Jill Enos

🚀 Elevate Your Investment Game with Hyde Park Venture Partners🚀 Join top-tier investors in backing the Midwest's premier early-stage venture capital firm, Hyde Park Venture Partners (HPVP), as they close their impressive $98 million Fund IV. 🤝“A lot of institutional LPs seem to be focused on existing managers,” Turner said. “That being said, we’re really happy with how the fundraise turned out for us and we were able to bring out a lot of great institutions that were new to our funds and to our firm. We’ve been building over the years and have seen larger funds become more institutionalized. That’s important for funds and geographies like ours.” The limited partner makeup for this fund includes approximately 25% institutional, 35% family office and the remainder is ultra high-net-worth individuals. Led by Managing Partners Greg Barnes and Guy Turner, along with Partner Allison Lechnir, HPVP is a force to be reckoned with in the world of technology investments. 💼💰 HPVP often leads deals, writing average check sizes between $500,000 and $4 million. The new fund will be deployed into 20 to 22 companies.📝 🔎With a keen eye for spotting promising startups in the Midwest and Toronto, HPVP has already deployed capital into two groundbreaking companies: Diffit and CivCheck. These investments showcase HPVP's commitment to supporting innovative solutions, leveraging generative AI and urban development technologies, respectively. 🎤"Our companies go through similar challenges, which gives us valuable insight when fundraising," says Greg Barnes. "We're thrilled to have new institutions backing our fourth fund, including NVNG Investment Advisors, LLC and Cintrifuse Capital." They join repeat backers, including the @Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund, RK Mellon Foundation, and Renaissance Venture Capital. 🦸‍♂️Hyde Park Venture Partners boasts a remarkable track record, having been early backers of successful startups like ShipBob, FourKites, Inc., G2, LogicGate, and Dentologie. Their investments have paved the way for notable exits, such as Workday VNDLY and Tock, solidifying their reputation as a powerhouse in the VC world. As the Midwest emerges as a hotbed for startup innovation, HPVP remains at the forefront, leveraging its extensive network and expertise to fuel growth and success. With a focus on bringing top talent to their portfolio companies, HPVP is committed to nurturing the region's burgeoning tech ecosystem. 🌟Congratulations to the Hyde Park Venture Partners team! 🌟 ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #fund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #HydeParkVP #VentureCapital #InvestmentOpportunity #TechStartups #MidwestInnovation

6

3 Comments

Before scaling your startup, asking the right questions is critical—experts from the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub highlight key areas like funding, infrastructure, and clear vision as essential for successful growth. These considerations shape how businesses operate today, helping founders avoid common pitfalls and streamline their expansion efforts. As more startups prioritize these foundational questions, we can expect a future where scaling strategies are smarter, more resilient, and better aligned with long-term growth and stability. #BusinessGrowth

4

2 Comments

Well-written and sourced article describing what's going in seed-stage venture market. At 9point8 Collective we tend to orbit the seed-stage (both ideating and developing companies to reach seed and helping post-seed companies refactor and scale in anticipation of A) and for many companies it's a critical inflection point which determines their long term success or failure. The main takeaways I was able to gather: 1️⃣ Many startups that raised seed rounds in 2021-2022 are struggling to secure Series A funding due to tighter market conditions and increased investor expectations. 2️⃣ Seed investors are becoming more cautious, leading to longer diligence processes and a preference for startups with strong traction or experienced founders. As a result, valuations have stayed relatively high even as deal flow reduces. 3️⃣ Startups are adopting various strategies to navigate this challenging environment, including cutting costs, raising bridge rounds or convertible notes, and M&A/acqui-hires. 4️⃣ Despite the challenges, there are opportunities for both startups and investors in this new landscape, particularly for those who can adapt to the changing market conditions. Investors are accumulating dry powder -- and with rates on the decline -- will be looking to deploy into companies with stronger fundamentals than their 2021-2022 counterparts.

4

September is a crazy month for #climatetech #FOAK themed events. Some I'd like to shout out from the first half: ✅ A FOAK-themed dinner Tim Franklin-Hensler, Charlie Nelson, Dev Motiram, and I hosted, sponsored by Jordan Kellerman (Peachtree Group) and Robert Sarfatis (Polsinelli) during the inaugural #HoustonClimateWeek ✅ A FOAK panel at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship's Energy Tech Venture Forum, also during HCW, moderated by Tim Franklin-Hensler with panelists Charlie Nelson, Laureen Meroueh, PhD, Mac Hatch, and Janice Tran. Topics included adapting rapidly to delays in timing, managing cost runovers, balancing the myriad of KPIs for FOAK, learning to be smarter about how to talk to customers, and how market uncertainty can dramatically affect FOAK projects ✅ A 4-hour "pilotathon" hosted by the Energy Tech Nexus, where different startups got to pitch their pilots. SUCH a good idea, Jason Ethier, Nada Ahmed, Juliana Garaizar, and the rest of the ETN team! ✅ A FOAK panel during Decarb Connect's TechInvest that I got to moderate with panelists Claude Vachet, Jeff Johnson, Francis O'Sullivan, and David Yeh. Topics included using corporate and DOE dollars in FOAK deals, encouraging communication between different investor classes, the 10,000 hours of experience needed to be a good developer, educating companies on project development, and the need for everyone across the climate universe to stretch their roles & take a bit more risk ✅ A generally FOAK-themed set of talks at Decarb TechInvest, expertly curated by Alex Cameron and her team, which included (among others): - a fascinating fireside chat with Rob Day and Matt Lucas moderated by Wim Reyntiens that touched on how critical it is to have accurate cost forecasting, how ROFRs can block additional access to capital, evaluating offtake risk beyond just the ideal, the folly of up rounds for the sake of up rounds, and why one shouldn't obsess over scale up factors and number of operating hours - a talk by Chris Creed that outlined the LPO's strategy around FOAK deployment loans - a FOAK success panel moderated by Kerri Fox that included Leah Ellis, Martin Keighley, and Shreya Dave, which talked about using a carbon price to incentivize corporate action, choosing the right cooperative FOAK partner, creating new offtake agreements in markets that haven't had traditional offtake (like cement<>concrete or CDR), and using job growth to incentivize growth vs. decarbonization. AND ⭐TOMORROW⭐ is the second annual Cleantech Day at Denver Startup Week hosted by Colorado Cleantech. I'm moderating a panel on FOAK successes in Colorado with Eric Davis, Johanna O., Carling Spelhaug, and Kimberly Purdy. Shoutout to Ken Carlson, Laura Hickernell, Joseph P., and Jack Fritzinger for their help & hard work. REGISTER BELOW!!

73

4 Comments

"I don't even know what a venture capitalist does most of the time." - Tim Walz Here you go Tim: Zoom calls. Tech conferences. Pop by startup events for free drinks. Be part of the VC echo chamber on social media. Say no to entrepreneurs 99%+ of the time. Pick out new Patagonia vests. Touch base with the ghostwriter. "Add value" in board meetings. Pay it forward by giving a guest lecture to MBA students at the local business school. Dinners with LPs. Occasionally make an investment. Lunches with service providers. Get the latest gossip about the ecosystem in WhatsApp groups. Reach out to founders you previously ghosted when you hear a big name firm is now talking with them. Give some cookie cutter comments to tech journalists. Hear pitches from companies you'll certainly never invest in. Give long maybes instead of a quick no. Tell anyone who'll listen about how your portfolio will eventually be at least 3x. Blame market conditions for having no real DPI yet. Plan your next working holiday. The list goes on, but you get the gist. 😉

2,985

314 Comments

❗ VCs looking for the next big opportunity, it's time to set your sights on Indiana.❗ Why Indiana? Operating here means lower overheads without compromising on talent, thanks to a steady stream of graduates from top-tier universities like Purdue and IU. This ecosystem is ripe with innovative startups harnessing Midwest work ethics to drive technological advancements, while the supportive local government creates an environment that's as welcoming as it is conducive to growth. And let's talk about community. Indiana's tightly-knit networks foster collaboration rather than cutthroat competition. When you invest in an Indiana startup, you invest in a culture of genuine partnership and shared success. If you want to come check it out, attending TechPoint's annual Venture Connect event is the most efficient way for you to do so. See you there on June 6! https://lnkd.in/dMuUMr_g #VentureCapital #IndianaTech #Innovation #StartupInvesting

39

2 Comments

165. Software is Feeding the World 1. Leaf Agriculture led by G. Bailey Stockdaler raised a Series A round led by Spero Ventures, and includes S2G Ventures, SP Ventures, Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, Radicle Growth etc. Leaf is offering to take on more of the data management workflow for agribusinesses and food companies, and going after use cases in crop insurance. Which other directions can Leaf go in? Are they truly creating lego blocks for digital ag infrastructure? 2. The pace of LLM agents in agribusiness continues with Agrisearch Assistant for mostly public datasets from Stratovation Group and Goose from AgVend Most agents fall in the category of "help me learn" or "automate a boring task", but depending on where they are being used, they might be used for product placement by input companies and retailers. How should input companies engage with all these different agents? 3. One of the key problems in AgTech has been the challenge to attribute value to your solution, which has made value capture difficult. I use Farmblox and Nathan Rosenberg as an example of a company which makes attribution very clear. In maple syrup farming lines get damaged which kills the vacuum which reduces sap flow, and increases energy consumption. Maple syrup producers spend huge labor to find those leaks. With a simple IoT based solution, Farmblox is able to reduce yield risk, and save on labor. Link in the first comment #agtech #digital #infrastructure #agriculture

30

3 Comments

Breaking down our latest newsletter section by section, starting with our expanded focus in Deep Tech: --- We have built expertise in the robotics sector, and will continue to double (and triple) down on investing in this category, but we have been increasingly finding that robotics is naturally steering us into two exploding adjacent areas: Aerospace, and Advanced Manufacturing (which we define as industrials, semiconductors, materials science, and energy production). Stepping back, this expansion makes perfect sense. Robotics is an inherently horizontal platform - meaning it can be applied productively across multiple industries. This quality, paired with the fact that robotics has long shown the highest TRLs of any deep tech technology, makes it a kind of “gateway” to other sectors in the hard sciences. Now with the recent breakthroughs in AI for robotics, growing semiconductor demand, and the resurgence of aerospace and defense tech, we are seeing a dramatic uptake of robotics and relevant technologies in both advanced manufacturing and aerospace. As an added bonus of the expansion, many of the founder (and funder) networks across these landscapes have natural overlaps and linkages. For AlleyCorp Deep Tech this means that we can be extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and engaged across all three sectors right away, and continue to be the best-in-class investing team across these categories.  --- More in our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/ewiTuYq6

10

Great news for Wisconsin, a $100MM Wisconsin #investment fund! Thirty-one venture firms bid with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to be a part of the program and five have been selected so far; a sixth private fund participant is pending. The first five, with a total of $45 million in state commitments, are: *HealthX Ventures, Madison, $15 million. HealthX invests largely in the digital health sector but also in other health-care innovations. *Venture Investors LLC, Madison, $12 million. Venture Investors invests primarily in health care innovation, such as therapeutics, medical devices, health IT and diagnostics. *Serra Ventures, Champaign, Ill., $7 million. Serra Ventures invests nationally, especially in the agriculture and food technology space. Some past Serra investments have been in Wisconsin companies. *NVNG, Madison, $6 million. NVNG (short for “nothing ventured, nothing gained”) invests broadly in Wisconsin tech sectors including health. *Idea Fund of La Crosse, $5 million. Part of the Badger Fund of Funds network, the Idea Fund of La Crosse invests broadly in the Upper Midwest in sectors such as information technology, health IT, data analytics, supply chain, agriculture, manufacturing and financial services. See the full article from Tom Still of the Wisconsin Technology Council. https://lnkd.in/gm5DNFZK

16

Interesting conversation today highlighting how innovation happens today, different than it used to happen. The modern ecosystem approach nurtures startups with capital, affordable access to research and validation, HR, legal, etc. The established corporations instead of investing into more employees and more R&D assets to steer for low probability outcomes, start to reveal strategy and gaps in their tech that they need to solve, they need to be approachable with a visible and responsive onramp, they need to collaborate to facilitate networking events, and help the ecosystem help them. Innovation looks different today whether it's AgriFood, Energy, Tech, Healthcare, etc.

28

Interesting conversation today highlighting how innovation happens today, different than it used to happen. The modern ecosystem approach nurtures startups with capital, affordable access to research and validation, HR, legal, etc. The established corporations instead of investing into more employees and more R&D assets to steer for low probability outcomes, start to reveal strategy and gaps in their tech that they need to solve, they need to be approachable with a visible and responsive onramp, they need to collaborate to facilitate networking events, and help the ecosystem help them. They can invest into, license, test, or acquire. Lower cost, higher probability, faster. Innovation looks different today whether it's AgriFood, Energy, Tech, Healthcare, etc. Plug and Play Canada

15

3 Comments

As I have more conversations with donors, I don’t always get the exact question but I know people want to hear: What’s the WHY? WHY should I donate to Fifth Star Funds? Why should we invest in your fund? Why should we invest in your company? Why should we buy your product? Why YOU to execute this vision? It’s the question we all have to face. The WHY…. Having the correct answers to these questions when speaking to donors, investors, or LPs is quintessential to receiving funding or not. I am working on making the value proposition as clear and simple as possible each meeting. What is Your Why? #Why #fundraising #philanthropy #venturecapital #lp #donors #valueprop

18

1 Comment

TODAY IS THE DAY! Pumped for the Ohio Venture Pipeline event tonight at The Ohio Statehouse. Grateful for all of the work Jeff (J.D.) Davids and the Vessel/OAC team have put into this event. The data and insights presented tonight are crucial for us to 1) celebrate the awesome deals done across the state 2) understand how we compare to other established and developing ecosystems and 3) use as the basis for intellectually honest conversations on how we improve. The State of Ohio is swinging WAY below our weight when it comes to venture capital investments as compared to economic strength (GDP). If you believe that venture is a key component of investments in the innovation economy, as we do, there is A LOT of work to do to ensure we are investing in our future across Ohio. To build on progress to date it takes COLLABORATION, COMMUNITY and CAPITAL. It's as true as it has always been, and will always be... It is #OhioAgainstTheWorld.

13

When it comes to accelerators, program directors must go as hard -- if not harder -- as the founders they serve. Particularly when working with early-stage startups, this is where they learn to walk the walk. Accelerators must continue to set the example through their own hard work. We discuss this at gener8tor frequently with our program leads across the country: 1. Build trust ✅ 2. Set the pace ✅ 3. Navigate the challenges together ✅ 4. Support the growth process ✅ 5. Advocate for solutions to founder challenges regionally and across the country ✅ It's our job to make founders uncomfortable. It's also our job to help lead our founders through temporary disorder.

45

I really enjoyed recording this episode of The Digital Industrial Podcast with Ty Findley. We talked about common misconceptions for deep tech, the "Why Now" for the category, and differences between investor diligence for deep tech and traditional tech. https://lnkd.in/eKtwjauu

19

4 Comments

Let's bring opportunity back to the Heartland! After moving to the coasts multiple times to access capital, I chose to return to Michigan, where I’m raising my boys and building my companies—Beckett Industries and Beckett Development—rooted in the Midwest alongside my partners and teams Tom Stocks, James Eldersveld, Jim McClurg, Jeshua Lauka, John Meyer. And as we invest in exceptional entrepreneurs, real estate, and innovative ventures, it’s crucial that we reclaim the opportunities that often bypass this region. A recent article highlighted how venture capital flows disproportionately to the coasts, while regions like ours receive a fraction of the resources needed to fuel economic growth and support local innovation. This imbalance isn’t just a statistic; it impacts real lives and limits opportunities in communities that are every bit as talented and resourceful as Silicon Valley or New York. Here’s the thing: entrepreneurship shouldn’t be a privilege limited to a few coastal hubs. Innovation is part of America’s DNA, and every region, every city, deserves access to the resources that can turn great ideas into reality. For those of us here in the Midwest, we’re seeing a surge of passion, resilience, and creative thinking. What’s missing is a clear pathway to resources that allow businesses to scale locally and compete globally. Here’s what’s essential to level the playing field: ✅ Investment in Regional Innovation: Capital flowing into regions like ours is what spurs job creation, economic growth, and vibrant communities. It’s not just money—it’s access and opportunity. ✅ Pathways for Top Talent: Immigration policies that allow the best and brightest who study here to stay here, driving progress and filling key roles in our companies. ✅ Support for Small Tech and Local Innovators: It’s not just about the Big Tech players. Across the Midwest, thousands of emerging companies—small tech and beyond—are the heartbeat of local communities and deserve more recognition and backing. ✅ Strengthened R&D Funding: We need federal funding that backs the next generation of American breakthroughs, not only in established industries but in transformative areas like clean energy, agtech, and personalized medicine, all of which align with Midwest strengths. When I look at Michigan and the wider Midwest, I see more than a place to call home. I see a hub of innovation waiting to be unleashed. And as we continue to invest here, I believe we’re building more than businesses—we’re building a future that doesn’t leave anyone behind. If we can create these opportunities right here, imagine the potential for our communities, our families, and the next generation. That’s why I’m committed to this work, and that’s the future I believe we can build.

18

11 Comments

Episode #9: Jim Kolchin, Founder of iWallet 🎙️ Hi friends, this is Victor from R136 Ventures! In episode #9 of our "Ventures from Valley" podcast series, I was joined by Jim Kolchin (https://lnkd.in/dsqaxJyA), founder of iWallet (https://iwallet.com/). https://lnkd.in/ddmQxhZ5 From a Soviet childhood to Silicon Valley, Jim’s entrepreneurial journey is as fascinating as it is informative. He shares his path from building hardware, scaling a bootstrapped SaaS empire, and pivoting toward sustainable business growth – all without outside funding. Listen on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts In this episode, they discussed: - Building on a Budget: The path to bootstrapping iWallet to multimillion-dollar revenue - The Power of Pivoting: Why Jim moved away from hardware and what he learned about scalability and margins. - Staying Default Alive: Jim’s thoughts on scaling sustainably and keeping options open - Attracting the Right Investors: Tips on selecting investors who bring more than just capital - If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe. For more relevant VC content from "the Valley", follow us on X and LinkedIn. Stay tuned!

24

4 Comments

Will autonomous vehicles pick up speed off-road? Overland AI and Potential are pursuing, military, mining, and other off-road applications. These use cases are more compelling because they represent large markets, they are not as regulated as passenger transport roads, and they can address labor shortages. As Alexei Andreev of Autotech Ventures added, "And if you remove people, you immediately get a reduction in your insurance premiums." I would expect to more autonomous investments like these. #logistics #supplychain #autonomous #investments https://lnkd.in/ePERXSea

15

1 Comment

👉 One of the most common mistakes I see #entrepreneurs make when raising capital via #RegCF is putting their fundraising plan on the back burner. ✍ Instead they focus on aspects that make them feel like they’re in control - like filling out their Form C or writing their offering page. Then when they go live, they have no fundraising plan. ✈ It’s like building a plane in mid-air! Make sure you have a solid fundraising plan BEFORE going live.

4