, construction tech, proptech. Stage: Series B+ and growth. Sectors: Hardtech & industrial, Consumer.
- **Adams Street Partners** (https://www.adamsstreetpartners.com/) - Chicago-headquartered fund-of-funds and co-investment manager; not a direct lead, but a major LP to venture funds, which matters for your Fund I planning. Stage: Series B+ and growth. Sectors: B2B software, Healthcare, Fintech. Neighborhood: Loop.
- **ARCH Venture Partners** (https://www.archventure.com/) - Spun out of UChicago in the 1980s and now one of the largest science-focused VCs anywhere ($6.4B raised 2019-2023); creates and funds biotech and deep-tech companies from inception through growth (Illumina, Juno, Agios). Stage: Series B+ and growth. Sectors: Life sciences, Deep tech. Neighborhood: O'Hare.
- **Sterling Partners** (https://www.sterlingpartners.com/) - Growth equity and PE across education, healthcare and business services. Stage: Series B+ and growth. Sectors: Healthcare, B2B software. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **Tonic Ventures** (https://tonicventures.com/) - Growth capital for enduring consumer companies with strong brands, repeat demand and scalable economics. Stage: Series B+ and growth. Sectors: Consumer, Food & CPG.
- **Valor Equity Partners** (https://www.valorep.com/) - Antonio Gracias's operational growth firm (Tesla, SpaceX, Anduril); control and non-control positions at B+ and beyond, plus Valor Siren Ventures for food and retail tech with corporate partners. Stage: Series B+ and growth. Sectors: Deep tech, Hardtech & industrial, AI, Climate & energy. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.

## Angel communities

- **Chicago Booth Angels** (https://boothangelschicago.com/) - The Booth alumni angel network; a natural landing spot for students and recent grads who want to start writing checks. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Chicago Early Growth Ventures** (https://chicagoearly.com/) - Member investment group backing seed-stage companies with Chicago ties and building up the local angel pool. Sectors: Generalist.
- **The Josephine Collective** (https://joinjosephine.com/) - Angel investing collective led by Desiree Vargas Wrigley, backing early-stage founders and bringing new investors into the room. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Lofty Angels** (https://loftyangels.com/) - The angel group attached to Lofty Ventures, backing early-stage Chicago founders. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Loop.

## Tools

- **Affinity** (https://www.affinity.co/) - Relationship-intelligence CRM built for VC and PE that auto-captures deal flow, contacts and warm paths from your email and calendar so the firm can track pipeline and who-knows-whom without manual data entry. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Airtable** (https://airtable.com/invite/r/rqGjkMZh) - Spreadsheet-database hybrid with linked tables, views, forms and automations that lets non-engineers build custom trackers for deal flow, portfolio monitoring or content pipelines. Sectors: Generalist.
- **AlphaSense** (https://www.alpha-sense.com/) - Expert-call transcript library and market-intelligence search platform used for diligence: reading thousands of prior expert interviews, filings and broker research on a company or sector instead of running your own calls. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Attio** (http://attio.com/?r=jAWHxGuR_bAqpaVe) - Modern, highly customizable CRM that syncs contacts and companies from your inbox and lets you build your own data model and pipelines, often chosen by emerging managers and solo GPs as a lighter, cheaper Affinity alternative. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Claude** (https://claude.ai/referral/IjpBwlQ2Dg) - Anthropic's AI assistant; research, drafting, analysis, agentic workflow automation. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Crunchbase** (https://www.crunchbase.com/) - Broad, lower-cost database of startups, funding rounds, investors and founders, good for quick lookups and top-of-funnel sourcing but shallower and less reliable than PitchBook on deal terms. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Gamma** (https://gamma.app/signup?r=68mj6vyrvqgjoqx) - AI-generated presentations and one-pagers; a quick way to turn notes into a deck. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Granola** (https://join.granola.ai/t/6ypaxghjqg) - AI meeting-notes app that transcribes calls and in-person meetings and merges your own typed notes with an AI summary, so founder meetings and investor conversations turn into searchable, structured notes. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Lovable** (https://lovable.dev/invite/E4GMFXZ) - AI app builder that turns a prompt into a working web app; the fastest way to prototype an idea or diligence a founder's product claims. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Monday.com** (http://monday.com) - General-purpose work-management platform of boards, workflows and automations for tracking projects and tasks, usable as a lightweight deal or portfolio tracker. Sectors: Generalist.
- **PitchBook** (https://pitchbook.com/) - Subscription database of private-market data (VC and PE deals, valuations, cap tables, fund performance, investor and company profiles) that's the standard research and comps tool at most funds. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Replit** (https://replit.com/refer/myvcjourney) - Browser-based coding environment with an AI agent; build and deploy without local setup. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Substack** (https://fionasvcjourney.substack.com/) - Newsletter and publishing platform; where much of the best VC writing now lives, including this one. Sectors: Generalist.

## Accelerators & founder programs

- **Alchemist Chicago** (https://www.alchemist.vc/alchemist-chicago) - Deep-tech accelerator for pre-seed and seed-stage deep-tech startups with technical founding teams of at least two co-founders, building in quantum (via Duality), AI and data science, robotics, cleantech, agtech, advanced materials and manufacturing, biotech, spacetech and similar foundational technologies. Sectors: Life sciences, Hardtech & industrial, Climate & energy, Food & CPG, Deep tech, AI. Neighborhood: Hyde Park.
- **Duality (is now part of the Quantum track at the Alchemist)** (https://www.dualityaccelerator.com/) - Accelerator for startups across quantum computing, sensing and communication, from software to hardware. Sectors: Deep tech. Neighborhood: Hyde Park.
- **Food Foundry** (https://www.thefoodfoundry.com/) - Relish Works' accelerator for food and food-tech startups, with Gordon Food Service as corporate partner. Sectors: Food & CPG.
- **gener8tor** (https://www.gener8tor.com/) - The Midwest-born accelerator with a Chicago program; investment plus a concierge-style, founder-first format. Sectors: Generalist.
- **mHUB Energy Tech Accelerator** (https://mhub.org/energy-tech-accelerator) - Six-month, cohort-based hardtech accelerator run out of mHUB's Chicago innovation center, where selected startups get a $200,000 initial investment from mHUB Ventures, plus prototyping labs and technical assistance, mentorship, and connections to industry leaders and investors. Sectors: Hardtech & industrial. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **mHUB MedTech Accelerator** (https://mhub.org/medtech-accelerator-for-startups) - A six-month program in which mHUB invests $200,000 initial capital, provides structured mentorship, and connects startups with clinicians, manufacturing experts and regulatory advisors. The thesis is device-heavy: medical devices, diagnostics and connected health hardware, built in mHUB's prototyping facility. Sectors: Healthcare, Hardtech & industrial. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **mHUB Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Accelerator** (https://mhub.org/sustainable-manufacturing-iiot-accelerator) - A six-month program in which mHUB invests $200,000 initial capital, mentorship, stipends, and access to mHUB's supplier network. It's designed to take a startup from concept or prototype to the foundation of a profitable, scalable business. Industry partners co-define each cohort so that market demand is identified up front, leading to pilots and investment on the back end. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Near West Side (mHUB).
- **mPOWER** (https://mhub.org/mpower-founders) - MHUB's pre-accelerator for founders at the very earliest, idea-stage end of hardtech and physical product development. Sectors: Hardtech & industrial. Neighborhood: Fulton Market.
- **New Venture Challenge** (https://polsky.uchicago.edu/programs-events/nvc/) - University of Chicago Booth School of Business's flagship accelerator, run as a spring quarter Booth course with finals in May; $2.1M awarded in 2026 across 10 finalists. Alumni include Grubhub, Braintree/Venmo, Simple Mills, Tovala. There are variations of NVC: NVC, Social NVC, College NVC, Global NVC. Sectors: Generalist. Neighborhood: Hyde Park.
- **The Raise (LongJump)** (https://longjump.vc/insights/the-raise-2026-a-look-back) - Pre-seed fundraising program for first-time, post-product Chicago founders, run with World Business Chicago: six sessions (January to March) on how investors think and how to run a round, plus an investor matchmaking day with the LongJump network. No warm intro needed. Sectors: Generalist.
- **Techstars Chicago** (https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/chicago) - The local program of the global accelerator; three months, investment, mentorship and a Demo Day. Sectors: Generalist.