CHICAGO FOUNDER FIRST INVESTOR AWARD

Founders, this is your opportunity to publicly recognize an investor who has been instrumental in your entrepreneurial journey - beyond just capital. By nominating, you're acknowledging their role in helping founders lead, scale, and build category defining companies

 

Chicago is making waves as an emerging tech hotspot, with over 7,000 tech companies and a growing tech workforce. Known as the Windy City, its home to 37 Fortune 500 companies, including Boeing, United Airlines, and Motorola, making it a bustling hub of innovation. 

The city's deep-dish of industries, from finance and manufacturing to healthcare, creates a collaborative environment perfect for startups. Unlike Silicon Valley, Chicago's tech scene is all about practicality, looking to improve its native industries with tech solutions. As one of the top startup ecosystems in the U.S., and having kicked off TechChicago Week in 2022, the city boasts 1,671 startups and the highest multiple on invested capital among metro areas. It's clear that Chicago's tech scene is on a roll, and the skyline isn't the only thing reaching new heights!

Following the success of the NYC Founder-first Award, we’re moving to Chicago to celebrate the investors making a real difference and help connect founders to the most useful investors on their cap table.

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Chi-town is home to many early-stage VC funds including TechNexus, Visible VC, Hyde Park Venture Partners, M25 and more. 

But investor support is about more than just capital. Talk to any founder and you’ll hear stories about:

  • Great mentors, advisors, advice, and support.
  • Investors who introduced them to their first customers and helped hire their first employee.
  • A community that showed up during the difficult times.

We’re excited to launch the Founder First Award in Chicago. We aim to celebrate the investors making a real difference and help connect founders to the most useful investors on their cap table. Beyond announcing a winner, we’ll be sharing the full list of nominations to help other founders connect with truly supportive investors.

If you’re a founder and have an exceptional investor on your cap table, nominate them. We can’t wait to hear from you. Nominations close August 30th.

Why nominate?

Publicly recognize and celebrate an investor who has been instrumental in your entrepreneurial journey

Acknowledge their role in helping founders lead, scale, and build category defining companies.

Help connect future founders with supportive and meaningful investors 

 

Looking for Capital? Are you a founder who hasn’t raised yet and are looking for investors? Pitch us here

FAQ

  • Who can nominate an investor?
    • Investor nominations must be submitted by founders
  • How do I nominate an investor?
    • Click the “Nominate an Investor” button and fill out the brief nomination form. It will only take a few minutes to complete.


  • What investors qualify for this award?
    • You can nominate both institutional investors or individual investors (angels). Investors must be based in Chicago and have actively written a check in the past 6-months.
  • When is the nomination deadline?
    • Nomination will close on August 20th
  • When will I hear about the winner?
    • Finalists will be announced on September 5 
Forum Ventures LLC