Chicago:Blend

What a privilege it was to help in planning Chicago:Blend's fall 2024 Blend: Talks event at CDW's Chicago office! 🎙️ Here, investors and industry leaders listened to Chicago: Blend's VC fellows present their research, perspectives, and personal experiences on rising trends in the VC industry. While this was my third Blend: Talks event, I'm still unable to express my gratitude for the opportunity to engage with such an impactful and inspiring organization. Shoutout to Joey Mak and Salvador Dueñas for putting together an incredible flagship event, and congratulations to the Fall '24 Cohort and graduates of the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship Program!

🏆 The Chicago:Blend community continues to deliver!! 🙌 As the year comes to an end, I am thrilled to share that across our first five cohorts of Chicago:Blend Venture Fellows we've had 88% of VC seeking Fellows secure a role in venture. 🤝 This success would not be possible without the collective effort of Chicago's entire tech ecosystem and it just so happens that we are recruiting for Cohort 7 of Chicago:Blend Fellows! 🗓️ If you or someone you know wants to join this special community and break into venture capital apply by THIS SUNDAY for early consideration. Fellows will be hosted by a VC firm during their time in the program, get access to Chicago:Blend's community of alumni and VCs, complimentary access to VC University & VITALIZE Venture Capital, and so much more. Apply here and help change the face of venture capital! https://lnkd.in/g6dyyytc ✌️

🏆 The Chicago:Blend community continues to deliver!! 🙌 As the year comes to an end, I am thrilled to share that across our first five cohorts of Chicago:Blend Venture Fellows we've had 88% of VC seeking Fellows secure a role in venture. 🤝 This success would not be possible without the collective effort of Chicago's entire tech ecosystem and it just so happens that we are recruiting for Cohort 7 of Chicago:Blend Fellows! 🗓️ If you or someone you know wants to join this special community and break into venture capital apply by THIS SUNDAY for early consideration. Fellows will be hosted by a VC firm during their time in the program, get access to Chicago:Blend's community of alumni and VCs, complimentary access to VC University & VITALIZE Venture Capital, and so much more. Apply here and help change the face of venture capital! https://lnkd.in/g6dyyytc ✌️

As the holiday season approaches, it's a time to reflect and celebrate! 🥂 Last night, hearing #Cohort6 #BlendTalks reminded me of how inspiring each cohort has been. It's been an incredible journey from where we started to where we are now—and the exciting future ahead. I can't believe it's already been two years since I joined this community! Shoutout to Joey Mak, Salvador Dueñas, and all the alums of Chicago:Blend for creating a welcoming and unique space for every new fellow who joins. We celebrated Zenblen 's first holiday party in their new office, toasting their incredible achievements this year and welcoming new team members. The evening also featured a fun rivalry between Nik Rokop and Rafiq Ahmed over who has known Tom the longest—a mystery only Tom (Xinyuan) Zhang himself can confirm! 😅 You can get your smoothie fix, including our new Apple Pie flavor, at #RushHospital, #NorthwesternResearchCenter, and the University of Chicago Library. Here's to growth, connection, and the exciting paths ahead! 🎉✨ Dipalo Ventures Seyi Fasoranti, PhD Shai Basys Alexis Joo Oleg Grachev Niharika H. Nilofar K. Laura Gladfelter

🎁 And that's a WRAP on Cohort SIX !! A HUGE congratulations to our latest class of Chicago:Blend Fellows!! 🎙️ Throughout the past four months, these 10 Fellows have been expanding their venture knowledge, community, and experience during the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship and last night they took the stage to share bold, thought-provoking insights on the latest trends impacting venture capital. 🏆 This is just the start of their Chicago:Blend story because last night we announced that across our first five cohorts, 88% of our Fellows who applied to VC roles ended up breaking into venture!! Huge S/O to our host CDW and program partners Tawani Foundation, The Coleman Foundation, BLCK VC, Origin Ventures who help make this work possible. 🚀 To the VC industry, get in touch with these Fellows!! Many of them are currently interviewing, talking to incredible founders, and already landed VC roles. 🥹 To our newest alumni, I cannot be more proud of the work you all have done. Can't wait to see where things go from here. Ibrahim Rashid, MPP, Shalina Clarke, Gabriela Gonzalez, Obi Okereke, Santiago Navarro, Ashton Keys, Brian A. Lung, Cristina Vaca, Isabel Rouse, Komala S. Madineedi

🚀 Ready to launch your #VC career? Apply for the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship! Applications for Cohort 7 are now open. From March 5 to June 18, we’ll equip the next generation of venture capitalists with the skills, networks and hands-on experience needed to succeed in the industry. 👇 Apply by Sunday, December 15 for early consideration! https://lnkd.in/e4Firgy3 Over 80% of our job-seeking alums secured a VC role within six months of completing the program. They benefited from the Fellowship through: 💪 Real-world experience working at a VC firm 🎓 Weekly lessons and insights from top VCs and tech leaders 📊 Comprehensive venture finance training 💵 $1,000 participation stipend 🌆 Access to premium Chicago co-working spaces 🤝 Ongoing career support after the program 👥 A tight-knit community of driven peers Ready to take the leap? Apply by December 15 for early consideration. Final applications are due by 11:59 PM CST on January 12. APPLY! 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4Firgy3

🎤 2Flo Ventures Paul Burton, JD, MBA will be speaking at Blend:Talks this Wednesday, December 11, in Chicago — the capstone event celebrating the brilliant graduates of Chicago:Blend's VC Fellowship program! 2Flo Ventures is a proud supporter of Chicago:Blend! We are excited to hear from the two fellows who have joined us in this fall cohort, Cristina Vaca and Obi Okereke. These emerging leaders in venture capital will share bold, thought-provoking insights on the trends shaping the industry's future! 👉 Don't miss out — join us for an inspiring evening of fresh perspectives and groundbreaking ideas. Register here if you haven't already! 👉 https://lnkd.in/etEKv9Ku

For today’s gratitude post, I’d like to take a moment to highlight an invaluable partner in our ecosystem — OCA Ventures. For 25 years, OCA Ventures has been a key player in driving innovation, backing visionary founders across technology, finance, and healthcare. Their portfolio includes successful companies like Cleversafe, Inc., SpotHero, Ocient and others, but beyond investments, they’ve also been strong supporters of initiatives that help strengthen our community, including Chicago:Blend. OCA’s impact goes beyond financial contributions. The team has consistently dedicated their time and expertise to support our events, programming and initiatives. And earlier this year, they hosted one of our VC Fellows, Jagoda Rokicka, during her time in our program, helping her build essential industry connections and gain valuable experience. A special congratulations goes to OCA's CEO and Managing Partner, Jim Dugan, who last night received the Stanley C. Golder Award by the Illinois Venture Capital Association (IVCA). This award recognizes leaders in Chicago’s private equity and venture capital community, and Jim’s leadership continues to inspire. His call for greater diversity in the industry was a powerful moment during his acceptance speech, and we look forward to hearing more at tomorrow’s Blend:Talks event, where Jim will join us as a guest speaker to help celebrate our graduating class of VC fellows. Thank you to Jim and the entire OCA Ventures team for your continued support and commitment to making a positive impact! Bob Saunders Kelley Quinn Steve Shein, CFA === 💡 Learn more about OCA Ventures 👉 https://lnkd.in/dndWT7wz 🎥 Catch Jim Dugan at Blend:Talks on 12/11 👉 https://lu.ma/3u56spqq

🚀 Exciting news! I'll be speaking at Blend:Talks tomorrow, December 11, in Chicago — the capstone event of the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship! 🌟 💡 I'll be releasing my original investment thesis outlining the size, opportunity, and impact of tackling the Long COVID Economy, what I often call the "Bleeding Edge of Healthcare". 🎉 🔥 My paper will go live tomorrow morning before I present it on stage to 100+ VCs and operators. Don't miss out — join us for an inspiring evening of fresh perspectives and groundbreaking ideas! 🧠✨ 👉 REGISTER HERE: https://lnkd.in/gUp6-vvU #LongCOVID #HealthEquity #ImpactInvesting

🌟 Congratulations to Shawn Park, an alum of the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship (Cohort 2), for being recognized on this year’s “Inno Under 25” list by Chicago Inno! Shawn participated in the Fellowship during the Fall of 2022 while working on the founder’s team at P33 Chicago, where he supported underrepresented entrepreneurs in the #Chicago region through programs like TechRise Chicago and Speed Round. Eager to pivot into startup investing, he later landed a role at Chicago Ventures. Shawn has continued to give back to our community as we work to help others jumpstart their #VC careers. 🚀 Congratulations to you, Shawn, and to all of this year’s honorees! Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/gXmdwH3x