LongJump Ventures
Venture capitalChicago · Pre-Seed–Seed · 6 people tracked
Investment thesis
LongJump is a founder-led fund focused on writing the first check for early-stage founders, investing $110K at the earliest stages to help turn ambitious ideas into scalable, high-growth companies. It is industry-agnostic and concentrates on founders building in the Midwest, with a strong bias toward Chicago, based on the belief that great companies can start anywhere and not only on the coasts. The fund is backed by a network of 200+ founders, operators, and investors who serve as limited partners and provide insights and connections to support portfolio startups.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 6 people
from public directories
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Founder mafia
5 people who came through LongJump Ventures went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 30 of 41 portfolio companiesSaaS ×10AI & Machine Learning ×8Consumer ×7Digital Health ×4Energy ×4FoodTech ×4Healthtech ×4Marketplaces ×4
HQs:United States×16
Who they back
founder profiles across 12 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×72 founders×23 founders×3
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
Investments · 41 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 32023 · 12022 · 12021 · 22018 · 19 dated
Denver, US
Kathryn Bernell(Executive Officer, Director)Bernell Kathryn(Executive Officer, Director)Kerry Rupp(Director)
Board seatRebecca Kahnweiler· per SEC Form D · $1M raise · filed Jul 2023
Aloe Health matches individuals to health insurance plans based on their doctors, medications, family, and preferences, comparing options across thousands of plans to find the best price.
Digital HealthHealthtechInsurTech
Avant Health is an AI-native third party benefits administrator that offers customized health plans and personalized benefits administration.
AI & Machine LearningHealthtechInsurTech
Co-investorsCeltic House Asia PartnersHypothesis
Bilin Academy is an online learning platform offering teacher-led 1-on-1 and small-group classes for kids and teens in languages, English reading and writing, math, coding, science, debate, art, and music.
EdTechMarketplacesChicago, US
Huayi He(Executive Officer)inJiayi Gao(Director)Jie Yao(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsGraham Walker Venture
Blip Energy makes a compact, portable home battery designed to give households control over their home energy use across various living situations including houses, apartments, and condos.
CleantechEnergyHardware
Sophia Wennstedt(Cofounder)
Clouty converts real-time music data into tradeable indexes and event contracts, letting users track, buy, and sell interest in music genres, songs, chart positions, streaming numbers, and certifications.
FintechMarketplacesMedia & EntertainmentChicago, US
Ebrima Solomon Jobe(Director)David Jombo Umeh(Executive Officer)
DeepWalk uses iPhone LiDAR scanning and a mobile/web application to inspect sidewalks and curb ramps for condition and accessibility issues, generating 3D models and automated measurements.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechGovTechDanville, US
BRANDON YATES(Executive Officer, Director)
Dribbble is an online community and portfolio platform where designers share work, get feedback and find design jobs.
Co-investorsAuxanoEmles Venture PartnersKira StudioTacenda CapitalZenStone Venture Capital
Evergreen makes frozen waffles sweetened with maple syrup and made from whole wheat flour, avocado oil, egg and whole-wheat protein, with hidden zucchini and carrot.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechGlencoe, US
Emily Cole Groden(Executive Officer, Director)Emily Groden(Executive Officer, Director)Carolyn Simmons(Director)
BoardAlex Malamatinas(Director)inDaniel Morad(Director)
Co-investorsMelitas Ventures LlcNext Ventures
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
Oluwafemi Masha(Executive Officer, Director)Onyewuchi Osuji(Executive Officer)Peter Jideonwo(Director)
Co-investorsCleveland AvenueTechstars
Co-investorsChicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV)
The site promotes "MIAMI4D," an online gambling/lottery ("4D") gaming platform offering daily promotions, prize payouts, and 24-hour customer support.
Gaming
Flora is a mobile app (iOS and Android) that identifies plants from photos, provides care guides and watering reminders, and hosts a community for plant owners.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerSocial
Co-investorsDipalo VenturesA16Z SpeedrunFactorial CapitalHanabi CapitalLong Journey VenturesMenlo Ventures+1 more
Foode is a mobile app offering an AI-powered dining concierge ("E") that gives personalized restaurant recommendations, lets users save spots to a "Platelist," book meals, and pay the bill while earning rewards.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerFoodTechChicago, US
Kenneth Clay(Founder)Keith Houlemard(Founder)Ronald Walden(Founder)
FreshX is a digital platform for booking temperature-controlled (reefer) less-than-truckload freight across the US, offering instant rates, carrier comparison, and nationwide coverage.
B2B MarketplacesLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Co-investorsChicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV)
Co-investorsService Provider Capital
Grapefruit Health provides healthcare organizations with a workforce of trained clinical students—recruited from pre-med, nursing, pharmacy, social work, and similar programs—who are integrated into care team workflows to close care gaps and address staffing shortages.
Digital HealthFuture of WorkHealthtechSaaSChicago, US
Eric Alvarez(Executive Officer, Director)inAshley PrenticeMark LuyAlex SegoviaLyndsey PowellBrandon Hedgspeth
Co-investorsEverywhere VenturesGoAhead VenturesAntlerHustle FundSum Ventures
GridLink provides automation software that remotely diagnoses and resolves EV charger failures without requiring technician dispatch, reducing session failures and lost revenue for charging networks, fleets, and OEMs.
EnergyIoTMobility & TransportationSaaSChicago, US
Joshua Silets(Founder)in
Co-investorsTechstars
Hanahana Beauty is a shea butter-based clean skincare, beauty and wellness brand sourcing from a women's cooperative in Ghana.
Abena Boamah-Acheampong(Founder)in
Co-investorsCapitalize VC
Co-investorsChicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV)
Kazadi Enterprises develops thermal energy systems and liquid desiccant air systems for industrial air drying and dehumidification, enabling high-efficiency operation at lower cost for indoor grow and processing facilities.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechEnergyIoTBatavia, US
Dr. Sanza Kazadi
Co-investorsTechstars
LivNow provides senior living transition services and estate settlement support, helping families and older adults manage moves and estate matters.
ConsumerWellness & Fitness
lu.ma is a platform for creating event pages, inviting attendees, and selling tickets for events.
Marketplaces
Dan Liu(Founder)Victor Pontis(Founder)in
Co-investorsAir Street CapitalAtelierBonfire VenturesExceptional CapitalIOSG VenturesMaven Ventures+8 more
Tally is an online form builder that works like a text document, letting users create forms by typing and inserting blocks without code.
Future of WorkMarketing TechSaaS
Marie Martens(Founder)in
Co-investors1991 VenturesAnchorless BangladeshAscensionBloom / Giesen Family OfficeDay One CapitalFlori Ventures+8 more
Qixent is an AI-native insurtech platform that provides embedded insurance, offering instant quotes, automated monitoring and claims payouts, and no-code integration for businesses to add coverage into their existing workflows.
AI & Machine LearningInsurTechSaaSChicago, US
Qodex Quantum offers tools aimed at helping enterprise quantum teams find and validate quantum computing methods that work on real hardware, positioning itself around amplifying existing teams rather than hiring.
Deep TechEnterprise SoftwareQuantum ComputingChicago, US
Ethan Evans(Chief Research Officer and President)Jeffrey Dale(Chief Technology Officer)Stuart Pino(Chief Executive Officer and Secretary)Zachary Bradshaw(Chief Scientist)
BoardAri Evans(Director)
Red Belly Honey produces raw hemp-infused honey made by bees that forage on hemp nectar, resulting in honey containing hemp compounds.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Rise Reforming converts stranded biogas from wastewater plants, farms, and landfills into valuable chemicals including dimethyl ether (DME), methanol, and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) using modular, containerized technology.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechEnergyChicago, US
George Rose(Co-Founder and CEO)inLucas Zubillaga(Co-Founder & CTO)inJona van Oord(Co-Founder & COO)in
Co-investorsY Combinator
Rivet is a marketing platform that unifies fan and audience data across social, commerce, ticketing, ads, and streaming to identify high-intent segments and activate them via email, SMS, DMs, ads, and D2C tools.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS
Simran Pabla(Founder)inAnj "Fayemz" Fayemi(Founder)in
Co-investorsRevUp CapitalCapitalize VCHaystackSusa Ventures
Science On Call provides IT support and managed services for restaurants, leveraging AI-powered automations to help resolve technology challenges and reduce operational costs.
Enterprise SoftwareFoodTechSaaSOak Park, US
Andy Freivogel(Co-Founder & CEO)Luisa Castellanos(Co-Founder & COO)Ken Tsang(Co-Founder & CTO)
Co-investorsBread And Butter Ventures, LlcChicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV)Connetic VenturesGROOVE CAPITALLofty VenturesRedstick Ventures+4 more
Stock connects brands and third-party logistics providers with nonprofits to donate excess and obsolete inventory.
B2B MarketplacesCircular EconomyImpact & Social GoodLogistics & Supply ChainSocialPark Ridge, US
Abby Nawrocki(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsMighty CapitalStorytime Capital
Tercero develops edge AI technology for Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO), building FPGA-based systems and subsystems for forward-deployed intelligent sensors and autonomous unmanned systems in defense applications.
AI & Machine LearningDefense TechHardware
Co-investorsGraham Walker Venture
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.
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesFlora · runtimewire.com · Aug 8, 2026
Rise Reforming · ycombinator.com · Jul 13, 2026
Rivet · trysignalbase.com · Apr 7, 2026
Science On Call · trysignalbase.com · Mar 24, 2026
QodeX Quantum · entangledfuture.com · Mar 24, 2026
Grapefruit · bizjournals.com · Aug 20, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has LongJump Ventures made?
- LongJump Ventures has 40 tracked investments, including 4 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does LongJump Ventures invest at?
- LongJump Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is LongJump Ventures's typical check size?
- LongJump Ventures typically writes checks of $110K.
- What sectors does LongJump Ventures focus on?
- LongJump Ventures focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is LongJump Ventures located?
- LongJump Ventures is headquartered in Chicago, US.
- Does LongJump Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, LongJump Ventures leads investment rounds.
- Who does LongJump Ventures co-invest with?
- LongJump Ventures most often shares deals with Chicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV), Techstars, Graham Walker Venture, among 60 tracked co-investors.
Co-investors · 6
Redpoint Ventures is a venture capital firm established in 1999 by former partners from leading venture firms, focusing on early-stage technology companies across multiple sectors. The firm leverages its partners' technology investment experience and an extensive network of entrepreneurs and industry contacts to support portfolio company growth.
Hustle Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests quickly in startups, offering capital along with educational programs and mentorship. It also runs an angel investing community that lets members invest alongside the fund.
Tiger Global Management operates public equity strategies (long/short, long-focused and crossover) and a private equity business investing in early- through late-stage growth companies across new and existing industries.
Gradient is a seed-stage venture fund focused on backing founders building artificial intelligence companies, providing hands-on support as builders and mentors.
Blue Victor Capital connects strategic partners with mobility startups and entrepreneurs, leveraging the automotive industry experience of its founders who previously worked together at General Motors.
Firms observed investing alongside LongJump Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with LongJump Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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