M25
Venture capitalChicago · Pre-Seed–Series A · 12 people tracked
Also known as M25 GROUP, LLC
Investment thesis
M25 focuses on pre-seed and seed stage technology startups headquartered in the Midwest, backing go-to-market founders. It applies a rigorous, data-driven scorecard that objectively scores team, market, product, traction, exit and growth, funding, and business plan to reduce risk while pursuing strong early-stage returns. The firm emphasizes its extensive networks and collaboration, helping syndicate deals, encouraging fair terms, and prioritizing relationships and founder-friendly advice. Its name draws on the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25), reflecting a philosophy of responsible stewardship of both its own capital and capital entrusted to it by investors.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 12 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 11 of 40 portfolio companiesSaaS ×5AI & Machine Learning ×4Enterprise Software ×4B2B Marketplaces ×3Consumer ×2FoodTech ×2Healthtech ×2InsurTech ×1
HQs:United States×14
Investments · 40 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Authenticx is a conversation intelligence platform that uses AI trained on healthcare data to uncover system-critical insights from customer interactions, helping healthcare organizations identify barriers to better outcomes and improve operational efficiency.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechCarmel, US
McKay Dunn(Director)Amy Brown(Executive Officer, Director)Melanie Bella(Director)
Board seatVictor Gutwein· per SEC Form D
Chicago, US
Board seatVictor Gutwein· per SEC Form D · $7.2M raise · filed Mar 2026
Bloomington, US
Jeffery Hamilton(Director)Marc Guyer(Director)Michael Philip Trotzke(Executive Officer, Director)Victor Gutwein(Director)Mikel Berger(Director)
Board seatVictor Gutwein· per SEC Form D · $1M raise · filed Jul 2017
Moonnox is a professional services platform that embeds AI into consulting workflows to capture and operationalize project knowledge, helping consulting firms scale by reducing knowledge loss and improving delivery consistency.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSChicago, US
Robert Ong(CEO)David Cotten(Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder)Victor Gutwein(Director)Glen Stoffel(Chief Revenue Officer)
Board seatVictor Gutwein· per SEC Form D · $2M raise · filed Sep 2025
Rentgrata is a platform that automates ambassador and referral programs for residential communities using AI-generated insights from resident conversations.
AI & Machine LearningPropTechSaaSChicago, US
Ben Margolit(Chief Executive Officer)inZachary Sloan(Chief Financial Officer)Sam McArtor(Chief Operating Officer)in
Board seatVictor Gutwein· per SEC Form D
FoodTechChicago, US
ARIEL GAISLER(Director)NICOLAS ANASTASIADES(Executive Officer, Director)JONATHAN ELRON(Director)
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)
AMOpportunities operates a marketplace and SaaS platform connecting international medical trainees and healthcare students with U.S. clinical training experiences, while providing workflow management solutions for medical schools and clinical sites.
B2B MarketplacesHealthtechSaaSTravel & HospitalityChicago, US
Benjamin Bradley(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Kyle Swinsky(President, Co-Founder)Daniel Flores(Executive Officer)Kevin Iverson(Executive Officer)John Danaher(Executive Officer)Mamta Patel(Executive Officer)
Kin is a home insurance provider that offers both self-service and agent-assisted policy purchase and management for homeowners.
InsurTechChicago, US
Sean Harper(Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer)S. Caribou Honig(Director)Lucas Ward(Executive Officer and Director)
BoardEric Carlborg(Director)Dan Rosen(Director)
Trava is an AI-powered compliance platform that audits customs entries and product classifications for US importers to identify overpaid duties, recover refunds, and ensure compliance.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSan Francisco, US
Pushkar Lanka(Founder)in
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 M25 invest at?
- M25 invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is M25's typical check size?
- M25 typically writes checks of $500K – $3M.
- What sectors does M25 focus on?
- M25 focuses on Consumer, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Healthtech, InsurTech, Logistics & Supply Chain, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is M25 located?
- M25 is headquartered in Chicago, US.
- Does M25 lead rounds?
- Yes, M25 leads investment rounds.
From the blog
visit blog ↗M25 recently invested in three AI-native platforms addressing fragmented, manual workflows: Immigify for legal immigration compliance, Oath for financial audit verification, and Stock for supply chain inventory management. AI summary
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamMidwest Startup City Rankings: Victor Gutwein, Founder and Managing Partner, M25
5 Lakes Institute · Victor Gutwein
#7 - Abhinaya Konduru (Associate @ M25) Tech Ecosystem - Working on a small team
ConfluenceVC: The VC Operating Playbook · Abhinaya Konduru
Abhinaya Konduru @ M25 on Life as a Junior VC, Chicago Collaboration, and Early-Stage Analysis
Chicago Capital Podcast · Abhinaya Konduru
Investor Series - Mike Asem, VC, M25 - RBL1 Live
Rebel One · Mike Asem
Victor Gutwein, Managing Director, M25
Victor Gutwein · vimeo.com
Investor Series - Mike Asem, VC, M25 - RBL1 Live | Investor Series - Mike Asem, VC, M25 - RBL1 Live Rebel One - RBL1.com - Accelerating Impact Founders & Investors https://www.rbl1.com/invest Link:... | By RBL1 - Rebel One
Mike Asem · facebook.com
Images
Co-investors · 22
Left Lane Capital is an investment firm focused on hyper-growth consumer and technology businesses that have enduring customer relationships, applying a data-driven, specialized approach to help companies scale.
Hyde Park Venture Partners (HPVP) is an early-stage venture fund investing in AI, software, and tech-enabled services companies connected to the Midwest, Toronto, or the Southeast.
Geodesic Capital is a venture firm that invests in multi-stage technology companies and helps them expand into Asian markets, starting with Japan, through strategic guidance and market access.
Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders globally, supported by a community of founders and operators as LPs.
True Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that writes the first check for founders and supports them through subsequent stages of growth.
Inovia Capital is a full-stack venture capital firm based in Canada with a presence in Europe, partnering with founders to build enduring global technology companies.
Pareto Holdings is an early-stage investment and company-building firm headquartered in the United States that operates globally. It has never raised outside capital and is self-funded by design.
Tribe Capital is a venture firm that uses an AI and data-science engine for quantitative underwriting to invest in technology companies, and runs a co-investment program called Firstlook.
Cowboy Ventures is an early-stage venture firm focused on partnering with startups at the pre-seed and seed stages, offering hands-on support to help build enduring companies.
Bedrock is an investment firm whose stated approach centers on identifying opportunities that run counter to prevailing market narratives.
Cultivation Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies with the potential to transform how people live and work, backing them from Series Seed through Series B.
▶10 more co-investors
Cambrian VenturesPreface VenturesC2 VenturesEquity Allianceat.inc/Next Level VenturesVillage CapitalBlue Heron CapitalInvest NebraskaEvergreen Climate Innovations
Firms observed investing alongside M25, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with M25's recorded portfolio.
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