Fundraising FoxVelocity Catalyst Fund
Fund of fundsChicago · Pre-Seed · 2 people tracked
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Investment thesis
Velocity seeks to close Illinois's early-stage funding gap through a $50M hybrid fund split evenly between a fund-of-funds and direct Pre-Seed investments. It writes $1M-$5M anchor checks into Chicago/IL-based emerging fund managers (sub-$50M Funds I-III) in Midwest-critical industries, aiming to catalyze up to $600M in locally headquartered AUM. It also deploys ~$250K Pre-Seed checks into high-potential IL founders in those same industries, reserving capital to follow on with top performers. The firm positions itself as catalytic capital seeking industry-leading returns, not an impact fund, and also activates dormant DAF, philanthropic, family-office, and corporate venture capital.
Source: firm website, verified Oct 1, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 7 of 7 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×4Enterprise Software ×3Advanced Manufacturing ×2Fintech ×2Healthtech ×2Medical Devices ×2SaaS ×2B2B Marketplaces ×1
HQs:United States×3Canada×2Singapore×1
Investments · 7 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
FullSeam provides AI agents that autonomously manage accounts receivable, accounts payable, cash application, and reconciliation tasks for finance teams.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintech
Thomas Dowling(Co-founder)inAaron Coppa(Co-founder)inGeoff Segal(Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsPioneerTranspose Platform ManagementY CombinatorAgrolimen VenturesClocktower VenturesDaft Capital+9 more
Gotrade is a fractional stock trading platform that allows users to buy shares of major companies like Google, Apple, and Netflix with investments starting from $1.
B2B MarketplacesFintechRetail TechSingapore, SG
Norman Wanto(Founder)inAndrew Haryono(Co-Founder (recognized 2022))David Grant(Co-Founder)Rohit Mulani(Co-Founder (later Chairman in some profiles))inSG Norman Wanto(Founder)
Co-investorsKibo VenturesLocalGlobePICUS CAPITALRaptor GroupSoma CapitalTaurus Ventures+11 more
Juicebox is an AI recruiting platform that helps talent acquisition teams discover, evaluate, and outreach to candidates at scale using AI search across 800M+ global profiles, alongside AI agents that automate sourcing and follow-up workflows.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaSLos Angeles, US
David Paffenholz(Founder)inIshan Gupta(Founder)inLogan Kaeleigh Gilbert(Chief Executive Officer)Duane Leigh Gilbert(Chief Technical Officer)
Co-investorsAmino CapitalBrave CapitalSequoia CapitalY CombinatorBond Capital ManagementCoatue Management+9 more
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Juxta develops a UPS (positioning system) that enables real-time location tracking and coordination for organizations across industries including defense, logistics, and manufacturing.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareIoTSector AgnosticSan Francisco, US
John Ferrara(Founder)in
Co-investorsAUTHENTIC VENTURESCRV (Charles River Ventures)Duke Capital PartnersPioneerY CombinatorBurst Capital+6 more
LSK Technologies builds a portable distributed testing platform for diagnosing infectious diseases in field and remote settings.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesToronto, CA
Seray Cicek(Founder)inLivia Guo(Founder)in
Co-investorsFront Row VenturesY Combinator
MedMe builds a pharmacy-specific electronic health record platform with AI-powered clinical documentation and Medicare Part B billing infrastructure for community pharmacies in the United States.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesSaaSToronto, CA
Purya Sarmadi(Founder)inNick Hui(Founder)inRui Su(Cofounder)in
Co-investorsGraphite VenturesUniversity of Toronto Entrepreneurship HatcheryY CombinatorHarvard Management CompanyM12 (Microsoft's Venture Fund)NEXT Canada+1 more
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 CombinatorLongJump VenturesMFV PartnersSeven Seven SixTekedia Capital
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesRise Reforming · ycombinator.com · Jul 13, 2026
FullSeam · ycombinator.com · Feb 17, 2026
Juicebox · finsmes.com · Sep 26, 2025
Juxta · ycombinator.com · Jul 8, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Velocity Catalyst Fund made?
- Velocity Catalyst Fund has 7 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Velocity Catalyst Fund invest at?
- Velocity Catalyst Fund invests at the Pre-Seed stage.
- What is Velocity Catalyst Fund's typical check size?
- Velocity Catalyst Fund typically writes checks of $250K – $5M.
- What sectors does Velocity Catalyst Fund focus on?
- Velocity Catalyst Fund focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AgTech, Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Consumer, Deep Tech, FoodTech, Hardware, Healthtech, Logistics & Supply Chain, Mobility & Transportation, PropTech, Quantum Computing.
- Where is Velocity Catalyst Fund located?
- Velocity Catalyst Fund is headquartered in Chicago, US.