Method Capital was formed on the foundation of two distinct ideas: (i) the road to success is most often non-linear; and (ii) good ideas succeed primarily because of great execution. With these lessons in mind, we partner with entrepreneurs to give them the growth funding they need to build their businesses.

As a Chicago-based venture firm, Method Capital is primarily focused on working with firms based in the Midwest. Technology company formation is happening at a rapid pace in Chicago and other cities in the Midwest, yet there are few venture firms based in the Midwest that can lead Series A/B rounds.

Drawing upon our Principals’ collective 150+ years of experience, our mission is to build a world-class investment firm, known for being great partners with portfolio company management teams while being rigorous stewards of investor capital.

We are seeking to fund initial investments ranging from $1 million to $10 million into companies with monthly recurring revenue, referenceable customers and a scalable technology platform.

Purchasing-Platform-Logo-2(1024x1024)Charcoal

CEO

Dave Bowen

Purchasing Platform

Purchasing Platform is a Chicago-based company that provides procurement services to real estate companies nationwide.  Through an easy to use web platform, the company offers its clients pricing improvements on nearly all products they buy while generating productivity enhancements for staff.

Team

Lon Chow, Justin Smollar, Chris Capps

Nexlp

CEO

Jay Leib

NexLP

Chicago-based artificial intelligence analytics software company. The company’s cognitive computing platform, Story Engine, makes sense of a large data set of email and other communication, saving time and money for attorneys and other investigators during the litigation discovery process. Other use cases for the technology include monitoring and analysis of communication for corporations. The advanced  text analytics augments humans’ ability to identify social networks, patterns, anomalies, emotion, key actors and topics to find key information.

Team

Lon Chow, Gleb Zarkh

MAX logo3

CEO

Nathan Hanks

Music Audience Exchange

Based in Dallas, Music Audience Exchange (MAX) is a marketing technology company that helps consumer brands and music artists form mutually beneficial partnerships to drive measurable results. The Company’s platform uses proprietary consumer data to identify shared audiences, facilitate authentic partnerships, and tell shared stories everywhere fans engage with music. Every MAX program consists of brand-artist partnerships, custom content, targeted reach, and live experiences.

The dynamics of marketing have changed for both brands and artists, who need each other now more than ever. MAX is the platform that brings both artists and brands together to tell their stories and win the hearts and minds of the specific people they want to reach. MAX is working with some of the top brands in the world, including Anheuser-Busch, Ford, Twix, Jack Daniels, Dr. Pepper, AutoZone, Hyundai, Coors Light and McDonalds.

MAX was founded in 2014 by a team of marketing technology and music professionals including Nathan Hanks and George Howard. Nathan was previously cofounder and President of ReachLocal – an online marketing tech company – where he led a team of over 2,000 people with 24,000 client companies across 15 countries. George has served as President of powerhouse indie label Rykodisc, co-founded TuneCore, teaches at Berklee College of Music, and is a music licensing and copyright attorney who contributes to Forbes and The New York Times.

Team

Lon Chow

swiftiq

CEO

Jason Lobel

SwiftIQ

Chicago-based retail analytics platform. SwiftIQ’s platform enables retailers, CPGs and distributors to make valuable use of near real-time, receipt-level transaction data. The Company’s product focuses on tactical business applications such as improving in stock availability, identifying valuable product bundling opportunities, delivering highly relevant targeted content and measuring marketing ROI.

SwiftIQ’s modern, self-service platform measures granular basket-level data in near real-time. The Company is currently measuring data across 11,000 stores in the convenience, discount, drug and grocery verticals. SwiftIQ’s current customer base includes 4 of the top 10 global CPGs and several large retailers. Since launching its first retailer in August 2014, SwiftIQ has measured $70B of transactions for its customers.

Team

Lon Chow, Bill Wolf

shiftgig

CEO

Wade Burgess

Shiftgig

Based in Chicago, ShiftGig has developed a mobile marketplace that connects hourly workforces and businesses. The Company’s platform fully vets and background checks workers, who can then pick up shifts on its mobile application. ShiftGig’s clients love its platform because they can manage their temporary labor directly from ShiftGig’s application.

ShiftGig is currently working with some of the biggest brands in the food service, hospitality, retail, warehouse and experiential marketing industries. Operating in over 10 markets today, ShiftGig will continue its expansion to new markets in 2017.

Team

Lon Chow

Rippleshot

CEO

Canh Tran

Rippleshot

Based in Chicago, Rippleshot is transforming the way banks detect fraud through its cloud-based technology platform. With data breaches dominating the headlines for the past decade, card fraud is a critical concern for banking institutions and their customers. Rippleshot protects consumer credit information and the integrity of the merchant payment network by proactively detecting data breaches using machine learning and data analytics to distinguish fraudulent activity. Rippleshot’s technology platform processes millions of data points in real-time to pinpoint when and where a data breach occurred, and its risk management and analytics platform helps mitigate fraud, stop losses, protects brand reputation and safeguards the consumer payment experience. Following detection, Rippleshot provides banks with the tools they need to update fraud detection rules in order to lower their fraud losses while avoiding unnecessary card re-issuance. The American Bankers Association (the “ABA”) has endorsed Rippleshot as a tool that can help financial institutions detect and stem fraudulent spend. At present, Rippleshot has pilot programs with MasterCard and Fiserv.

Team

Lon Chow, Chris Capps

Singular-logo

CEO

Gadi Elishayov

Singular

Based in San Francisco with an R&D office in Tel Aviv, Singular is re-imagining the way companies manage their mobile marketing operations. The Company’s SaaS platform enables mobile marketers to unify, analyze and optimize all of their marketing channels through a single dashboard. Using Singular’s proprietary algorithms, marketers can finally make informed decisions based on ROI and uncover never before seen insights that are imperative for marketing optimizations.

The current workflow for mobile marketers is very distributed and fragmented, involving lots of manual processes. Singular ties everything together to save marketers time and improve efficiencies, all in a simplified, automated manner.

Team

Chris Capps, Mike Madden

adyapper

CEO

Elliot Hirsch

AdYapper

Based in Chicago, AdYapper is a digital advertising optimization platform. Today, marketers are wasting 60-70% of their ad buys on ads that are never seen by their target audience. AdYapper’s proprietary platform helps solve this problem by measuring the viewability of ads and using real-time machine learning and algorithms to enact prescriptive adjustments to optimize ad placement and related ad spending ROI. In doing so, AdYapper drives better performance, increased advertiser profits and reduced waste. The Company brings ad campaigns into focus with a simple, intuitive scorecard, giving advertisers the ability to make quick decisions with real-time snapshots of an ad’s performance. With AdYapper’s platform, advertisers now have unprecedented access to measure the effectiveness of their spending. AdYapper customers can get answers to previously unanswered questions such as 1) how many people saw my ads; 2) how many times did they see it; and 3) which were the most effective sites.

AdYapper’s tracking sensors can be deployed in minutes, and the platform analyzes real-time media and conversion performance of campaigns in mid-flight. Advertisers can choose to optimize as fast or slow as each campaign dictates. The advertiser can then watch its media outperform, its conversion rates climb and its profits increase

Team

Chris Capps, Lon Chow, Mike Madden

cb logo.2

CEO

Mike Duffy

CityBase

CityBase is a Chicago-based company that helps cities reach and serve residents and businesses online, on the phone and in person. The company develops technology, designs payment and communication channels, and aggregates operational data for municipalities, agencies, and utilities based on their proprietary academic research, design and data-driven analysis.

CityBase’s cloud-based SaaS platform integrates directly with local governmental agency databases and centralizes the customer interactions of multiple city agencies. The company’s products provide cities with comprehensive information about their operations and revenue collection, while providing citizens with a more unified and useful gateway to the government.

Team

Terry Diamond, Mike Madden

eseman

CEO

Ashoke Dutt

Semantify

Semantify is a data mining and analytics company based in Chicago. Semantify is a leader in the next generation of business intelligence tools with the powerful combination of natural language processing, semantic search and self-service business intelligence, all combined within a unified platform. Semantify targets Fortune 1000 companies, allowing them to query multiple, unrelated databases to freely search across their entire data universe. Users are able to execute queries in real time using natural language tools. With Semantify, there is no need to depend on data experts to code queries and prepare data.

Semantify is one of the first companies in its industry to achieve an intersection of self-service business intelligence functionality with a user-friendly search engine to explore enterprise data. Semantify delivers excellent speed, productivity, and cost effectiveness in responding to inquiries from customers, regulators and internal management.

Team

Chris Capps, Lon Chow

spring

CEO

Bruce Mitchell

Spring Marketplace

Based in Chicago, Spring is a loyalty and rewards platform for merchants. Spring launched its service in Chicago and Nashville in late 2013 and has been growing its network of local merchants and users since that time. Spring allows merchants to actively manage their rewards program and offer other digital marketing programs to their existing customers, as well as to the broader network of Spring Marketplace members to attract new customers.

Spring prides itself as the world’s most “friction free” loyalty and rewards program. Spring’s platform is easy to implement and is scalable throughout the country. Spring connects right to a credit card, so it works without the hassle of loyalty cards, coupons, or vouchers. Customers love using it because it’s easy; they just connect, swipe and save. Businesses love it because they get the key information they need to help grow their businesses and connect to their customers more effectively. Spring’s platform is a great way for businesses to reward and keep their best customers, as well as find new ways to grow and expand their business.

Team

Bill Wolf, Chris Capps, Gleb Zarkh

wellright

CEO

Tad Mitchell

WellRight

WellRight is a Chicago-based provider of software driven wellness solutions. Today, 92% of large employers offer health and wellness programs, yet less than 20% of eligible employees remain engaged in the programs, creating a need for a media-rich wellness program that stimulates employees and boosts engagement. In addition, because the traditional “one size fits all” solutions aren’t effective in today’s workplace, employers are demanding an agile solution that meets all their specific requirements/goals.

WellRight’s scalable and customizable software platform simplifies the implementation process for HR departments, increases employee engagement, identifies and categorizes employees’ current health status and predicts future disease risk. This provides employers with the knowledge to alter current benefit offerings to best meet the needs of their workforce population, as well as the ability to manage risk through wellness. WellRight’s product is built using Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology that can be implemented in days with little to no IT involvement.

Team

Terry Diamond, Bill Wolf, Gleb Zarkh

sologo

CEO

Christopher Skinner

SpiderOak

Based in Kansas City, Missouri, SpiderOak provides mission-critical data and systems security for organizations and individuals. Using the latest and most secure blockchain technology and encryption, paired with identity management, SpiderOak’s platform defends client assets, intellectual property, and operations against military-grade cyberattacks. The Company’s offerings include an enterprise platform protecting all of an organization’s data, software, applications, and devices; a secure software updater allowing companies to develop and update their applications in a secure way; and secure backup, messaging, file sharing, and storage for large and small businesses and individuals.

Team

Bill Wolf, Lon Chow, Mike Madden

pangea

CEO

Nishu Thukral

Pangea

Based in Chicago, Pangea is an international money remittance platform. Pangea’s proprietary payments platform utilizes already existing payment processing infrastructure, thereby reducing inefficiencies and reducing the cost of sending remittances around the world. Pangea enables the transfer of money from users in the U.S. to users in other countries for delivery directly to bank accounts, debit cards and/or retail locations within seconds. Pangea’s platform currently enables users to send money to Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and other Latin American countries, using the company’s mobile app, web portal, or via retail partners. For example, in Mexico, receivers can collect their money at 18,000-plus cash pickup locations or directly deposit into any of the 65 million debit cards or the 60 million bank accounts.

Since its inception, Pangea’s mission has been to make money transfers simple, fair and safe. Pangea’s remittance solution includes flexible payment vehicles, an enhanced user experience, significant cost savings and a proprietary compliance and risk analytics engine.

Team

Bill Wolf

officeluv

CEO

Paul Lee (interim)

OfficeLuv

Based in Chicago, OfficeLuv takes a modern approach to office cleaning and management. The Company’s “Trojan Horse” core product is a superior office cleaning experience. Every office needs to be cleaned, and the typical experience leaves much room for improvement. OfficeLuv’s easy-to-use online dashboard allows customers to schedule cleaning appointments, communicate with account managers, and order supplies. The service is a welcomed change for office managers, as legacy office cleaning companies historically haven’t invested in technology systems, making the typical experience unsatisfactory.

More importantly, OfficeLuv’s dashboard also streamlines and automates office supply orders and other essential practices. Customers don’t have to change what service providers they use. Customers can consolidate all those services into one invoice, saving time and money. OfficeLuv’s vision is to become the platform that helps manage all office activities such as wellness, groceries, supplies, team events, transportation, deliveries, meeting management and interoffice communications.

Team

Bill Wolf, Chris Capps

highg

CEO

Vip Sandhir

HighGround

Based in Chicago, HighGround has developed the leading cloud-based HR platform designed to help companies build highly engaged cultures through real-time recognition and continuous feedback. Today’s modern workforces expect their employers to provide them the same level of service, convenience and instant access to information that new consumer technologies offer. HighGround recognized this void and in 2012 began to develop a software platform with a modern approach to developing and recognizing employees through a simple, mobile-friendly platform.

By using HighGround’s platform, employees are empowered to recognize peers daily and contribute to their own career path. Companies now can more effectively capture the voice of the employee and turn annual performance reviews into meaningful, ongoing coaching sessions.

Team

Bill Wolf, Chris Capps

forevercar

CEO

Mark Hodes

ForeverCar

ForeverCar is a Chicago-based online vehicle warranty platform. The Company enables consumers to shop for and buy vehicle warranties using a fully transparent online/mobile comparison shopping platform. Consumers spend approximately $11 billion per year on vehicle warranty contracts – $5.5 billion at car dealer point-of-sale and $5.5 billion in the aftermarket. Initially, ForeverCar is targeting the $5.5 billion in the aftermarket sector. The market is currently very fragmented with no dominant brand online or offline. ForeverCar has a commercial partnership with CUNA Mutual Group, a global product and services provider to credit unions and their 100+ million members. CUNA’s relationship with over 5,000 credit unions should drive penetration of ForeverCar’s product into CUNA’s base of three million annual vehicle loans which are sourced through credit unions.

ForeverCar is led by Mark Hodes. Mark has been at the intersection of technology and marketing for over 25 years. He has worked in many industries redefined by technology and travel (Orbitz), event ticketing (TicketsNow), apparel (Threadless) and comparison shopping (NexTag & AccuQuote).

Team

Bill Wolf

ezassi

CEO

Jennifer Creech

Ezassi

Based in Jacksonville, Florida, eZassi has built a software platform for internal and external product development and innovation. In the past, companies relied on R&D to drive internal innovation and on scouts to source subject matter experts to drive external innovation. eZassi eliminates this by allowing companies to source and filter large volumes of new inbound ideas using their software platform in a “safe capture” environment to prevent future intellectual property disputes.

eZassi’s products provide unparalleled risk mitigation against IP misappropriation, bolster the acquisition of new product ideas, increase efficiency and reduce costs, all while expediting greatly the time-to-market process of launching a new product. eZassi’s is currently used by leading companies that find maintaining IP protection of new and confidential products to be imperative.

Team

Bill Wolf, Gleb Zarkh

  • Bill Wolf

    Bill Wolf
    Managing Partner

  • Terry Diamond

    Terry Diamond
    Partner

  • lonchowkdwc

    Lon Chow
    Partner

  • Chris Capps

    Chris Capps
    Partner

  • Justin Smollar

    Justin Smollar
    Chief Financial Officer and Principal

  • Jodi Kastilahn

    Jodi Pera
    Executive Assistant and Office Manager

Bill Wolf

Managing Partner

Bill Wolf focuses on the management of Method Capital, deal sourcing and portfolio company oversight at Method Capital. In 2011, Bill founded BW Capital, an alternative asset management firm. Prior to founding BW Capital, he was an investment banker at Salomon Brothers Inc. and William Blair & Company; an executive overseeing operating company investments for Henry Crown and Company; and a principal at Talon Asset Management, where he managed the firm’s private equity business and was Talon’s Chief Operating Officer.

Bill earned an AB degree, Magna Cum Laude, from Hamilton College and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Bill currently serves on the Board of Directors of Chicago Child Care Society, Ezassi, ForeverCar, HighGround, Lifespan Brands, Mindcrest, Pangea Universal Holdings, SpiderOak, SwiftIQ and WellRight. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Columbia College Chicago.

Terry Diamond

Partner

Terry Diamond utilizes his network and experiences to aid in the sourcing and development of Fund portfolio companies. In 1981, Terry founded Talon Asset Management LLC, an investment management firm. As the Chairman of Talon, Terry was responsible for the oversight of all investment aspects of Talon which included individual account management, long-short equity, stressed debt, and international hedge funds, as well as venture capital. When Talon was acquired by BNY Mellon N.A. in 2011, Terry became Chairman of BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Chicago Region.

Terry earned a BS degree from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Terry currently serves on the Board of Directors of CARA, CityBase, Lifespan Brands, Mindcrest and the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University. Terry is also a Trustee of Columbia College Chicago.

Lon Chow

Partner

Lon Chow joined Method Capital in September 2016 as a partner, and he will focus on deal sourcing and oversight of portfolio companies. Prior to joining Method Capital, Lon was a general partner with Apex Venture Partners, a Chicago-based venture group, where he spent 18 years investing in software and software-enabled businesses. Prior to Apex, Lon was a partner with Mercer Management Consulting (formerly Strategic Planning Associates), where he developed and implemented growth strategies for clients in computing, media, and telecommunications industries. He also held various operating management positions with Pacific Telesis.

Lon received an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Davis.

Lon currently serves on the Board of Directors of Music Audience Exchange, NexLP, SpiderOak and SwiftIQ.

Chris Capps

Partner

Chris Capps focuses on deal sourcing and portfolio company management. Chris was the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of KGC Capital, where he oversaw all investments and operational activities. Chris is an active early stage investor in technology-enabled businesses and has deep contacts within the technology community throughout the world.

Chris earned a BA degree in History from Southern Methodist University.

Chris currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lime Energy, NexLP, OfficeLuv, Ranir Corporation, Rippleshot, Semantify and Singular.

Justin Smollar

Chief Financial Officer and Principal

Justin Smollar focuses on the overall management of Method Capital, financing and accounting activities, and investor management.  In addition, Justin will advise on portfolio company management and pipeline due diligence.  Prior to joining Method Capital, Justin spent nearly two decades in the real estate industry, as Principal at Helix Funds and as Manager of Investments at Equity Office, having participated in the acquisition and/or disposition of more than $11 billion of real estate.

Justin earned a Bachelor of Science in Management degree from Tulane University and a Master of Science degree in Electronic Commerce from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Justin is an avid technologist specializing in user experience and workflow, having personally designed applications for both web and mobile. He is currently an advisor to a number of technology start-ups ranging from social platforms to facility maintenance.

Jodi Pera

Executive Assistant and Office Manager

Jodi focuses on client engagement and general office management. She previously worked at William Blair & Company for 16 years as an executive administrative assistant.

Jodi earned a BA degree from Wittenberg University.

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Mark Tebbe

carl-stern

Carl Stern

shekhawat-jai-6-17-13-gn91831_012d

Jai Shekhawat

jeff-mailing

Jeff Maling

j-douglas-gray

J. Douglas Gray

dan-diermeier

Dan Diermeier

1-billconroy

Bill Conroy

henry-bienen

Henry S. Bienen

Mark Tebbe

Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business

Mr. Tebbe is an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Mr. Tebbe brings a wealth of successful entrepreneurial experience into the classroom by leveraging his founding of two NASDAQ-listed corporations, as well as his direct involvement in numerous start-up and high-growth companies over the past thirty years. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Tebbe serves as Chairman of ChicagoNEXT, a public-private effort to raise Chicago’s profile in science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. He also serves on numerous charitable and civic boards.

Carl Stern

Chairman, Carl W. Stern Associates, LLC

Mr. Stern founded Carl W. Stern Associates LLC on his retirement from Goldman Sachs, where he served as vice chairman of the Investment Banking Division. Prior to his tenure at Goldman Sachs Mr. Stern spent 37 years with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He served as president and CEO of BCG for six years and chairman for the ensuing eight years. Mr. Stern has devoted his career to client service, assisting a number of global companies in developing competitive strategies for their businesses and in shaping their corporate portfolios and organizations. Clients with whom his involvement has become public knowledge include Northern Trust, Kraft, S.C. Johnson, PepsiCo, General Electric, and Goldman Sachs. Mr. Stern serves on the boards of Motif Investing, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, and the World Food Program – USA. He is a trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Rush University Medical Center, and a member of The Commercial Club of Chicago and The Chicago Club. Mr. Stern served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant. He earned his BA cum laude in economics from Harvard in 1968 and his MBA from Stanford in 1974.

Jai Shekhawat

Co-Founder and former CEO, Fieldglass

Mr. Shekhawat is the Founder and former CEO of Fieldglass, a cloud platform for the management of contingent labor and services. Fieldglass was acquired by SAP in 2014. Prior to founding Fieldglass, Mr. Shekhawat was a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company. Mr. Shekhawat has also served on various civic board positions including Governor Rauner’s Illinois Innovation Council, the Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors for the City of Chicago, the Field Museum Board of Trustees, and the Board of TiE Midwest. Mr. Shekhawat holds an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in management from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India.

Jeff Maling

Co-CEO, Isobar US

Isobar is a digital agency focused on designing and building large scale digital experiences for clients such as the US Air Force, NBC, Enterprise Rent a Car and Royal Caribbean. Isobar employs 4,500 people in 35 countries and is a subsidiary of Dentsu. Mr. Maling was a founder of pioneering digital agency, Roundarch, which he bought from Deloitte in 2005. After six years of growth, Mr. Maling sold the company to Dentsu in 2011 and rebranded this business to Isobar US. Prior to Roundarch, Mr. Maling was a leader in Deloitte Consulting’s CRM practice and Accenture’s financial services practice. Mr. Maling has an MBA from the University of Chicago, and an MA and BA in history from Tufts University.

J. Douglas Gray

President and CEO, Marshall Street Capital

Mr. Gray is the President and CEO of Marshall Street Capital, a Milwaukee based family office investment firm. He is also a member of the Board of Directors at Marshall Street Capital, Everett Smith Group, Trostel, Ltd., Frontenac Company, and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. In addition, Mr. Gray is a Life Trustee of Northwestern University. Mr. Gray is the former Managing and Advisory Director of Morgan Stanley, and President and Director of Swift Independent Corp. (a Fortune 200 company).

Dan Diermeier

Chancellor, Vanderbilt University

Prior to his appointment as Chancellor at the Vanderbilt University, Mr. Diermeier was Provost at the University of Chicago. Previously, he was Dean of the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago from 2014-2016. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Guggenheim Foundation. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Professor Diermeier taught at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is an expert on business, politics and crisis management. He has been an advisor to many leading companies and has served as a member of the Board of The University of Chicago Medical Center, the Board of Governors for Argonne National Laboratory, the Board of Directors of CityBase and the Board of Trustees of NORC.

Bill Conroy

President, Conroy Advisors

Chairman, CARA

After selling his last company to IBM in 2010, Mr. Conroy is supposed to be a retired technology executive but has difficulty saying no to opportunities. As a result, he is a very active board member and advisor to a number of technology companies, venture organizations, and non-profits. Previously, Mr. Conroy held executive positions at Oracle and IBM but had his most fun being involved with multiple start-ups. Mr. Conroy has recently become the Chairman of CARA, a Chicago-based organization that inspires and prepares motivated individuals to break the cycle of poverty.

Henry S. Bienen

President Emeritus, Northwestern University

President, The Poetry Foundation

Mr. Bienen served as Northwestern University’s President from 1995 through 2009 and currently serves as President Emeritus. He was the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, prior to his appointment at Northwestern. Since December 2015, he has been President of the Poetry Foundation and serves on its board of directors.

Mr. Bienen was a former member of the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations, Argonne National Laboratory Board of Governors, and the board of the Chicago Public Schools. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Ryan Specialty Group, Rasmussen, Inc., and Grosvenor Registered Funds.

AdYapper

Based in Chicago, AdYapper is a digital advertising optimization platform.

CityBase

Based in Chicago, CityBase provides an enterprise payment, analytics and communication platform for cities and utilities.

Ezassi

Jacksonville, FL-based software platform for internal and external product development and innovation.

ForeverCar

Based in Chicago, ForeverCar is an online vehicle warranty platform.

HighGround

Chicago-based employee engagement and development platform.

Music Audience Exchange

Based in Dallas, Music Audience Exchange (MAX) is a marketing technology company that helps consumer brands and music artists form mutually beneficial partnerships to drive measurable results.

NexLP

Chicago-based artificial intelligence analytics software company.

OfficeLuv

Chicago-based office management platform that offers an office cleaning service, as well as a software-based procurement platform for office supplies and other essential office items.

Pangea

Chicago-based international money transfer platform. Pangea enables the transfer of money from users in the U.S. to users in other countries for delivery directly to bank accounts or to designated pickup locations.

Purchasing Platform

Chicago-based B2B procurement and online marketplace supporting the manufactured, multi-family and student housing communities.

Rippleshot

Based in Chicago, Rippleshot is transforming the way banks detect fraud through its cloud-based technology platform.

Semantify

Based in Chicago, Semantify is a data mining and analytics company.

Shiftgig

Chicago-based mobile marketplace for hourly workforces and businesses.

Singular

Based in San Francisco with an R&D office in Tel Aviv, Singular is re-imagining the way companies manage their mobile marketing operations.

SpiderOak

Kansas City, MO-based provider of mission-critical data and systems security for organizations and individuals.

Spring Marketplace

Chicago-based digital marketing and loyalty rewards program tied directly to consumer credit cards.

SwiftIQ

Chicago-based retail analytics platform.

WellRight

Chicago-based health and wellness software platform.