Industry News

Propellant Ventures aspires to change the future in a very powerful way. We boldly invest in outstanding companies and extraordinary teams to cultivate an extremely high-quality and diversified portfolio.
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The team at Propellant collaborates with our portfolio companies, angel groups, and other VC’s to dramatically improve startups success, growth, and valuation. In 5 years, Propellant Ventures strives to be one of Midwest region’s most active VCs and go-to funds for innovative startups. Propellant Ventures invests in a broad range of diverse tech enabled B2B industries such as healthtech, future of work, supply chain, fintech, IIoT, and edtech.

August 17, 2022

Investors target recession-resilient healthcare recruiting startups

The US had a shortage of nurses before 2020, yet the pandemic greatly exacerbated the problem as a large number of medical staff left the profession, citing increased stress and risks.

June 8, 2022

Ongoing energy crisis fuels strong 2022 for climate tech companies

Climate tech startups had a strong start to the year and could draw sustained interest as the ongoing energy crisis spurs investment in green technologies including liquefied natural gas, nuclear energy, and solar, wind and hydrogen power.

June 2, 2022

SaaS valuations slide for late-stage deals

Stock prices of fast-growing software companies have been on a steep descent since late November. Meanwhile, valuations of early-stage deals, which tend to be more isolated from stock market volatility, have continued to climb.

April 18, 2022

VCs Are Scaling Up Climate Software Investments

Climate-focused software startups were a hot area for early-stage investment last year. Now it appears companies are graduating rather quickly to larger rounds and much higher valuations.

April 6, 2022

Cybersecurity Funding Remains High Even As Venture Cools Off

Funding to venture-backed cybersecurity startups continues at an impressive clip—although significantly off the record high set last quarter.

March 24, 2022

Edtech Investment Continues To Soar Even As Schools Return To In-Person Learning

Edtech has had a standout two years. While many schools have returned to in-person instruction after virtual learning accelerated the adoption of education technologies, the sector still saw a spike in funding last year.

March 7, 2022

After a Slowdown, Funding Returns To Advertising Technologies

Advertising tech has seen its ups and downs in the past decade, but last month again shined a bright spotlight on the space with Meta announcing disappointing earnings due to privacy changes and Google.

February 12, 2022

Don’t Expect A Slowdown After Record-Setting Year For Cybersecurity As Several Drivers Remain For Big 2022

Even though this year was unlike any other for cybersecurity—with more than $20 billion invested into the sector—2022 may very well build off that momentum, according to many in the industry.

February 12, 2022

After Record Year, Supply Chain Funding Shows No Signs of Breaking Down

Nearly two years into the pandemic, supply chain disruptions still dominate headlines, as do large funding rounds by tech companies aiming to solve the problem.

January 4, 2022

Why Is SMB SaaS The New Darling Of Investors?

As the tech landscape and market have evolved with dizzying speed over the last decade, we have seen the emergence of a pair of unlikely bedfellows: SaaS companies and SMBs.

November 30, 2021

Lessen joins unicorn herd as VCs build up investments in real estate tech

Real estate startups have raised more than $19.6 billion worldwide in 2021, according to PitchBook data, setting an annual record as the sector has continued to bounce back from last year's pandemic-induced lull.

November 1, 2021

Edtech backers rewarded as IPO pipeline heats up

Edtech company IPOs used to be practically nonexistent—until this year.Increased adoption of online learning technologies amid the pandemic, combined with strong public market conditions, has paved the way for a bevy of notable public exits in the category.