# Chicago Ventures

> Chicago Ventures is a Chicago-based seed-stage venture firm that usually leads early rounds and works closely with founders building in overlooked industries and geographies. Its portfolio spans enterprise software, fintech, supply chain and logistics, healthcare, proptech, small-business tools, mobility and consumer media, with recognizable investments including G2, Cameo, SpotHero, project44, Sunbit, Aeropay and NOCD.

- **Founded:** 2012
- **Headquarters:** Chicago, United States
- **Founders:** Stuart Larkins (Co-Founder and Partner)
- **Team size:** Approximately 12 employees; the firm's current team page lists partners Rob Chesney, Eric Duboe, Lindsay Knight and Stuart Larkins, associate Ford Johnstone, EIR Emma Lawler and venture partner Kevin Willer.
- **Products:** Seed-stage lead investments, Portfolio operating support, Follow-on capital, Portfolio talent network
- **Notable:** Backed recognizable companies including G2, Cameo, SpotHero, project44, Sunbit, Aeropay and NOCD., Closed a $63 million third fund in 2021, targeting roughly 25 companies with average initial checks then reported at $1.5 million to $2 million., Closed $80 million across Fund IV and a CV Opportunity Fund in November 2024.

## Products & services

- **Seed-stage lead investments** — Early equity investments, often as the lead investor, in technology companies with strong founder-market fit.
- **Portfolio operating support** — Board participation and hands-on help with recruiting, customer introductions, communications, community and company-building decisions.
- **Follow-on capital** — Additional investment in selected portfolio companies through primary and opportunity funds as they mature.
- **Portfolio talent network** — A public jobs platform aggregating open roles across portfolio companies, which collectively employ tens of thousands of people worldwide.

## Achievements

- Backed recognizable companies including G2, Cameo, SpotHero, project44, Sunbit, Aeropay and NOCD.
- Closed a $63 million third fund in 2021, targeting roughly 25 companies with average initial checks then reported at $1.5 million to $2 million.
- Closed $80 million across Fund IV and a CV Opportunity Fund in November 2024.
- Reported eight Fund IV investments by November 2024, with GoodShip, Leverage AI, Layup and Part3 publicly named at the time.
- Its public portfolio includes exits such as Cartavi to DocuSign, Catalytic to PagerDuty and Ureeka to ZenBusiness.
- The portfolio jobs site states that portfolio companies employ tens of thousands of people around the world.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Chicago Ventures led a reported $4 million seed round for construction-bidding platform Guthrie AI.
- **2026-05** — The firm participated in InstaSwitch's reported $4.7 million seed financing.
- **2026-03** — Chicago Ventures led a $3 million seed round for Intelligent Legal Solutions, a legal-technology workflow company.
- **2025-11** — Chicago Ventures co-led Annie's $4 million seed round to build an always-on AI teammate for dental practices.
- **2025-09** — Portfolio company GreenLite announced a $49.5 million Series B financing.
- **2025-08** — Portfolio company GoodShip announced a $25 million Series B financing.
- **2024-11** — The firm closed $80 million across Chicago Ventures Fund IV and the CV Opportunity Fund.

## Links

- Website: https://www.chicagoventures.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chicago-ventures/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ChicagoVentures
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicagoventures/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoVentures

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/chicago-ventures
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-16