Finding tech talent to fuel the growth that investors expect right now is a challenge. With distributed workforces, the Great Resignation, and layoffs in certain industries, the employee market continues to adapt. The Discovery Partners Institute is working to provide a solution. With a vision to be a magnet for the most ambitious talent Illinois […]
Congrats to Divey Gulati and Dhruv Saxena, the co-founders of ShipBob, for being listed in the 40 Under 40 Class of 2022 list from Crain’s Chicago Business. Gulati and Saxena created ShipBob in 2014 as they saw a need for more efficient shipping for ecommerce businesses. After raising a $200M Series E round last year, […]
In preparation of speaking at the Michigan Tech Week (MTW) on October 12 and 13, I discovered so many connections to the University of Michigan (U-M) that I decided to dig into what powers U-M’s entrepreneurial success. Seemingly everyone knows that the University of Michigan (U-M) is the world’s leading public research institution. What’s not as widely known is […]
Uniquely positioned as the nation’s crossroads for moving freight via air, rail, and truck, the Windy City has long been a global leader in the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (TD&L) industry, so it is no surprise to learn that Chicago has become a Logistics Tech leader. Chicago’s TD&L sector is one of the largest in […]
We’re excited to announce that Tractor Zoom announced that it raised $5M in Series A funding. HPA participated in the round, which was co-led by Builders VC and Bienville Capital. Additional investors include Next Level Ventures and Wintrust Ventures, among other existing investors. Tractor Zoom’s platform helps all agriculture stakeholders – farmers, OEM’s, equipment dealerships, and […]
Congrats to HPA Member John Lewis for being appointed as CEO at InMoment! This role is in addition to the Chairman role he has been serving in over the past few years.
The University of Illinois has an incredible history of producing world-class startups and cutting-edge technologies. The university is also renowned for cultivating bright, purpose first entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact on the world. These innovators have founded companies that are among the most recognized brands around the globe. The university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem supports idea development […]
The pool of self-directed investors has surged during the past few years. By some estimates, 20 million new retail investors have entered the market thanks to a combination of several factors —the rise of mobile trading apps and online communities, the gamification of investing, and COVID-19 lockdowns. Most of this new class of investors only […]
We are excited to share that oak9, the leader in cloud native security, announced raising $8M in new funding. HPA participated in the round, which was led again by Menlo Ventures and included new investor partners Cisco Investments and Morgan Stanley’s Next Level Fund. We first invested in oak9’s $5.9M round in 2021, and we […]
We are excited to announce that FourKites, the global supply chain visibility platform, received a strategic investment from FedEx. The amount was not disclosed publicly. This alliance will provide both businesses with additional robust real-time visibility capabilities to help solve their most pervasive supply chain challenges, become more efficient, and unlock new growth opportunities.
