Cleveland Avenue
Venture capitalChicago · Seed–Series A · 12 people tracked
Also known as CLEVELAND AVENUE ADVISERS, LLC · Cleveland Avenue Food Beverage · Cleveland Avenue State Treasurers Urban Success
Investment thesis
Cleveland Avenue focuses on adapting to and influencing the evolving consumer landscape, combining market insights with a forward-looking strategy to improve consumers' lives. It backs entrepreneurs across consumer products, industry-level technology, and social impact, prioritizing profitable and sustainable outcomes. The firm emphasizes hands-on support, drawing on top-tier talent and expertise to identify promising startups and help them grow. A key differentiator is its own state-of-the-art innovation facility, which offers a collaborative environment for testing, R&D, consumer research, and showcasing portfolio companies' products. Long-standing industry relationships enable partnerships with category leaders and strategic partners, expanding deal flow and resources.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 12 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 34 of 100 portfolio companiesFoodTech ×10Consumer ×9SaaS ×9Enterprise Software ×7AI & Machine Learning ×6Direct to Consumer ×6Hardware ×5Advanced Manufacturing ×4
HQs:United States×29Ireland×1
Investments · 100 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Beyond Meat creates plant-based protein products, including burgers and other foods designed to provide nutritional value while supporting environmental sustainability and soil regeneration.
Advanced ManufacturingAgTechClimate TechFoodTechEl Segundo, US
Ethan Brown(Founder & CEO)Colleen Jay(Director)Teri L. Witteman(Executive Officer)Nandita Bakhshi(Director)Jonathan Nelson(Executive Officer)Raymond J. Lane(Director)
Bear Robotics develops autonomous mobile robots for hospitality, retail, and industrial settings, including the Servi line of restaurant service robots, the Carti line of warehouse/factory material-handling AMRs, and humanoid robots.
AI & Machine LearningHardwareRoboticsRedwood City, US
Fangwei Li(Executive Officer, Promoter)Jungwoo Ha(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)John Ha(CEO)
Nuritas uses AI to discover bioactive peptides in plants and other natural sources and validates them through clinical trials, producing health ingredients such as PeptiStrong, PeptiSleep, and PeptiYouth.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechFoodTechDublin, IE
Dr. Nora Khaldi(Founder & CEO)John Casey(Chief Manufacturing & Supply Chain Officer)Conor Walshe(Chief Financial Officer)Alison Anderson(Chief People Officer)
PreciTaste builds AI agents that identify, track, and assess kitchen task processes to automate operations, cut costs, and reduce food waste for enterprise and mid-market restaurant chains.
AI & Machine LearningFoodTechNew York, US
Hauke Feddersen(VP of Operations)Frederik Born(VP of Engineering)Scott Richardson(Director)James Floyd(Director)Michael Steib(Director)Ingo Stork-Wersborg(CEO & Co-Founder)
Chicago, US
Keith L. Kravcik(Director)Greg Wasson(Director)Jonathan Shulkin(Director)Robert A. Mariano(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Donald G. Fitzgerald(Executive Officer, Promoter)Jay L. Owen(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Board seatKeith Kravcik· per SEC Form D · $15M raise · filed Apr 2021
GOOD PLANeT Foods makes plant-based cheese made with olive oil, offering products with minimal saturated fat and good melt as an alternative to dairy cheese for consumers.
Advanced ManufacturingConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechBellevue, US
Joe Essa(Director)Michael Frey(Director)Dan Gross(Director)David Israel(Founder)Josh Wand(Director)Keith Kravcik(Director)
Board seatKeith Kravcik· per SEC Form D
Produces ultra-purified still and sparkling waters packed in 100% recyclable aluminum bottles and cans
86 Repairs provides a platform to help restaurants manage repairs and maintenance, removing the burden of equipment R&M so operators can focus on their core business.
Enterprise SoftwareSaaS
Daniel Estrada(Founder & CEO)
Construction company offering electrical and excavating services
Manufacturer and provider of ready-to-drink cocktails and spirits
Advanced ManufacturingChicago, US
Jordan Tepper(Manager of Issuer)
BabyQuip is a marketplace platform that connects families traveling with babies and toddlers to local providers who rent and deliver baby gear such as cribs, car seats, strollers, and other equipment.
ConsumerMarketplacesTravel & HospitalitySanta Fe, US
Frances Maier(Executive Officer, Director)Joseph Maier(Executive Officer, Director)
Global marketplace connecting music creators with labels and brands
West Hollywood, US
Gary Marella(Executive Officer, Director)Wilson Rondini IV(Director)Timothy Mosley(Executive Officer, Director)
bemyfriends provides a platform for artists, creators, and brands to build and manage fandom-based businesses globally.
Creator EconomyMedia & EntertainmentSaaSSocial
Alternative foods maker advocating better health and sustainability
Sacramento, US
Hyun Suk Song(Director)Yongwoo Kim(Executive Officer)Jung Hwan Sung(Director)
John Foraker(Director)Ryan Kirkpatrick(Director)Brook Eddy(Director)Jim Kelley(Director)Sarah Bird(Executive Officer, Director)
Developer of premium social virtual and augmented reality experiences
CH4 Global develops Asparagopsis seaweed-based feed supplements, including Methane Tamer for beef feedlot cattle, that reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminant animals.
AgTechClimate TechFoodTech
Steve Meller(CEO)
AI-powered HR platform for resume screening
Open Water is a beverage brand that sells purified water with added electrolytes packaged in recyclable aluminum cans as an alternative to plastic bottles.
Circular EconomyConsumerDirect to Consumer
Eliyan develops die-to-die (D2D) and chip-to-chip (C2C) interconnect technology, including its NuLink and NuLink-X PHY, supporting industry-standard (BoW, UCIe) and proprietary (SBD) solutions for high-bandwidth, power-efficient chip connectivity in advanced and standard packaging.
Deep TechHardwareSemiconductors
Ramin Farjadrad(Founder & CEO)Patrick Soheili(Co-founder & CEO)Syrus Ziai(Co-founder & VP of Engineering)
Eventnoire is a ticketing and event management platform built for event creators and organizations focused on community building, particularly serving Black-owned and culture-centered events.
ConsumerE-commerceMarketplacesSaaSChicago, US
Onyewuchi Osuji(Executive Officer)Peter Jideonwo(Director)Oluwafemi Masha(Executive Officer, Director)
Shelf-stable allergen-free food brand
Everybodyeating produces clean-ingredient crackers and snacks made with whole ingredients, free from seed oils and allergens, marketed to health-conscious consumers seeking certified non-GMO, gluten-free, and allergen-friendly options.
ConsumerFoodTech
Apologue Cocktail Co. produces liqueurs and ready-to-serve bottled cocktails made from natural, non-GMO ingredients, and operates Hoste Pilsen, a combined production facility, event venue, and gathering space.
ConsumerDirect to Consumer
Chicago, US
Denise Umubyeyi(Director)Jasmine Shells(Executive Officer, Director)Heather Hiles(Director)
Direct-to-consumer apparel and lifestyle business
Biodegradable, compostable solutions as plastic alternatives
Acquirer and operator of direct-to-consumer wine brands
Lake Forest, US
PETER CALLAGHAN(MANAGER)LOUIS AMOROSO(MANAGER & CEO)PAUL KOZLOWSKI(MANAGER)NEHA KUMAR(MANAGER)
Next-generation gaming studio focusing on developing real-time multiplayer open-world games, leveraging AI and Machine Learning for character and environment development
Spirits-based ready-to-drink beverage company
Gray Matter Analytics provides data analytics and AI-powered solutions for managing value-based contracts and care performance.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureHealthtech
Sheila Talton(Executive Officer, Director)
Zero-carb, zero-sugar flour-based foods
Hero is a direct-to-consumer brand that produces and sells low-carb and nutritionally-optimized pasta, bread, bagels, and other baked goods.
Direct to ConsumerFoodTech
BBQ-flavored spirits combining whiskey with barbecue
For-profit social enterprise providing cleaning and landscaping services
Parent company of DTC haircare brands
Chicago, US
Timothy Lewis(Executive Officer)Kimberly Lewis(Executive Officer)Leslie Roland Truelove(Executive Officer, Director)
AI infrastructure company boosting GPU utilization for inference workloads.
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Cleveland Avenue invest at?
- Cleveland Avenue invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Cleveland Avenue's typical check size?
- Cleveland Avenue typically writes checks of $1M – $10M.
- What sectors does Cleveland Avenue focus on?
- Cleveland Avenue focuses on AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Creator Economy, FoodTech, Impact & Social Good, Robotics, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Cleveland Avenue located?
- Cleveland Avenue is headquartered in Chicago, US.
- Does Cleveland Avenue lead rounds?
- Yes, Cleveland Avenue leads investment rounds.
Co-investors · 8
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Evolution VC Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in and supports culture-tech companies across all stages.
Sixty8 Capital is a venture firm focused on backing undercapitalized founders and innovators — those with strong ideas but limited access to capital due to race, gender, sexual orientation, or geography, particularly in overlooked regions.
Alumni Ventures (AV) is a venture firm that gives accredited individual investors access to professionally managed, diversified venture portfolios by co-investing alongside leading lead VC firms. It offers annual funds, syndicate deal-by-deal investing, and various investor clubs.
Scribble Ventures is an early-stage venture firm run by product and go-to-market leaders from OpenAI, Meta, Twitter, and a16z, backing AI native founders at the pre-seed and seed stages.
Ingeborg invests directly in early-stage, women-led startups with a focus on innovations improving motherhood, career, financial security, women's health, and living conditions. The firm also makes select investments in later-stage companies and women-led venture or private equity funds.
Firms observed investing alongside Cleveland Avenue, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Cleveland Avenue's recorded portfolio.
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