Lakewest Venture Partners
Venture capitalChicago · Seed–Series A · 3 people tracked
Investment thesis
Lakewest Venture Partners invests in seed and early-stage companies, prioritizing the quality of the founding team above the plan itself. It favors post-proof-of-concept businesses that have earned early revenue and customers and are raising to scale, and seeks companies challenging the status quo that can build a defensible niche with barriers to entry. Beyond direct deals, the firm allocates capital as a limited partner into venture funds whose strategies differ from its original Midwest early-stage approach, backing high-performing managers across industries, stages and geographies. It leverages its founders' Chicago business, civic and entrepreneurial network to offer mentorship and connections.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 11, 2026.
Team · 3 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 15 of 40 portfolio companiesConsumer ×4Hardware ×4Enterprise Software ×3SaaS ×3AI & Machine Learning ×2Creator Economy ×2Data & Infrastructure ×2Digital Health ×2
HQs:United States×16
Who they back
founder profiles across 12 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×52 founders×7
Investments · 40 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2022 · 12020 · 12017 · 13 dated
Accel Entertainment is a video gaming terminal operator that provides gaming machines, redemption machines, and amusement devices to bars, restaurants, convenience stores, truck stops, and fraternal and veteran organizations.
GamingHardwareBurr Ridge, US
Michael Marino(Executive Officer)Mathew Ellis(Executive Officer)Mark Phelan(Executive Officer)Derek Harmer(Executive Officer)Andrew Rubenstein(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsClairvest Group Inc
Audio Up is a media company that produces audio-based entertainment, developing intellectual property around songs, podcasts, and audio marketing assets.
Creator EconomyMedia & EntertainmentLos Angeles, US
Jared Gutstadt(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Brian Edwards(Director)
BoardJustin Shukat(Director)Andrew Moss(Director)Caroline Casey Boman(Director)Darren Throop(Director)
Co-investorsFourward Ventures
Benchmark Analytics builds data-driven talent management and early intervention solutions for law enforcement agencies, sheriff's offices, and related organizations.
Data & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareGovTechHR TechLegalTechChicago, US
Bob Tulini(Co-Founder)inRon Huberman(Chief Executive Officer)in
BoardKaren Konow(Former Chief, Bureau of Internal Affairs, Chicago Police Department)Karen Rowan(Former Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Internal Affairs, Chicago Police Department)
Co-investorsValor Equity Partners
Acquired by private equity in 2024
Coralogix provides an AI-native observability platform with a data lake that lets engineering teams ingest, store, and query telemetry (logs, metrics, and traces) across their stack using a unified query language and conversational AI investigation interface.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools
Ariel Assaraf(Founder)inYoni Farin(Founder)in
Co-investors2B.VCAlephBright Pixel CapitalBrighton Park CapitalGreenfield PartnersJoule Ventures+6 more
Dundee Venture Capital is an early-stage venture firm that invests in commerce enablement and supply chain technology companies, backing founders from the idea stage through early product-market fit.
E-commerceLogistics & Supply ChainRetail Tech
Harbinger Motors designs and manufactures electric vehicles built on medium-duty platforms for commercial and industrial transportation.
CleantechHardwareMobility & TransportationGarden Grove, US
John Harris(Chief Executive Officer & CoFounder)Phillip Weicker(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Benjamin Dusastre(Executive Officer)Ryan Clinton(Director)inWilliam Eberts(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardGilbert Passin(Director)
Co-investorsAcequia Capital (AceCap)CarbonGreycroftGround Up VenturesIn-Q-TelLeitmotif+9 more
IRA Financial is a self-directed retirement account provider that lets individual investors hold alternative assets (real estate, private equity, crypto, precious metals) alongside stocks and ETFs in one IRA or Solo 401(k).
Fintech
Adam Bergman
NuCurrent designs and licenses wireless power and NFC charging architecture for wearables, hearables, and ambient devices, working with product manufacturers to integrate coil, silicon, firmware, and thermal design.
ConsumerDeep TechHardwareIoTChicago, US
Jacob Babcock(CEO)inStephen Wasko(Executive Officer)Megha Maripuri(Executive Officer)Jeffery Korach(Director)Chris Jensen(Director)
BoardDaniel Einhorn(Director)in
Co-investorsCapital Midwest FundDipalo VenturesIU VenturesHyde Park Angels
Packback is an education technology platform using instructional AI to support student discussion, writing feedback and grading.
Chicago, US
Kesav Gandham(Executive Officer, Director)Michael Shannon(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardHoward Tullman(Director)
Co-investorsEscalate Capital PartnersHyde Park AngelsPSG Equity
Popular Pays is an influencer marketing and creator management platform that connects brands with creators for campaign development and execution.
Creator EconomyEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSChicago, US
Corbett Drummey(Founder/CEO)inSteven Wanderski(Founder/Full Stack Web Developer)in
BoardClancey Stahr(Director)inPeter Dolan(Director)
Co-investorsBeringeaEmery CapitalFusionGoAhead VenturesICCP Venture PartnersLofty Ventures+5 more
Prisidio is a secure digital vault app that lets individuals and families organize documents, passwords, valuables, financial information, and memories in one encrypted place and share them with chosen family members, advisors, or executors.
ConsumerCybersecurityFintechSaaSNaples, US
Glenn Shimkus(Co-Founder & CEO)inPaul Koziarz(Director)
BoardRob Chesney(Director)inVanessa Pegueros(Director)inJames Dugan(Director)Jason Heltzer(Director)in
Co-investorsChicago VenturesGula Tech AdventuresTamiami AngelFlying Fish VenturesOrigin Ventures
Transforming the dental experience
SmartMirror makes a smart dental mirror that combines a fog- and scratch-resistant sapphire mirror with integrated true-color LED lighting and an HD intraoral camera that streams real-time video to iPad and iPhone apps.
Digital HealthHardwareMedical Devices
SpotHero is a parking reservation app that helps drivers find and book affordable parking at garages, lots, and valet services across North American cities.
ConsumerLogistics & Supply ChainMarketplacesMobility & TransportationChicago, US
Mark Lawrence(Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer)inLarry Kiss(Co-Founder, Chief Architect Officer)Jeremy Smith(Executive Officer, Director)Sam Guren(Director)Lawrence Kiss
BoardSamuel Guren(Director)
Co-investors500 GlobalBlossom Street VenturesBullpen CapitalChicago VenturesCorazon CapitalInsight Partners+10 more
Telnyx operates a full-stack communications platform that owns its own global carrier network, enabling real-time voice AI, messaging, and inference without intermediary handoffs.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareChicago, US
David Casem(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsChicago VenturesCorazon CapitalDrive CapitalFrontline VenturesGlynn Capital ManagementTechstars
Tampa, US
Nicholas Friedman(Executive Officer, Director)Omar Soliman(Executive Officer, Director)David Magrisso(Director)Roman Cowan(Director)
BoardKevin Adamek(Director)in
Co-investorsFlorida Funders
Visibly operates a vision testing platform and network of licensed eye care providers that enable telehealth vision care services and prescription renewals.
Digital HealthHealthtechSaaSChicago, US
Aaron Dallek(Chief Executive Officer, Director and Founder)Steven Lee(Executive Vice President, Director and Founder)David Ting(Director)Paul Foley(Executive Officer, Director)Hirak Parikh(Director)Brent Rasmussen(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsChicago VenturesCorazon CapitalSandalphon CapitalTribeca Venture PartnersJump CapitalTrust Ventures
Seattle, US
John Larson(Executive Officer)John Stafford, III(Director)Anthony Riemma(Executive Officer)Lucas Price(Executive Officer)John Lauer(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Melinda White(Director)
Co-investorsCowles VenturesOpenView Venture PartnersVoyager Capital
Exits · 2
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioAccel EntertainmentNYSE: ACELPopular Paysacq. by Lightricks
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesIRA Financial · refreshmiami.com · Aug 18, 2026
Benchmark · itbrief.asia · Jul 17, 2026
Coralogix · fintech.global · Jun 4, 2026
Popular Pays · trysignalbase.com · Mar 23, 2026
Spot Hero · cnbc.com · Feb 23, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Lakewest Venture Partners made?
- Lakewest Venture Partners has 40 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited via acquisition or IPO.
- What stage does Lakewest Venture Partners invest at?
- Lakewest Venture Partners invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Lakewest Venture Partners's typical check size?
- Lakewest Venture Partners typically writes checks of $50K – $1M.
- What sectors does Lakewest Venture Partners focus on?
- Lakewest Venture Partners focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Lakewest Venture Partners located?
- Lakewest Venture Partners is headquartered in Chicago, US.
- Does Lakewest Venture Partners lead rounds?
- Yes, Lakewest Venture Partners leads investment rounds.
- Who does Lakewest Venture Partners co-invest with?
- Lakewest Venture Partners most often shares deals with Chicago Ventures, Corazon Capital, Drive Capital, among 60 tracked co-investors.
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