Vetted Co-Founders in the Chicago Metro

“MBA-trained operator-investor who interned in venture capital at Marquee Ventures while also founding GoodBites Brisket Jerky. Brings a rare combination of startup evaluation experience and true zero-to-one execution, having built outbound sales, sourced manufacturers, created a website with Claude Code, and run day-to-day operations for a specialty food brand.”

“Startup operator and co-founder who helped build SmartSquash AI from pre-product, pre-revenue stage to $600K ARR in 2 months, 125+ club pilots, a PSA enterprise analytics partnership, and a $1.4M acquisition. Brings a rare mix of 0-to-1 product/GTM execution and trust-sensitive AI deployment, plus process improvement experience at Microsoft that drove major efficiency and cost savings.”

“Serial founder with experience across both bootstrapped and venture-backed startups, including scaling Aloa past $1M in first-year revenue and raising $1.3M for Bracketology, a fantasy gaming platform for reality TV now in sale process. Combines sales, marketing, product, automation, and AI implementation experience, with exposure to WeFunder, Newchip, and 1871 as both participant and mentor.”

“Seasoned entrepreneurial operator who has raised $185M across ventures in seed treatment, drone spraying, gene editing, and biofuels. Has worked closely with accelerators including AgLaunch and Iowa Startup Accelerator as both a participant and later a mentor, and is now open to either founding a new impactful company or stepping into an experienced CEO/C-suite role.”