Origin Ventures
| Venture capital | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Founded 📆 | 1999 |
| Founder 👔 | Steven Miller and Bruce Barron |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , |
Area served 🗺️ | United States |
Key people |
|
| 💎 AUM | $135 Million |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | originventures |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Origin Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 1999 and headquartered in Chicago, IL, which focuses on Series A and seed investments in the technology sector.
Leadership[edit]
Origin Ventures was founded in 1999 by Bruce Barron.[1], a former entrepreneur, and Steven Miller[2], who previously worked for his family's company, the Quill Corporation, which Staples purchased in 1998[3]. In 2013, Barron and Miller added former entrepreneur Brent Hill[4] as a partner, and in 2014, venture capitalist Jason Heltzer[5][6] joined as the firm's fourth partner.
Barron and Heltzer were both named to Crain's Chicago Business Tech 50 list in 2013[7], while Hill was on the 2014 list[8] and Miller on 2016's list.[9] In addition to their duties at Origin Ventures, the partners hold leadership roles at a number philanthropic and civic organizations.
Steve Miller[edit]
Miller is the President of the Board of Directors at Victory Gardens Theater[10] and vice chair of the Better Government Association's (BGA) Board of Directors[11]. He also serves on the boards of OneGoal[12] and Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago[13]
In 2014, Miller received the Richard J. Daley Award from the Illinois Venture Capital Association[14]. In 2017, he received the BGA's Daniel L. Goodwin Watchdog Award[15]
Bruce Barron[edit]
Barron is on the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society[16] and serves as the Vice President of Development for the Israel Cancer Research Fund.[17]
Fundraising[edit]
Origin Ventures has raised 4 funds to date:
- Fund I (closed 1999) – $1.5 Million
- Fund II (closed 2005) – $15.5 Million
- Fund III (closed 2013) – $35 Million[18]
- Fund IV (closed 2017[19]) – $80 Million[20]
Investments[edit]
Origin Ventures is a geographically-agnostic investment firm, investing across the country in emerging software, online marketplace, and digital content businesses. Origin has made more than 50 investments in growing technology companies, most notably leading GrubHub's Series A round in 2007[21], its Series B round in 2009[22], and maintaining equity in the company until its 2014 initial public offering[23]
As of 2018, Origin has invested in iNest Realty (acquired by LendingTree)[24], Assignment Editor, ClaimForce, DialogTech, GrubHub, Campus Explorer, Shoutlet, Sway (acquired by CornerWorld)[25], CityScan, Pangea Money Transfer, Whittl, Aisle50, doggyloot, Persio (acquired by Clutch)[26], Ahalogy, Bottlenose, Windsor Circle (acquired by OSG Billing Services)[27], Apptentive, Rivet News Radio, Curiosity.com, MyAlerts, Bound, Avant, Teem, Tovala[28], TransparentCareer, Tock, Kidizen, AppDetex, Atavium, Fountain, Gamer Sensei, ViralGains, and DirectScale.[29]
Origin Ventures Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership[edit]
In May 2018, the University of Illinois' Gies College of Business announced that Barron and Miller (via his family's REAM Foundation) provided the $5 million naming gift for the Origin Ventures Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership[30], the mission of which is to inject entrepreneurial thinking into every academic discipline at the University.
References[edit]
- ↑ tastytrade (2014-05-08), Bruce Barron of Origin Ventures | Bootstrapping in America, retrieved 2018-05-17
- ↑ "Steve Miller ⇒ Blue Sky Vault". chicago.blueskyinnovation.com. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ Bulkeley, William. "Staples, Moving Beyond Superstores, To Buy Quill for $685 Million in Stock". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Brent Hill - Partner @ Origin Ventures - Crunchbase". Crunchbase.
- ↑ "Career paths: Jason Heltzer, Origin Ventures". Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ "Jason Heltzer on the secret to being a successful entrepreneur". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Meet Chicago's Tech 50 2013". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Crain's Chicago Business 2014 Tech 50". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Why @StevenNMiller of @OriginVentures is someone you need to know in #Chicago tech #Tech50". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Steve Miller | Victory Gardens Theater". victorygardens.org. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "BGA Boards". Better Government Association. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "OUR BOARDS | ONEGOAL". ONEGOAL. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "2017-2018 Officers & Board of Directors of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation" (PDF).
- ↑ "IVCA Profile: 2014 Richard J. Daley Award Recipient Steven Miller, Partner and Co-Founder of Origin Ventures". www.illinoisvc.org. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Better Government Association 2017 Annual Luncheon". 2017luncheon.bettergov.org. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "2018 American Cancer Society Board of Directors". www.cancer.org. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Board of Directors | Israel Cancer Research Fund". www.icrfonline.org. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Origin Ventures raised $47 million for third fund". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ Loizos, Connie (April 27, 2017). "Chicago's Origin Ventures just raised $80 million for its fourth fund – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com.
- ↑ Elahi, Amina (April 27, 2017). "Origin Ventures raises $80 million to lead investments in startups". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ↑ "Crunchbase". www.crunchbase.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ↑ "Food Delivery Service GrubHub Secures $2 Million In Series B Funding – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ↑ "GrubHub files for IPO, co-founder plans to leave". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ↑ "Charlotte Business Journal". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ↑ "Cornerworld Corp. to buy Sway Inc". www.bizjournals.com. January 31, 2008. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ↑ Dalke, Jim (January 12, 2017). "Chicago Startup Persio Acquired by Clutch". www.americaninno.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ↑ Ohnesorge, Lauren (February 12, 2018). "Durham's Windsor Circle becomes latest local startup to be acquired". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ↑ "Tovala Is a Smart Oven that Cooks All-in-One Subscription Meals". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ↑ "Origin Ventures - Investments - Crunchbase". Crunchbase.
- ↑ "Origin Ventures founders give $5 million to support U of I entrepreneurship academy". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
This article "Origin Ventures" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Origin Ventures. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
