Motivate Venture Capital
Venture capitalChicago · Pre-Seed–Series A · 6 people tracked
Also known as MOTIVATE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC
Investment thesis
Motivate focuses on the earliest stages of a company's lifecycle, targeting pre-seed and seed opportunities. It writes $250k-$1m checks at pre-seed and $1.5-3m at seed. The firm backs founders with strong domain knowledge who are addressing real, durable problems in large and growing markets with high growth potential. Beyond capital, Motivate provides experience and connections, works alongside high-caliber founders to co-create and launch new ventures, and actively invests in and supports emerging pre-seed and seed stage VC funds.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 6 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 40 of 78 portfolio companiesFintech ×19SaaS ×16AI & Machine Learning ×11Enterprise Software ×11InsurTech ×5Advanced Manufacturing ×4Data & Infrastructure ×4Crypto & Web3 ×3
HQs:United States×14Canada×1India×1Netherlands×1
Investments · 78 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 22023 · 12022 · 12021 · 15 dated
Mobile-only bank with no monthly fees and no minimum deposit
Corechain provides a B2B payments platform that streamlines paperless payments and supply chain financing to help suppliers unlock working capital from unpaid invoices.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSNew Haven, US
Randy Shuken(Director)Christopher P Aguas(Executive Officer, Director)Steve Reale(Director)Joseph Giordano(Director)Thomas G Romary(Executive Officer, Director)
Dyania Health develops AI and natural language processing technology for clinical research and healthcare applications, serving healthcare systems and clinical trial management.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechNew York, US
Eirini Sloser(CEO)Eirini Schlosser(CEO & Founder)in
Hosta A.I. provides an AI-powered property assessment platform that uses spatial and material analytics to automate building assessments from photographs.
AI & Machine LearningInsurTechPropTechCambridge, US
BoardDennis Shelden(Former CTO and Co-Founder Gehry Technologies)
Enklu develops Verse, a location-based attraction platform for venue, resort, and entertainment center operators to create social entertainment experiences.
Gaming
FeedbackNow provides real-time feedback collection and predictive analytics platforms for service-oriented businesses, using digital and physical touchpoints to capture customer sentiment and operational data.
Enterprise SoftwareSaaS
Hallow is a mobile app that offers guided contemplative and meditative prayer techniques rooted in Catholic tradition.
ConsumerWellness & Fitness
Alex Jones(CEO)
HelixIntel offers HelixCMMS, a computerized maintenance management platform for maintenance and facilities teams to run work orders, preventive maintenance, and asset tracking, and HelixPrevent, a risk-prevention suite for insurance carriers, pools, and programs.
InsurTechPropTechSaaSBuffalo, US
Jonathan DeWald(Executive Officer, Director)Pradeep Tagare(Director)Eliot Powell(Director)Matt Rutter(Executive Officer)Brian Sullivan(Executive Officer)Mel Passarelli(Director)
Fresh, customized weekly meal kits (acquired)
iink operates a digital payments network that helps restoration professionals, public adjusters, and property attorneys get paid more efficiently after property damage insurance claims, replacing the paper-check endorsement process.
FintechInsurTechPropTechTampa, US
THOMAS MCGRATH(Executive Officer, Director)KENNETH LOLLAR(Executive Officer)RYAN HOLLIDAY(Executive Officer, Director)RYAN WETZEL(Executive Officer)David Wieland(Director)Ken Lollar(Co-founder)
Washington, US
Adam Zarazinski(Executive Officer, Director)Evgeny Dmitriev(Director)
Kangarootime provides a unified software platform for child care facilities to manage operations and improve outcomes for staff and children.
Future of WorkSaaSBuffalo, US
Scott Wayman(Executive Officer, Director)Bob Willer(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardStefan Szanto(Director)Heather Wood(Director)Andrew Kaplan(Director)
LiquidTrust provides an embedded payment infrastructure that lets platforms hold funds in dedicated transaction accounts and release them only when defined conditions are met, with built-in KYC, KYB, AML, and transaction monitoring.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Mesh is a global cryptocurrency payments network that connects exchanges, wallets, and financial platforms into a unified infrastructure layer enabling instant payments across any blockchain and wallet.
Crypto & Web3FintechBay Area, US
Bam Azizi(CEO & Co-Founder)inAdam Israel(CCO & Co-Founder)in
Moove.ai applies machine learning to connected vehicle data to understand and mitigate transportation risks.
AI & Machine LearningIoTMobility & Transportation
Lafayette, US
Lauren Deluca(Director)Jack Greco(Director)Salman Dhanani(Director)Abdur Rafay Khan(Executive Officer, Director)
NetNow provides a credit application and management platform that automates B2B credit operations, including onboarding, trade and bank reference collection, and tax compliance, giving credit teams real-time data for faster credit decisions.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSToronto, CA
Nauman HafeezEli CosteaSoroush Arghavan
New Era ADR is a legaltech company that provides a technology platform for alternative dispute resolution, aiming to make dispute resolution more equitable, efficient, and effective.
LegalTechSaaSChicago, US
Collin Williams(Founder & CEO)Richard Lee(Director)Rich Lee(Founder & Executive Chairman)Michelle Tyler(Founder & VP, Operations)Shane Mulrooney(Founder & General Counsel)Kevin Drost(Chief Financial Officer)
Thrive is a loan servicing company that connects banks with consumers seeking financing options for home improvement projects.
Fintech
Privacy Lock provides data privacy and compliance software for financial institutions, including GDPR/CCPA-compliant core conversions, AI-powered ETL and data transformations, data governance, and vendor management.
CybersecurityFintechSaaS
Quiltt provides a unified API platform that aggregates financial data from multiple providers, enabling fintech applications to access banking data and enrichment services through a single integration rather than managing multiple direct connections.
Data & InfrastructureFintech
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesMoove · techcrunch.com · Aug 5, 2026
Fulcrum · investegate.co.uk · Jul 17, 2026
Mesh · venture5.com · Jul 10, 2026
SureBright · natlawreview.com · Jul 6, 2026
Lazarus · thelastcaretakergame.org · Nov 14, 2025
Payall · thepaymentsassociation.org · Jul 21, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Motivate Venture Capital invest at?
- Motivate Venture Capital invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Motivate Venture Capital's typical check size?
- Motivate Venture Capital typically writes checks of $250K – $3M.
- What sectors does Motivate Venture Capital focus on?
- Motivate Venture Capital focuses on Consumer, Crypto & Web3, Data & Infrastructure, EdTech, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Hardware, Healthtech, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Motivate Venture Capital located?
- Motivate Venture Capital is headquartered in Chicago, US.
- Does Motivate Venture Capital lead rounds?
- Motivate Venture Capital typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Images
Co-investors · 37
IrishAngels is a Notre Dame alumni-affiliated angel investing network that backs early-stage founders at pre-seed and seed, providing capital plus access to a 200+ member investor network of operators and entrepreneurs.
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.
Wedbush Ventures is an early-stage investment firm that backs founders solving problems through technological innovation, positioning itself as hands-on partners focused on helping companies grow.
NextView Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm that works closely with founders, providing hands-on support to help build companies from inception to scale.
Schematic Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund based in San Francisco that invests in technology companies across supply chain, manufacturing, and software infrastructure.
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.
Social Starts is a group of early-stage venture funds that applies a data-driven, analytics-based methodology to identify and back promising companies in high-potential segments. Its current fund, Social Starts Health and Happiness, targets startups focused on helping people live longer and better.
A talent and research-driven investment firm that identifies and invests in entrepreneurs and their companies across funding stages from seed through scaling.
Bread and Butter Ventures is a Minnesota-based venture capital firm investing in foodtech, digital health, and enterprise technology companies, leveraging the state's concentration of food, healthcare, and Fortune 500 industry leaders.
Amplify is a Los Angeles-based pre-seed fund that provides funding and guidance to technology entrepreneurs to help them build scalable companies.
Bain Capital Ventures is the venture arm of Bain Capital, backing founders from incubation and seed through growth-stage, leveraging Bain Capital's global platform, industry expertise, and network.
Great Oaks Venture Capital is a New York-based early-stage investor that partners with founders at the earliest stages of company building across the United States.
▶25 more co-investors
Battery VenturesForerunner VenturesStellar CapitalTodd and Rahul’s Angel FundFoundry GroupAtlas VentureSocial LeverageQueensBridge Venture PartnersHustle FundAnthemis VentureBrand Foundry VenturesCapital FactoryPropeller VCEnsemble VCG20 VenturesNational Grid PartnersAmino CapitalPJCAmerican Family VenturesCorazon CapitalRSCMJetBlue VenturesBehind Genius VenturesMAGIC FundRogue Venture Partners
Firms observed investing alongside Motivate Venture Capital, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Motivate Venture Capital's recorded portfolio.
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