Grand Ventures

?? Congratulations to Knockri | Skills based Hiring & Promotions CEO Jahanzaib Ansari for being recognized as an Exceptional Leader by the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum. We love seeing our CEOs being honored and celebrated for the hard work it takes to run and scale a startup company. Wishing you and the team continued success ??

Excited to sit down with Tamara Milobinski and Mike Marsiglia for this session at Confluence and provide the VC perspective on the capital raise spectrum.

Last week, Jacqueline Lensing was in Detroit with the Michigan Venture Capital Association sharing her experiences and thoughts on being in venture capital ??. Thank you Ara Topouzian and the Wayne State University - Mike Ilitch School of Business for a great day.

Who else is in LA for Upfront Ventures Summit? Keep an eye out for Tim Streit. He's the Michigander with a big smile, happy to see sunshine in February! ??

Portfolio Review Day! One of my favorite days at Grand Ventures. Not just because I get to spend almost the whole day in a room with the best team ??, but because we go deep on every single portfolio company. How are they doing? How do they stack up against peers? What do they need help with? What intros can we make? What does the next year look like for them? At the end of the day, our portfolio companies are our real “customers.” Their success is our success: the success of our investors, our team, and our firm. Finding them and investing in them is just the start. The real work is showing up, helping, and adding value where we can. We don’t take credit for their wins, but we do everything we can to help influence them. Taking the time to pause, assess, and bring together the expertise of our team makes all the difference. Excited for what’s ahead! (And thanks for the lunch, Kelly Wiarda—always a highlight.) Tim Streit, James Hill, Nathan Owen, Jacqueline Lensing, Nicholas Cohn

Congratulations to Astronomer for being named one of the "Top 50 Data Science Companies in the US in 2025" by Analytics Insight?! ?? ?? ??

????? Another deal announcement! ????? Our team is excited to announce our investment in Digit. Partner Camila Noordeloos shares why we’re excited about this latest addition to our portfolio. Read her blog below ??

Heading back home and feeling lucky to squeeze in one more (bonus!) Kauffman Fellows module—though this time, it’s truly the last one. ?? As expected from these transformative weeks, it was a blend of joy and reflection. 1. Reconnecting with SF: Mornings by the water, my beloved Phiz coffee, and soaking up the city’s unique energy brought back many memories. After 6 years living there, I miss the unique SF magic. 2. Celebrating the bonds: With graduation technically behind us, this module felt different—more like a reunion than a class. It was a reminder of the friendships built, the journeys shared, and that we’ve got each other’s backs for the long haul. 3. Growing through discomfort: There were many moments of discomfort and courage to show up with your real self, to be vulnerable, to learn and reflect. The true moments of growth where the magic happens. Grateful for this journey and for the incredible people always make it special. ?? #KauffmanFellows #VentureCapital?

BIG NEWS! Scott Fleszar becomes CEO of iink Payments, Tina Hsiao joins the Board, and Thomas McGrath transitions to Chief Product Officer! iink is one of our fastest growing companies and Grand Ventures led the Seed round and has worked really closely with Tom, Ryan Holliday, and the iink team for a couple of years now alongside King Goh, CFA of Headline, David Wieland from Motivate Venture Capital, and other amazing VCs. Just like in sports, often times the next chapter of a company's exponential growth is catalyzed by some new superstars who join the team. These additions are like bringing in new 5 ? recruits, to a team that's already playing at an elite level. ?? Just like Scott did at SafeSend, I see a very bright future for a Michigan presence, which would be huge win for Michigan Venture Capital Association, #Fintech, #Insurtech, and beyond. Special kudos to Christopher Ritchie and Kaleb Dumot who first introduced me to Scott socially, last year! Onward and upward. We're just getting started! ?? https://lnkd.in/gCmP7N3j

After the recent announcement of Qumis joining our portfolio, Crain's Grand Rapids Business reached out to learn more about our investment in their Chicago-based fintech company. Thanks to Mark Sanchez for talking with General Partner James Hill regarding Dan Schuleman and team . Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gWeKwdYm