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Portfolio News

September 16, 2021

EdTech Company, Innovare - Social Innovation Partners, Inc., Closes Oversubscribed $3MM Seed Round with Support from Diverse Fund Leaders and Social Impact Champions

Chicago-based EdTech company, Innovare - Social Innovation Partners, Inc., announced that it has raised $3MM in seed funding to scale its impact on education leadership via its cloud-based strategy and analytics platform Inno™.

September 16, 2021

Gamerjibe Graduates from 500 Global!

Gamerjibe just completed the prestigious 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) accelerator.

August 11, 2021

Chicago United Names SupplyHive Chief Executive Officer Lou Sandoval to 2021 Business Leaders of Color List; Nonprofit honors executive-level diverse leaders

SupplyHive™ is proud to announce that President and Chief Executive Officer Lou Sandoval will be honored this fall as one of 50 selected executives joining the list of the 2021 Business Leaders of Color (BLC) presented by Chicago United. Chicago United is a nonprofit with a mission of achieving parity in economic opportunity for people of color by advancing multiracial leadership in corporate governance, expanding the talent pipeline for executive-level management and growing minority businesses.

August 7, 2021

Propellant Ventures Makes an Investment Into Edtech Company, Innovare

Propellant Ventures is excited to announce that we made an investment into Chicago-based Innovare, which empowers and guides educational leaders to develop strategies, project manage key initiatives, and measure impact in real-time for the people that they serve.

July 27, 2021

SupplyHive™ Announces Closing of $2 Million Seed Round with Diverse Major Venture Capitalists: LOUD Capital, Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and Cleveland Avenue

SupplyHive™, an innovative provider of Supplier Performance Management Technology, announced today that it closed $2 million in seed funding by securing investors who believe in the power of diversity and inclusion: led by LOUD Capital with co-investors Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and Cleveland Avenue-CAST US.

July 26, 2021

McDonald’s to use SupplyHive to focus on diverse suppliers

McDonald’s made a commitment to increase spending with diverse-owned suppliers by nearly 10% by 2025, according to the website Restaurant Business. McDonald’s will use SupplyHive, a supplier performance management provider, to help track suppliers’ progress toward the effort.

July 19, 2021

How Would You Like to Consolidate All of Your Apps Into One?

Steve Reiss from The StylistNews.com interviews Bill Furlong, CEO and Founder of SquareStack, the Business Apps Command Center for Small Business. Bill is a Serial Entrepreneur and also serves as an advisor to, and investor in, a variety of early and mid-stage technology companies. Bill is a founder of B2BWorks, sold to LSF Interactive in 2010, and Bizo, which was acquired by LinkedIn in 2014.

April 26, 2021

Greenkeepers: SquareStack CEO Walks Through the Digital Transformation of Business Operations (Interview)

In Episode 1 of Greenkeepers, Bill Furlong, SquareStack CEO and author, expands on the "digital first " idea from his book, "Appify Your Business". Furlong provides a few tips and tricks about using the latest technology in response to the challenges landscape contractors face in using all the apps to run a business.

April 26, 2021

If You Don't Adopt the Cloud, You're Toast (Podcast)

The Grass Roots podcast dives deep into the trends, business strategies, products and personalities in the green industry. In episode 48, Bill Furlong of SquareStack is interviewed.

March 28, 2021

Podcast Discussion with CEO of Gamerjibe - Knowing When to Pivot

Here is a great podcast discussion with Joe Lee, CEO of Gamerjibe - "Knowing When to Pivot"

Thought Leadership

April 12, 2023

Video Gaming Has Played Itself Into a Leading Entertainment Sector (Webinar)

On April 12 2023, Propellant Ventures hosted an engaging discussion to talk about the exciting growth in the video gaming industry.

March 7, 2023

The Rapid Adoption of Technology is Heating Up the Restaurant Industry (Webinar)

On March 7 2023, Propellant Ventures hosted an engaging discussion to talk about the innovation taking place in the restaurant industry.

February 8, 2023

Technological Advancements in Manufacturing are Vital to the Global Economy (Webinar)

On February 8 2023, Propellant Ventures hosted an engaging discussion to talk about the innovation taking place in the manufacturing sector.

January 30, 2023

Investor Connect (Interview)

Our Managing Partner, Jason Jacobsohn, was interviewed by Hall Martin of TEN Capital Midwest on the Investor Connect podcast to discuss the future of work and other investing topics.

January 11, 2023

Retail Technology is Transforming a $25+ Trillion Industry (Webinar)

On January 11 2023, Propellant Ventures hosted an engaging discussion to talk about the continued investment and innovation in the retail sector.

November 16, 2022

Investment into Logistics Tech is Driving the Sector Forward (Webinar)

On October 16, 2022, Propellant Ventures hosted an engaging discussion to talk about the continued investment and innovation in the logistics sector.

October 12, 2022

Agtech Has Taken Root as Investors Plow Record Sums into the Sector (Webinar)

On October 12, 2022, Propellant Ventures hosted an engaging discussion about to talk about the investing boom in Agtech as consumers' habits and tastes are changing.

September 13, 2022

The Sports Tech Revolution is Underway (Webinar)

On September 13, 2022, Propellant Ventures hosted an engaging discussion about to talk about the investing boom in Sports Tech companies that is changing the sports industry.

August 31, 2022

End of Summer Mixer (video)

On August 31, 2022 Propellant Ventures co-hosted an in person End of Summer Mixer to bring the investor and entrepreneur community together.

August 16, 2022

Climate Tech Investing is Heating Up to Create a More Sustainable Future (Webinar)

On August 16, 2022, Propellant Ventures hosted an engaging discussion about to talk about the investing boom in Climate Tech companies that is making the world more sustainable.

Industry News

October 4, 2022

Why Chicago Is Home To The Future Of Logistics Tech

According to WBC, Chicago has over 100 locally headquartered Logistics Tech companies that employ over 34,000 individuals. The sector saw an 802% increase in growth capital investment — the highest among peer cities – between 2019 and 2021 and five unicorns and two publicly held Logistics Tech companies headquartered in Chicago.

September 29, 2022

Incubators, accelerators, VC funds helping make Chicago tech startup scene more diverse, business leaders say

Incubators, accelerators and new VC funding options are helping to make the Chicago tech startup scene more diverse, business leaders say.

September 10, 2022

When Public Markets Experience Volatility, Experts Say To Invest In Emerging Managers

Brand-name growth funds may dominate the headlines, but an industry secret is that the best return profile in venture capital has historically been produced by the newcomers and at the early stages of investing.

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.

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