TechNexus Venture Collaborative

In the second edition of our #ReInventingIndustry series, we’re spotlighting one of the most critical and dynamic venture categories: Clean Energy & Sustainability. 🚀 From battery innovators like Natrion Inc. and NanoGraf Corporation to renewable energy marketplaces like Blackcurrant and Innovo, the energy space is buzzing with activity in Chicago. These 90+ early-stage companies have collectively raised nearly $400M and are tackling some of the biggest challenges in energy today: 🔋 Battery Lifecycle Solutions 🌐 Energy Marketplaces ⚡ Grid Optimization Software 🌱 Sustainable Fuel Development Chicago’s robust ecosystem—featuring top-tier corporate customers like United Airlines, ComEd, Caterpillar Inc. and venture leaders such as Energize Capital, Evergreen Climate Innovations, and TechNexus—is driving innovation and growth in this essential field. 👉 Read the full breakdown (link in the comments) and discover the companies making waves in clean energy and sustainability! 💬 What local ventures are you excited about? Drop a comment or DM us to share your thoughts! #CleanEnergy #Sustainability #ChicagoStartups #ReInventingIndustry #VentureCapital

🍫 Ever wonder how Mars stays ahead in the competitive snack game? It's all about innovation. In our latest Corporate Innovation: Chicago Style series, we spoke with Greg Hocking, an R&D and Innovation Leader at Mars Snacking, to learn how Mars is using an open and collaborative approach to develop new products, improve sustainability, and connect with consumers. "We believe the future lies in collaborative advantage," Greg said. "Partnering with startups allows us to tap into their agility, speed, and fresh perspectives. We recognize we don't have all the answers internally. There are times when others can do it better and faster, and we can decrease our risk and costs by partnering." #CorporateInnovation #VentureCapital

Our team is heading to CES! Terry, Fred, Ellie, and Matt will be representing TechNexus and connecting with our portfolio companies, corporate innovators and other investors to see what exciting innovations are in store for 2025. 📩 Drop a DM to set up a meeting #CES #Innovation #VentureCapital

We recently sat down with TechNexus Portfolio Company, Chord, to highlight how D2C brands can use Chord's AI-powered data platform to: 🎯 Boost marketing ROI 📈 Drive revenue & customer loyalty 🧠 Make smarter decisions, faster If you're interested in learning more about Chord, read below at the link in caption or drop us a DM to get connected! 👇 cc: Jim Dallke Bryan Mahoney

As a startup founder, having a clear exit strategy is crucial for long-term success. Whether you're aiming for a strategic acquisition, private equity buyout, or IPO, a well-thought-out exit plan helps guide your growth and prepares your business for the next chapter. Check out our Director of Venturing, Erin Martell's insightful guidance on crafting your exit strategy in her latest piece in our her What Startups Need to Know series. #VentureCapital #VC #StartupSuccess #ScalingYourBusiness

Anyone who’s worked from home has dealt with background noise on a video call — a crying baby, a barking dog, the chirp of a dying fire alarm battery. But what if you had a tool that could eliminate all that noise and provide crystal clear sound to the person on the other end of your call? You can with Krisp, an audio app that pioneered AI noise cancellation for video calls. It's expanded its product offerings over the years to provide everything from AI meeting transcription to AI tools for call centers, like an AI interpreter feature that gives instant real-time voice translation to call centers. Read more about the TechNexus Venture Collaborative portfolio startup, which was named one of TIME’s best inventions and Forbes’ most promising AI startups, here:

We had a wonderful time participating in the 9th Annual T4Youth Table Tennis Tournament and Fundraiser to benefit STEAM education. Thank you to all of the event organizers and sponsors for an unforgettable evening.🏓 ObjectiveERP | Chicago Tech Academy | OP

We'd like to wish a happy #NationalEntrepreneurDay to all of our TechNexus and TeamWorking by TechNexus founders and entrepreneurs!  Thank you for sharing your ideas, passion, and drive with all of us.  And a special shout out to our very own Fred Hoch and Terry Howerton for brining their years of entrepreneur expertise to our ecosystem partners. Onward and Upward 🚀

TechNexus is actively tracking 1,000+ early stage startups in Chicago, and in our new #ReinventingIndustry series we’re breaking them down by sector, starting with Chicago's #healthtech venture landscape. At nearly 10%, healthtech accounts for the highest volume of early-stage companies funded in Chicago. All founded in the last ten years, this collection of startups has raised over $400 million in total, according to Pitchbook. Dive into the full market map and stay tuned for more industry breakdowns in the weeks to come. 👇 ✍ Joey Alfieri Jim Dallke

This past week I sat down and shared some thoughts on TechNexus Venture Collaborative's unique approach to #VCPlatform. ✍ Since joining TechNexus's Collaboration Team (our "platform" team) over 3.5 years ago, I've seen the VC Platform community double in size and have witnessed the power behind having post-investment support teams. At TechNexus, we've always known that venture investing is more than just writing a check. Our venturing strategy is rooted around our platform - connecting entrepreneurs to corporations through early-stage investing. We recently experienced our corporate-venture collaboration model play out in a major way. Our corporate partner, THOR Industries, unveiled a plug-in-hybrid RV powered by the electric chassis that was co-developed by TechNexus PortCo, Harbinger. Being able to help facilitate collaborations like these shows the real power of investing beyond the check. This is just the beginning as we continue to invest with an emphasis on organized post-investment founder support, with the intent to become the ultimate strategic partner to our entrepreneurs and corporate partners. Check out my full thoughts in latest addition of our Chicago newsletter The Top in Tech, written by yours truly 💁♀️ (with lot's of help from my amazing colleagues Jim Dallke, Madelyn Rutter and Joey Alfieri) Subscribe below! 👇