Fundraising Fox
Network Ventures
Venture capitalChicago · Seed · 2 people tracked
Find your way into Network Ventures
Sign up to see every warm intro you have to Network Ventures
- Paths you didn't know you had: your email and LinkedIn already hold routes to the Network Ventures team. We find them for you
- 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections: the friend-of-a-friend routes that take hours to manually find through your inbox or LinkedIn
- Answers now, not in days: momentum is everything in a raise. Skip asking around whether someone knows someone
Days of research, done the moment you sign in, with every route ranked by how warm it is.
Investment thesis
Network Ventures backs founders with bold visions aiming to create positive change. As a Midwest-based, seed-stage firm, it concentrates on companies building network effects. It intentionally invests in only a handful of companies annually so it can work closely and hands-on with founders and their teams. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience working with startups, the firm is willing to write the first check into a company or lead a round. It emphasizes the value of community, relying on the collective knowledge of its founder and investor network to help portfolio companies learn, grow, fundraise, and connect to useful resources.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from curated & public directories
What they invest in
from 10 of 17 portfolio companiesSaaS ×5Enterprise Software ×4AI & Machine Learning ×2Consumer ×2Future of Work ×2Marketplaces ×2B2B Marketplaces ×1Creator Economy ×1
HQs:United States×15
Investments · 17 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 12022 · 12021 · 12020 · 32019 · 52017 · 12016 · 214 dated
PrintWithMe operates self-serve, wireless printer stations that let users print, copy, scan, and fax documents via web, email, or an iOS app.
HardwarePropTechSaaSChicago, US
Jonathan Treble(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardRyan Jeffrey(Director)
Board seatJeffrey B. Maters· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsM25Newlin VenturesNew Stack Ventures
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)in
Co-investorsChicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV)Cleveland AvenueConnetic VenturesID VenturesLightbankLofty Ventures+8 more
ConceptDrop offers Source, a platform that consolidates freelance hiring for creative, digital, and consulting work into a single contract, matching companies with vetted freelancers such as designers, writers, and animators through a dedicated account manager.
Creator EconomyFuture of WorkMarketplacesSocialChicago, US
Gurmohit AhluwaliainMohit AhluwaliaPhil Alexander(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardTodd Goldstein(Director)Jeffrey Maters(Director)
Co-investors500 Global
Draftbit is a low-code platform that enables users to build web and mobile applications for iOS and Android using visual editing, AI agents, and integrated development tools.
Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareChicago, US
Brian Luerssen(CEO)inDonald Hruska(Founder)Peter Piekarczyk(Founder)Tim Grace(COO)Tessa Maurice(Recruiter)
Co-investorsCorazon CapitalFloodgateNew Stack VenturesNewlin VenturesSoma CapitalY Combinator+7 more
EarlyBird offers UGMA custodial investment accounts that let parents and family members invest on behalf of a child, with funds usable for education, a home down payment, starting a business, or other purposes.
ConsumerFintechSaaS
Caleb Frankel(Founder)Jordan Wexler(Founder)
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesBridge Venture FundChicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV)JourneyOne VenturesKairos AngelsRareBreed Ventures+7 more
Giggster is an online marketplace for booking spaces and venues for events, meetings, film shoots, and productions, connecting people who need locations with hosts who list them.
ConsumerMarketplaces
Co-investorsLAUNCHBessemer Venture Partners
Hunt Club is an executive search firm that uses its network and technology platform to place leadership and other hires for high-growth venture- and private-equity-backed companies.
AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkHR TechSaaSChicago, US
Nikolas Cromydas(Executive Officer, Director)Sami Ahmed(Founder)inScott Kacyn(Founder)in
BoardStephen Schmalhofer(Director)inDave Knox(Director)Brian Reinken(Director)
Co-investorsFJ LabsKnoll VenturesStarting LineTBD AngelsTeamworthy Ventures
Clearbox is a data platform that aggregates historical transaction data along with market research such as market landscapes, scopes of work, solicitations, vendor responses, contracts, and pricing.
B2B MarketplacesData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareGovTechSaaSChicago, US
Chris Foreman(CEO / Co-Founder)inAndrew Watkins(COO / Co-Founder)inCameron Koczon(Co-Founder)in
PartnerJeff Maters· solo GP
Co-investorsVenrock
Digital home for pickleball enthusiasts and coaches where users can find local courts, connect with players, and play more pickleball
Brandon Mackie(Founder)inJeff Gordonin
Co-investorsArdent VentureOverlineService Provider CapitalSSC Venture PartnersKevin Durant
RetailAware provides sensor-based analytics and sense technology that lets retail brands and their partners measure how shoppers interact with physical in-store product displays, tracking foot traffic, dwell time, and out-of-stock events.
AI & Machine LearningIoTRetail TechOmaha, US
Keith Fix(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardMICHAEL GILKES(Director)Michael Andrew Dierks(Director)
Co-investorsConsumer VenturesFirstMile VenturesFlucas VenturesInvest NebraskaLofty VenturesNew Stack Ventures+2 more
ShipBob provides fulfillment and logistics services for ecommerce businesses, enabling direct-to-consumer brands to outsource order fulfillment and warehouse operations.
E-commerceEnterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainChicago, US
Divey Gulati(Founder)inDhruv Saxena(Founder)inAnthony Watson(Cofounder)inMustafa Bayramoglu(Software Architect)inPatrick Johnson(Head of User Experience \u0026 Design)Andy Pittman(Vice President Global Talent)
Co-investorsBain Capital VenturesBragiel BrothersFJ LabsFundersClubHyde Park Venture PartnersJunipero+18 more
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Graide NetworkHumanPredictions SoftwareEsquifyHumanpredictionsLeafwire
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
- How many investments has Network Ventures made?
- Network Ventures has 17 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Network Ventures invest at?
- Network Ventures invests at the Seed stage.
- What is Network Ventures's typical check size?
- Network Ventures typically writes checks of $500K – $2M.
- What sectors does Network Ventures focus on?
- Network Ventures focuses on Enterprise Software, Retail Tech, SaaS.
- Where is Network Ventures located?
- Network Ventures is headquartered in Chicago, US.
- Does Network Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Network Ventures leads investment rounds.
Images
Co-investors · 5
FirstMile Ventures is a Colorado-based venture capital firm that invests in pre-seed and seed stage technology companies. The firm focuses on early-stage founding teams.
Invest Nebraska is a Nebraska-based investment organization that provides financial and operational support to high-growth companies, advances the state's entrepreneurial economy, and works to attract out-of-state capital to Nebraska.
Finger Group builds and backs businesses across venture capital and private equity by deploying proprietary capital. The firm works deeply with founding teams on operational matters including sales, recruiting, and financial modeling, measuring success by business quality and team capability rather than short-term returns.
.png)
Matchstick Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs ambitious entrepreneurs located 'between the coasts,' investing capital, time, and resources at the pre-seed and seed stages.
Firms observed investing alongside Network Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Network Ventures's recorded portfolio.
Similar investors
AirTree Ventures runs Pathfinders, a free four-week in-person program in Sydney for young builders (high-school graduates up to age 23) to work on a real product, access the AirTree team and founders, and build a peer network.
Blume Ventures is a seed and pre-Series A investment firm headquartered in Mumbai that focuses on early-stage companies in India.
Cathay Innovation is a multi-stage venture capital firm backed by industry, investing in startups building technologies that transform how people live and work. It operates a global platform for startup–corporate collaboration.
EDBI is the investment platform of Singapore's Economic Development Board and Enterprise Singapore, focusing on high-growth technology companies expanding into Singapore and Asia.
Edison Partners is a growth equity firm that provides capital along with operating expertise through its Edison Edge platform to help companies accelerate and scale growth.