LongJump

Great time meeting early-stage founders in yesterday's VC Matchmaking event with TriNet. LongJump funding applications are open until January 15 for our next round of consideration. Learn more and apply ?? longjump.vc/apply

Big thanks to David Rabie for joining the LongJump portfolio founders to share his journey building Tovala. From launching in Chicago to leveraging Y Combinator momentum and working through the challenges of COVID, David provided invaluable insights on transparent leadership, building strong investor relationships, and staying laser-focused on KPIs while delivering quality customer experiences. Appreciation to Drive Capital for hosting!

Yesterday was LongJump's 2024 Annual Meeting and we had a great time creating connections with our LPs and founders. The day included a panel featuring the founders of Grapefruit Health, LivNow Relocation, and OrdrSmart talking about their experiences in pre-seed and the Chicago ecosystem, as well as breakout opportunities for our LPs to connect with Blip Energy, FreshX, UnVale, and Rivet. Thanks to our LPs and founders for spending the day with us and Tegus for opening up their doors to host and support Chicago funds and entrepreneurs!

LongJump is excited to announce our recent investment in UnVale as their team works to transform how creators develop and share their content, opening up new opportunities for audience growth and monetization. UnVale recently closed $1M in funding to continue the growth of their platform where 130K emerging creatives are already growing their fanbases with over 800K pieces of original content uploaded. Founders Casey L. and Brianna Clark bring a background of entrepreneurial and product experience including time at Twitch and Amazon Games to their building of UnVale, where we believe a future Pokémon, Harry Potter, or Spiderman will be born. https://lnkd.in/gbR_JtdK

?? Congrats to LongJump founder Emily Cole Groden of Evergreen and our LP Jennifer Fried for their selection to Crain's Chicago Business 40 Under 40! https://lnkd.in/g-wRK_mr

Are you an angel or pre-seed investor in Chicago? We're running Chicago Angels: Building Community + Town Hall on October 8, an event with World Business Chicago to build some community among Chicago's angel and pre-seed investors and get some feedback on projects that we have in the pipeline to help solve for fragmentation and share deals. Comment or DM me for an invite!

?? Who's excited for TechChicago week?! Our team will be out in full force - find us at: 7/22: Pre-Seed Between the Coasts hosted by Drive Capital and Matchstick Ventures: https://lu.ma/zied6q39 7/23-7/24: TechChicago Capital Summit hosted by P33 Chicago: https://lnkd.in/g-XzayQD 7/24: Early-Stage B2B Founders & Funders Breakfast hosted by Forum Ventures, Capitalize VC, and LongJump: https://lnkd.in/gCYuq4wr 7/24: TechChicago Week Friends & Family Happy Hour hosted by Chicago:Blend, VamosVentures, and Cleveland Avenue: https://lnkd.in/gAfMhZbq 7/25: TechChicago Week Walk and Talk hosted by All Raise: https://lnkd.in/g5JPfD_s 7/25: TechChicago Day 2024 hosted by P33 Chicago: https://lnkd.in/g39aQHX8 ???? Come say hi - we look forward to seeing you!

?? Final call for founders raising pre-seed in Chicago! LongJump funding applications close this coming Monday at 12pm CT ???? https://longjump.vc/apply

Join Capitalize VC for the Early-Stage B2B SaaS Founders & Funders Breakfast, as part of TechChicago Week. This curated, inclusive event will uplift the voices of founders from all backgrounds in the tech industry. We're excited to host this event in collaboration with Forum Ventures and LongJump, sponsored by Cooley LLP. If you're a Pre-seed to Series A B2B SaaS founder (especially those who identify as BIPOC, Women+, disabled, and/or LGBTQIA) or an Investor/VC wanting access to diverse ideas and opportunities in the B2B SaaS space, we hope you'll join us! RSVP HERE: https://lnkd.in/gyNBhrCH

?? LongJump applications close in one week (July 15 at 12pm CT)! Thinking of applying? We put together some advice based on our past 2+ years of reviewing applications, some answers from our recent partner AMA, and examples of how a few of our portfolio companies stood out in the consideration process. Check out our most recent blog ?? https://lnkd.in/gRembgUW + Submit by July 15 at longjump.vc/apply