Lightbank
Venture capitalChicago · Seed–Late Stage · 25 people tracked
Also known as LIGHTBANK ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC
Investment thesis
Early-stage, Midwest-focused VC and company builder that incubates in-house, backed by operator-heavy partners who've founded and scaled multiple companies and deployed over $150M into 70+ regional companies.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 25 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 27 of 133 portfolio companiesEnterprise Software ×13SaaS ×13AI & Machine Learning ×6Cybersecurity ×5Fintech ×5InsurTech ×4Marketplaces ×4Consumer ×3
HQs:United States×24United Kingdom×1
Investments · 133 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBoca Raton, US
Amanda Lannert(Director)Patricia Glassford(Director)Steven Bernstein(Director)Jon Trauben(Director)Jeffrey Harris(Chief Executive Officer and Chairman)Phil Schwarz(Director)
Chicago, US
Aaron Rankin(Executive Officer, Director)Peter Barris(Director)Eric Lefkofksy(Director)Justyn Howard(Executive Officer, Director)Jason Kreuziger(Director)
Valarian builds ACRA, an infrastructure platform for organizations requiring high levels of control, privacy, and compliance in their digital environments.
Cloud ComputingCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareLondon, GB
Max Buchan(Co-founder & CEO)Josh McLaughlin(Co-founder & COO)
Hireology provides a recruiting and applicant tracking platform that helps businesses hire staff, with features including career sites, digital onboarding, hiring analytics, employee referral management, and an AI recruiting assistant.
AI & Machine LearningHR TechSaaSChicago, US
Adam Robinson(Chief Executive Officer, President and Director)Michael Krupka(Director)Bill Pescatello(Director)Michael Krasman(Secretary and Director)
Board seatBill Pescatello· per SEC Form D
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)
Bearing provides software that digitizes corporate physical security operations on the ServiceNow platform, built by physical security leaders for security teams managing enterprise risk and vulnerability.
CybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareBridgeport, US
Michael A Conduff(Executive Officer)Philip E. Riley(Executive Officer)Michael P Madden(Executive Officer)James C Hunt(Executive Officer)Catherine L Spain(Executive Officer)John C Matheny(Director)
San Francisco, US
Vu Nguyen(Executive Officer, Director)Nils Johnson(Executive Officer, Director)James Watson(Director)
This page describes PagerDuty Workflow Automation, a product that automates manual business processes for development and IT operations by combining human-in-the-loop steps such as approvals and decisions with technical automation.
Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSChicago, US
Peter Barris(Director)Sean Chou(Executive Officer, Director)Ravi Singh(Executive Officer, Director)
Peachtree City, US
Christopher O'Reilly(Member of the board of managers)Daniel Collier(Member of the board of managers)Stuart Roehm(Member of the board of managers)
Clearcover is an insurance company that simplifies auto insurance coverage selection and claims processing through a mobile-first platform, enabling fast claim payouts.
InsurTechChicago, US
Cynthia Hardy(Director)Eugene Lee(Pending Common Director designee)William Spencer Boice(Director)Jennifer Kemp(Executive Officer)Kyle Nakatsuji(Executive Officer, Director)Jennifer Crutchfield(Executive Officer)
Babak Pahlavan(CoFounder)
San Francisco, US
Ahreum Kang(Executive Officer, Director)Osuke Honda(Director)Da Woon Kang(Executive Officer, Director)
Contently is a platform and content management service that helps brands create and distribute editorial content at scale.
Enterprise SoftwareMarketing TechMedia & EntertainmentSaaSNew York City, US
Shane Snow(Executive Officer)Joshua Breinlinger(Director)Joseph Coleman(Executive Officer, Director)David Goldberg(Director)Paul Flanagan(Director)
BoardEric Paley(Director)
CrowdRise is an online fundraising platform that enables individuals and organizations to raise money for charitable causes and personal needs.
FintechMarketplacesLos Angeles, US
Edward Norton(Co-founder)Shauna Robertson(Co-founder)Robert Wolfe(CEO)Jeffrey Wolfe(Co-founder)Bijan Sabet(Director)
BoardFred Wilson(Director)
Flywheel provides a platform for organizing, managing, and sharing medical imaging data.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureHealthtechMedical DevicesMinneapolis, US
Brian Wandell(Co-founder)Gunnar Schaefer(Co-founder)Colby Moosman(Executive Officer)Matthew D. Michela(Executive Officer, Director)Sarah Fazio(Executive Officer)Danny J. Cunagin(Director)
Fooda operates a marketplace that brings restaurant partners and popup dining experiences directly to workplaces, allowing employees to access fresh meals from high-rated restaurants without leaving their office location.
FoodTechMarketplacesChicago, US
Nigel Travis(Director)Jason Stulberg(Executive Officer)Alex Groesbeck(Executive Officer)Vip Sandhir(Director)Jonathan K. Shulkin(Director)Suzanne Muchin(Director)
FrontrowMD is a platform that helps consumers discover and purchase health and wellness products with guidance from medical professionals.
Direct to ConsumerHealthtechMarketplacesWellness & Fitness
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Lightbank invest at?
- Lightbank invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Late Stage stages.
- What is Lightbank's typical check size?
- Lightbank typically writes checks of $500K – $5M.
- What sectors does Lightbank focus on?
- Lightbank focuses on Consumer, Crypto & Web3, EdTech, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Healthtech, Media & Entertainment, Retail Tech, SaaS.
- Where is Lightbank located?
- Lightbank is headquartered in Chicago, US.
- Does Lightbank lead rounds?
- Lightbank typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Co-investors · 110
Techstars is a startup accelerator and early-stage investor that funds ambitious founders and provides capital, mentorship, and access to a global network of investors, operators, and corporate partners.
Union Square Ventures is a venture capital firm based in New York City that invests in companies at the edge of large markets being transformed by technological and societal pressures.
Chicago Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that partners with founders in industries it views as overlooked, writing high-conviction checks and taking board seats.
Corazon Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Chicago that invests in consumer and B2B technology companies, backing founders from pre-seed through later stages.
Bessemer Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs from early stages through every stage of growth, publishing investment roadmaps across multiple technology sectors.
Founder Collective is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed and pre-seed investments across all sectors.
Uncork Capital is a seed-stage venture firm that backs founders at the earliest stage, before their potential is widely recognized.
Felicis Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that has backed founders for over 20 years, leading or co-leading the majority of its investments across seed and Series A rounds.
Spark Capital is a venture capital firm that backs founders across technology and consumer companies; it notably led Twitter's Series B in 2008.
Bullpen Capital is an early-stage venture firm that has funded over 100 companies, focusing on businesses that have found product-market fit but are overlooked by other investors.
Crosslink Capital is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm investing in enterprise and consumer technology startups across North America.
Transmedia Capital (TMC) is an early-stage technology venture fund that provides domain expertise, operating experience, and advisory support to founders.
▶98 more co-investors
Jackson Square VenturesMontage VenturesContour Venture PartnersCultivation CapitalRiverPark VenturesMercato PartnersAndreessen HorowitzGeneral CatalystFounders FundLightspeed Venture PartnersCraft VenturesAccelAlumni VenturesInsight PartnersUberEverywhere VenturesDCVC (Data Collective)Sound VenturesCRV (Charles River Ventures)DST GlobalGreat Oaks Venture CapitalTiger Global ManagementPlug and Play VenturesEniac VenturesStreamlined VenturesSusa VenturesACME CapitalOffline VenturesNextView VenturesUpHonest CapitalPrecursor VenturesKapor CapitalCanvas VenturesAfore CapitalFloodgateInovia CapitalBowery CapitalBonfire VenturesIA VenturesTrinity VenturesRed Swan VenturesBuckley Ventures Management Company LlcMaveronLerer HippeauFoundry GroupThrive CapitalGoodwater CapitalWEEKENDBAM VenturesFifth WallM13Threshold Ventures75 & SunnyHustle FundGeneral PartnershipWinklevoss CapitalCostanoa VenturesAngelPadCausalCowboy VenturesFuel Venture CapitalPelion Venture PartnersHyde Park Venture PartnersNyca PartnersBrand Foundry VenturesClimate CapitalAccelerator VenturesHelium-3 VenturesEndeavor CatalystNotation CapitalBoost VCSweet CapitalTenOneTen VenturesThink+ Ventures Management, LlcCurious CapitalFifty YearsRTP GlobalPeterson VenturesCelesta CapitalGriffin Gaming PartnersLearn CapitalNIVEqual VenturesEvolve VC FundsGemini Israel VenturesDivergent CapitalPTC PolymarketArthur VenturesDag VenturesEnergy Capital VenturesMHS CapitalPortal VenturesCadenzaGlade Brook Capital PartnersWestRiver GroupCrossbeam Venture PartnersDistributed VenturesWealthing VC Club
Firms observed investing alongside Lightbank, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Lightbank's recorded portfolio.
Similar investors
AppWorks is a Taiwan-based venture capital firm and accelerator founded by former founders that backs early- to growth-stage tech startups, running an accelerator program, investment funds, and a tech-skills school.
Blume Ventures is a seed and pre-Series A investment firm headquartered in Mumbai that focuses on early-stage companies in India.
Norwest is a venture and growth equity investment firm that has backed over 700 companies across sectors including AI, retail, and healthcare, working alongside entrepreneurs from early to late-stage growth.
Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund is a non-profit organization established by Alibaba Group in 2015 that invests in entrepreneurs and startups based in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
137 Ventures is a multi-stage investment firm that partners with technology companies and their founders.