Chicago Capital

Dan Knight is a Senior Associate at Manifold Group, a venture holding company based in Chicago. Dan has a background in software engineering and growth investing, and his experiences have provided him with a lot of information that he utilizes on a daily basis. This episode will be highly beneficial to anyone trying to enter into the field of venture capital or who will be pitching VCs in the future.

In this episode, we covered:

• The Deal Memos
• Quantifying ROI for SaaS Users
• How to Analyze Top-Line Metrics
• ARR Growth Rates
• Types of Retention

And much more.... Please Enjoy!

You can Manifold Group on Linkedin, Twitter and their website & Dan on Linkedin.

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired.Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group.

In this episode, we covered:

• Trey’s Passion for Entrepreneurship
• Advice for Breaking into VC
• Common Founder Legal Questions 
• Term Sheets
• Challenges in Investing Overseas

Trey Calver is a Startup and Venture Attorney at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, a full-service law firm. He started his career working for a venture capital business and a law company specializing in start-ups. He created and approved business and legal contracts for Motivate Venture Capital, including employee and contractor agreements, finance agreements, leases, term sheets, convertible notes, SAFEs, and warrants, among others. Concurrently, Trey worked as an attorney for a boutique start-up legal company that focused on the technology industry and services the specialized needs of start-ups and high-growth enterprises. He worked as an associate at NCT Ventures, an early-stage VC firm, for two years while getting his J.D. at The Ohio State University. Trey became an entrepreneur when he co-founded and helped scale High School AD Network, a bootstrapped online startup and communication platform for high school athletics teams, in 2017.

You can find Michael Best & Frierich LLP on their website, Twitter, and Linkedin, Trey on Linkedin, Venture Best’s Blog HERE, and Galen Mason on Twitter.

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired.Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group.

Trvlpage is a travel-based social media website and mobile app that makes it easy to log, share and plan trips with your network. Keep track of where you went, what you did, and how you enjoyed it using your Trvlpage, a map of the world with pins dropped in each place you've been. 

Then, get your friends on board and easily search for recommendations from their Trvlpage when planning your next trips! Skip the endless searching, get trusted recommendations from your friends, family and like-minded travelers, and make your travel experiences best for you. 

In this episode, we covered:

• Lessons Learned from Tiger Woods on Brand & Excellence
• The Economics behind Consumer Investing
• Brand vs. Branding
• Value-Add Investing
• The Future of Audio
• Content-Driven Commerce

And much more.... Please Enjoy!

Rick Desai is the Head of Investments at Listen Ventures, an early-stage consumer-focused venture capital firm based in Chicago. Prior to joining Listen, he co-founded Dashfire, a Chicago-based startup studio that built and invested in over 40 businesses. His social entrepreneurial endeavors in urban Indian slums have earned him a Clinton fellowship. He began his career with Lehman Brothers in investment banking and Madison Dearborn Partners in private equity.

You can find Listen Ventures on their website, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin, Rick on Linkedin & Twitter,  and Listen’s podcast- “Overheard: Where Venture Meets Culture” on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Restaurant Recommendation: Giant Restaurant

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired.Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group.

Reno Perry is the CEO & Founder of wiseful, a career advancement platform where early & mid-career talent can book virtual calls with experts at top companies for 1:1 personalized career advice, interview prep, skills development, and powerful connections to land their dream job.

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired.Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group

In this episode, we covered:

• Key Attributes in Successful Founders
• Indicators of Early-Stage Traction 
• Consumer Marketplaces
• Future of Work and Healthcare post COVID-19

Julia Ruge is an Associate at Sandalphon Capital, a Chicago-based Venture Capital fund that invests opportunistically across the US but has a core focus on Chicago and the Midwest. She is involved with all areas of the fund at Sandalphon, including screening, due diligence, portfolio company support, and strategy. Prior to Sandalphon, Julia worked as an MBA Associate Intern at Corazon Capital while she completed the 1-year MBA program at Northwestern. Prior to business school, she worked at LAUNCH and Breakaway Ventures, where she specialized on building and executing technology-enabled consumer firms before joining Sandalphon Capital. 

You can find Sandalphon Capital at their website & Twitter: @Sandalphoncap , Jon Ellis on his Twitter: @Jonrellis , and Midwest Tech Connect on Twitter: @Midwestdottech

Restaurant Recommendations: Spacca Napoli, Monteverde, and RL Chicago.

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired. Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group.

John Nelson is the CEO & Founder of Vroom Delivery, the only eCommerce solution designed specifically for the $240B convenience store industry.  Vroom’s cloud solution can be set up in just days, allowing for a quick and affordable roll-out of your own e-commerce program. Sell and market all of your products online — not just food — for home delivery, in-store pickup, curbside pickup, drive-thru and catering.

The accelerator John mentioned during our conversation, Blue Startups, is accepting applications until June 1. Apply for the chance to take your startup to the next level and spend four months in Hawaii!

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired.Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group.

In this episode, we covered:

• Investing in Pre-Launch Startups
• Why Valuations Are Rising
• Surprising Trends from 2020
• Today’s Labor Market
• CARR vs. ARR
• HPVP’s Due Diligence Process
• What Makes a Great Board Member

Guy Turner is a Managing Director at Hyde Park Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on high-growth, mid-continent technology startups. He has been with HPVP since its beginning in 2011. Prior to HPVP, Guy worked for the Boston Consulting Group where he concentrated on business strategy through a range of industries. He previously worked for Hyde Park Angels as an associate and an investor, and spent his early career as a mechanical engineer for Raytheon and General Electric. Guy has managed HPVP's investments in Fixer, MarketWagon, Upfront Healthcare, and Zipnosis, among others, and has led investments in a variety of tech firms.

You can find Guy on his Linkedin & Twitter and Hyde Park Ventures on their website and Linkedin.

Guy’s Blog & Personal Website: vcwithme

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired.Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group.

Aloa is a platform for outsourcing software development for startups. Aloa believes in a world where anyone can innovate freely, and currently, it sees software as a barrier to innovation. It has approached this space through a three-pronged method: Partner Network, Platform, & Strategist. Running a business is hard, software development shouldn't be.

The company is on the verge of launching its latest initiative, AloaPay, which will look to revolutionize the B2B invoicing process. The product will allow startups and enterprises to keep their papers organized, automate follow-ups, and help businesses avoid unnecessary fees.

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired.Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group.

Steven Cook is a Venture Associate at Chicago Ventures, a Chicago-based Venture Capital firm focused on the seed stage. Steven began his career in Venture Capital after playing professional basketball in Europe. He's a fantastic resource for advice on how to get your first job in Venture Capital and how to add value at the junior level.

In this episode, we covered:

• Transitioning from professional basketball to Venture Capital
• API first companies
• Today’s alternative asset classes
• The current enthusiasm around retail investing 
• The state of Chicago’s venture landscape

And much more... Please Enjoy!

Further Readings on API-First Companies

• APIs All the Way Down - Packy McCormick
• The Third-Party API Economy
• APIs for the Rest of Us
• What’s an API?
• Modern Suppliers
• Stealing Signs Issue 44

Manifold Group is a venture holding company based in Chicago with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, and soon Atlantic Canada. Early stage private investments represent an extraordinary investment opportunity, but existing investment models in the space leave much to be desired.Manifold is a new model for growth in the new economy, designed to create and capture value at the early stage through synergies across its venture fund, incubation and acceleration studio, and advisory firm. Learn more about Manifold at https://www.manifold.group.

You can find Steven on his Linkedin and Twitter and Chicago Ventures on their website and Linkedin.

Chicago Restaurant Recommendations: Silver Spoon Thai and Lou Malnati’s.

Resource Recommendation: Sandhill.io