Top 10 VC Funds in Illinois

Chicago is one of the most renowned cities in Illinois. The city is famous for its super-friendly investment ecosystem. Although most of the VC firms in Illinois are based in Chicago, there are some other big VCs around the state. We have gone through a long list of VC firms across Chicago and Illinois. Here is the list of the top 10 VC funds in Illinois:

1. Abundant Venture Partners

Abundant Venture Partners is a purpose-driven incubator dedicated to improving human well-being, performance, and engagement. Guided by core beliefs such as the synergy of doing well and doing good, sharing success, and being accountable to the global community, the partnership values diverse perspectives united by a common purpose. Their mission is to create or invest in early-stage companies that align with these principles, aiming to make a positive impact on the world.

Website: Abundant Venture Partners

Founding Year: 2011

Investment Range: $100K - $5M 

Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B

Sector: Healthcare, Human Wellness, Technology

Investment Geography: United States

Notable Investments: Vale Health, AXL Health, Life XT, Mindful, Helus

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

2. Bridge Investments

Bridge Investments is a versatile investment firm that navigates the entire business growth spectrum. From early-stage funding through the Venture Fund to mature companies seeking advancement, they offer strategic support. Their Venture Fund specifically targets tech, tech-enabled services, SaaS, consumer brands, and health & wellness. Notable investments include Simple Mills, Mack Weldon, Interior Define, NowThis, Jiobit, RevCascade, Heureka, and more. 

Website: Bridge Investments

Founding Year: 1998

Investment Range: $5M - $50M

Stage: Seed - Series A

Sector: Technology, Tech-enabled Aervices, SaaS, Consumer Brands, and Health & Wellness

Investment Geography: North America, Europe

Notable Investments: Trajektory, Dalia, Quiltt, Bodily, Palo Santo

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

3. Earth Foundry

Earth Foundry, a cleantech investment pioneer, has a rich history of catalyzing innovative startups in energy, mobility, water, waste, and agriculture. With a decade of experience, they've perfected a unique venture capital approach, blending domain expertise, precise playbooks, and strategic partnerships. Now scaling under the Earth Foundry banner, they remain dedicated to fostering visionary teams and groundbreaking innovations. Their mission is to drive positive global change by turning cleantech visions into victories.

Website: Earth Foundry

Founding Year: 2012

Investment Range: $1M - $10M
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B

Sector: Energy & Cleantech

Investment Geography: North America

Notable Investments: Harvest Thermal, Full Harvest, Mosaic, Apeel Sciences, Evergrow

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

4. Arch Venture Partners

ARCH, founded in 1986, pioneers investments in groundbreaking science companies, committing $50K to hundreds of millions per venture. Specializing in early-stage biotech and healthcare, their global reach, with a U.S. focus, sets them apart. Notable investments include Editas Medicine and GRAIL. Renowned for contrarian, bold moves, ARCH navigates away from the crowd, relying on imaginative risk-taking. With a 30-year track record, they meticulously build companies for the long haul, emphasizing flexibility and leveraging an extensive partner network to guide startups from inception to full-fledged success. 

Website: Arch Venture Partners

Founding Year: 1986

Investment Range: $50M - $500M

Stage: Early Stage

Sector: Biotechnology, Healthcare

Investment Geography: Global (with a focus on the United States)

Notable Investments: Editas Medicine, Bluebird bio, InterMune, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, GRAIL

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

5. First Analysis Venture Capital

First Analysis is a prominent venture capital investor in B2B technology. It boasts a remarkable four-decade history with over $825 million invested across diverse funds. Specializing in North America, they empower established firms to excel in expansive markets. With a flexible investment approach of $3-10 million, they serve as lead investors or syndicate partners, contributing invaluable insights to areas like strategy, recruitment, sales, marketing, and corporate development. First Analysis is dedicated to fostering profitable leadership and facilitating growth for their portfolio companies.

Website: First Analysis Venture Capital

Founding Year: 1981

Investment Range: $3M - $10M

Stage: Late-Stage Growth and Early Buyout

Sector: B2B technology (Healthcare, Fintech, SaaS, Network Security)

Investment Geography: North America (Primarily US)

Notable Investments: Bright Health, iZettle (Acquired by PayPal), AvidXchange, Stamus Networks, ClearDATA, Vectra AI

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

6. Jump Capital

Jump Capital, founded in 2012, is a venture fund with a focus on Series A investments in FinTech, IT/Data Infrastructure, and B2B SaaS. Operating from its $350M seventh fund, Jump Capital invests between $2M and $10M in companies at the Expansion and Growth stages. The sectors of interest include Enterprise Technology, Marketing, Healthcare IT, Financial Services, and Blockchain/Crypto. The fund concentrates its investments in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 

Website: Jump Capital

Founding Year: 2012

Investment Range: $2M - $10M

Stage: Expansion and Growth

Sector: Enterprise Technology, Marketing, Healthcare IT, Financial Services, and Blockchain/Crypto

Investment Geography: New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles

Notable Investments: Solana, Injective, NEAR Protocol, Aptos, Sei Network, Highstreet, Oasys Games, Chiliz, AcreTrader, 4C, Aperio

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

7. MATH Venture Partners

MATH Venture Partners, established in 2014, is a Chicago-based investment firm specializing in early to growth-stage investments. They actively support startups in technical and digital sectors such as SaaS, AI, cybersecurity, and FinTech, with an investment range of $5M to $20M. Operating as hands-on partners, MATH Venture Partners collaborates closely with founding teams, leveraging their expertise to unlock early signals for creating a competitive edge. Noteworthy investments include Cleanshelf, Ginkgo Bioworks, GrubMarket, Icertis, Relativity Space, Tempus Labs etc. They commit from idea to exit and beyond, ensuring sustained growth and success.

Website: MATH Venture Partners

Founding Year: 2014

Investment Range: $5M - $20M

Stage: Early to Growth

Sector: Technical & Digital Companies (e.g., SaaS, AI, Cybersecurity, FinTech)

Investment Geography: Chicago (Focused)

Notable Investments: Cleanshelf, Ginkgo Bioworks, GrubMarket, Icertis, Relativity Space, Tempus Labs, UiPath, Wayfair

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

8. New Stack Ventures

Established in 2015, New Stack Ventures is dedicated to investing in innovative outsiders. Founded by Nick Moran, a pioneer in VC podcasting and AngelList Syndicates, the company achieved remarkable success with its first fund ($6M), surpassing top decile performance. This led to the creation of a significantly larger fund ($42M) to expedite their strategy. Committed to innovation, New Stack Ventures develops tools like VC Rank and the Seeker, aiming to identify and collaborate with the most impactful tech leaders of this generation.

Website:  New Stack Ventures

Founding Year: 2015

Investment Range: $500K - $1.5M

Stage: Angel, Pre-Seed, Seed

Sector: B2B, SaaS, Fintech, eCommerce, Supply Chain, Cyber, Proptech, Healthcare

Investment Geography: Chicago, Illinois

Notable Investments: Cybrary, Tovala, Flamingo, Clora, Draftbit, Hologram, Azalio

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

9. OCA Ventures

OCA Ventures is an active early-stage venture capital firm known for its a hands-on and entrepreneur-friendly approach. Focused on equity investments, OCA seeks companies positioned for significant growth, especially in technology and highly scalable service businesses.

Website: OCA Ventures

Founding Year: 1999

Investment Range: $1M - $3M 

Stage:  Early-Stage (Series A, Seed)

Sector: Technology, Fintech, Digital Health, Enterprise Software, Consumer Software

Investment Geography: Chicago, Illinois

Notable Investments: Actuate, Alembic, Archer Education, Betty, Clearstep, dv01

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

10. Pritzker Group Venture Capital

Pritzker Group, founded by Tony and J.B. Pritzker, is a versatile investment firm with three specialized teams: middle-market acquisitions, technology venture capital, and asset management. Differentiated by a permanent capital base, it stands out from traditional firms, providing streamlined decision-making and flexible transaction structures. This unique approach enhances alignment with management teams. Leveraging the Pritzkers' extensive history and the firm's success, Pritzker Group gives its companies unparalleled access to a vast network of advisors, strategic partners, and customers.

Website: Pritzker Group Venture Capital

Founding Year: 1996

Investment Range: $500K - $500M

Stage: Growth, later-stage

Sector: Technology, Healthcare, Consumer

Investment Geography: Chicago, Illinois

Notable Investments: AiCure, Airmap, Augmentir, Avia, Shiftgig

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

Best of luck with your amazing ventures. 

Please note that this list is filtered by various metrics, and all the data are collected through various third-party websites, mostly the VC website. Since data such as ticket size or industry may change, you are requested to visit the official website given in the blog for the latest and updated information.