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Motivate Venture Capital

North America, Illinois, United States, Chicago

Description

Motivate Venture Capital is a Chicago-based venture capital firm that strategically invests in Pre-seed and Seed-stage companies across the United States and Canada. The firm distinguishes itself by focusing on founders building solutions for the future of work, B2B SaaS, fintech, and consumer sectors, often seeking out opportunities beyond traditional tech hubs. Their investment philosophy is deeply rooted in a founder-first approach, providing not just capital but also operational guidance, talent acquisition support, and strategic advice to help early-stage companies scale effectively.

Motivate Venture Capital typically provides initial checks ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000, demonstrating their commitment to being a significant early partner for promising startups. They emphasize a hands-on engagement model, leveraging the diverse experiences of their founding partners, Shardul Shah, Patrick O'Connor, and TJ Karkatzis, who bring backgrounds in entrepreneurship, venture capital, and operations. This active support is designed to help portfolio companies navigate the challenges of early growth and achieve product-market fit.

The firm has shown consistent growth and commitment to the early-stage ecosystem. They successfully closed their inaugural fund, Motivate Venture Capital Fund I, at $25 million. Building on this momentum, they subsequently raised and closed their second fund, Motivate Venture Capital Fund II, at $50 million. This substantial increase in capital reflects their growing influence and capacity to support a broader range of innovative companies, further solidifying their position as a key player in the early-stage venture landscape.

Investor Profile

Motivate Venture Capital has backed more than 69 startups, with 12 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 24 rounds, about 35% of its total and boasts 2 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Pre Seed, Series A rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Canada, Switzerland.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Financial Services, FinTech.
  • Led 4 rounds in the past year.
  • Typical check size: $250K – $1M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (46%)
  • Pre Seed (32%)
  • Series A (13%)
  • Convertible Note (4%)
  • Series Unknown (3%)
  • Series B (1%)

Country Focus

  • United States (90%)
  • Canada (9%)
  • Switzerland (1%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Financial Services
  • Fintech
  • Information Technology
  • Payments
  • Saas
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Manufacturing
  • Data Integration
  • Cyber Security
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Motivate Venture Capital frequently co-invest with?

Gaingels
North America, Vermont, United States, Burlington
Co-Investments: 3
IrishAngels
North America, Illinois, United States, Chicago
Co-Investments: 4
SpringTime Ventures
North America, Colorado, United States, Denver
Co-Investments: 3
Techstars
North America, Colorado, United States, Boulder
Co-Investments: 4
Simplex Ventures
North America, Illinois, United States, Chicago
Co-Investments: 4
Battery Ventures
North America, Massachusetts, United States, Boston
Co-Investments: 3
Schematic Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
Plug and Play
North America, California, United States, Sunnyvale
Co-Investments: 3
Green Egg Ventures
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 6
Alumni Ventures
North America, New Hampshire, United States, Manchester
Co-Investments: 4

Which angels does Motivate Venture Capital often collaborate with?

AW
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
WH
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1
Daren Cotter
North America, Minnesota, United States, Saint Paul
Shared Deals: 3
BB
North America, Illinois, United States, Chicago
Shared Deals: 1
PS
North America, Minnesota, United States, Wayzata
Shared Deals: 2
Jerry Yang
Asia, Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo
Shared Deals: 1
AM
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Shared Deals: 2
CT
North America, California, United States, Santa Barbara
Shared Deals: 2
AJ
North America, Nevada, United States, Las Vegas
Shared Deals: 1
VK
North America, California, United States, Glendale
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by Motivate Venture Capital?

Mahalo

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Mahalo is an AI-powered software platform focused on enhancing the post-purchase experience for manufacturers.

Information TechnologySoftware
Pre SeedJun 25, 2025
Amount Raised: $2,600,000
Obviant

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Obviant is a data intelligence platform to simplify defense acquisition & GTM.

Information TechnologyInternet
SeedJun 24, 2025
Amount Raised: $7,100,000
Mahalo Software

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Mahalo Software delivers Product Ownership Experiences.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Software
Pre SeedJun 24, 2025
Amount Raised: $2,600,000
Finofo

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Finofo helps businesses automate and track international payments, receivables, and FX.

FinTechPaymentsRisk Management
SeedJun 10, 2025
Amount Raised: $3,300,000
Telgea

Dover, Delaware, United States

Global mobile plans for growth companies

B2CMobileTelecommunications
Series UnknownApr 30, 2025
Amount Raised: $2,700,000
LiquidTrust

Los Angeles, California, United States

LiquidTrust offers global payment solutions tailored to the needs of SMBs.

FinanceFinancial ServicesPayments
SeedMar 10, 2025
Amount Raised: $4,000,000
Ensemble AI

San Francisco, California, United States

Ensemble AI is a software development firm generating optimal embeddings for an ML task.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Developer ToolsInformation TechnologySoftware
SeedSep 26, 2024
Amount Raised: $3,300,000
Nmbr

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Nmbr is an embedded payroll software supplier that simplifies how organizations create and implement their own payroll software.

Embedded SystemsSoftware
SeedSep 24, 2024
Amount Raised: $5,662,831
FeedbackNow

Renens, Vaud, Switzerland

FeedbackNow, a maker of physical buttons and monitoring software.

ConsumerProfessional ServicesSoftware
Series ASep 18, 2024
Amount Raised: $9,000,000
Aption

Illinois City, Illinois, United States

Aption provides equity pooling solutions for founders, executives and early employees to protect startup equity value.

Business DevelopmentFinancial ServicesWealth Management
Pre SeedSep 10, 2024
Amount Raised: $2,400,000