
Motivate Venture Capital
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
Frequently Asked Questions
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