
The Beat: New UChicago VC fund targets deep-tech startups
The Big One
A new $25M venture capital fund launched Thursday to support the deep-tech ventures coming out of the University of Chicago ecosystem.
GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY
Find Local Events Near You
Connect with a community of local professionals.
Explore All Events
Harper Court Ventures — funded through UChicago and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and independently managed by MFV Partners — will focus on scaling pre-seed and seed-stage companies associated with the university's labs, the Polsky Center or alumni. Investors in the fund include the UChicago Endowment as well as several members of UChicago's Board of Trustees.
The fund will target startups in high-impact sectors, such as those working on quantum computing, life sciences, energy and artificial intelligence innovations.
READ MORE: $25M VC fund launches to back UChicago deep-tech startups
More from The Beat
On its 10-year anniversary, Chicago venture capital firm M25 announced its largest fund to date.
Nearly half of workers in a recent survey say their companies have issued return-to-office mandates in 2025 — illustrating a larger trend of fading workplace flexibility.
Drive Capital returns $500M to investors
In a single week, Drive Capital returned about $500M in cash and stock to investors during a lull in liquidity for limited partners nationwide.
The Columbus, Ohio-based venture capital firm, which set up a Chicago office in 2023, last Friday distributed two-thirds of its shares of Root Inc., worth nearly $140 million, to outside limited partners in its first fund from 2013, according to SEC filings.
READ MORE: Drive Capital returns $500 million to investors amid national liquidity lull
Sign up for the Business Journal's free daily newsletter to receive the latest business news impacting Chicago.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Business Insider
4 hours ago
- Business Insider
I moved from Tokyo to Bengaluru to launch a VC office. I had to convince my wife, but now we love raising kids and working in India.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shun Sagara, a venture capitalist who moved from Tokyo to Bengaluru with his family in 2023. It has been edited for length and clarity. I grew up in Japan and began my career at an enterprise software company in Tokyo. I spent five years at the company in various sales roles before I left in 2018. The following year, I joined my current venture capital firm, Genesia Ventures, and worked as an investment manager. In my second year at the firm, there was serious interest in international expansion. We had a presence in Southeast Asia, and there was a growing consensus that India was our next logical destination. It aligned perfectly with my ambition to work in a fast-paced market, and I was keen to make a move. My move to India wasn't driven by a fascination with curry or Bollywood or anything like that. I always felt like India and Japan shine on the sidelines but don't claim the center stage the way China or the US do. The trigger moment for me was when a Japanese founder told me I was the only VC among 20 to 30 meetings he had taken who truly understood enterprise businesses. It was flattering but rang alarm bells — if there was no competition around me, then maybe I was playing in the wrong league. Moving to India, where startups are not just building products, but are building the infrastructure of a rising economic power, felt like the next best step for me. Moving with family wasn't an easy decision. My wife was a flight attendant for Japanese Airlines and had been exposed to New Delhi, the capital, before — she didn't like the air quality, the spicy food, and how it wasn't safe for young single women. I had to convince her that Bengaluru was different from Delhi. Once she was on board, we moved to Bengaluru in the summer of 2023 so I could launch an India subsidiary for my VC firm. Being a VC in India I'm the company's only employee in the country, and I'm tasked with making India investments for our Japan-based fund. Our average first check size is around $500,000, and we top it up with $1 million to $1.5 million investments. My investment thesis is based on these three qualities rather than specific sectors: founders who understand the Indian context well; areas such as pharmaceuticals or precision manufacturing where Indian companies can become global market leaders; and areas where there is opportunity for India-Japan collaborations, like elder care or workforce shortage problems. Since launching our India office, I have invested in five companies. There are big differences in how business is done. For example, Japanese culture is built around risk mitigation, while the Indian startup ecosystem is not. In Japan, our startup pitch decks have 40-50 slides and address every single objection a VC may have. In India, founders walk into meetings with a napkin sketch and unshakeable conviction. Both approaches work from my experience. Another key difference is India's " jugaad" mentality, which is all about improvising with what you have, versus the Japanese " kaizen," which involves continuous optimization of existing processes. I've found that combining these mindsets in India-Japanese deals can produce extraordinary results. Raising a family in India Coming from Japan, cleanliness is one of the biggest differences about living in India, and it is also one thing my wife and children find challenging. But when it comes to raising children, India, and in particular Bengaluru, is one of the best cities in the world. People are warm and kind toward foreigners, and most people love children. My two little kids — a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son — are well-treated by local people. There are also great international schools in the city, and raising children has been a great experience for my wife and me. What surprised me most was the grassroots popularity of sports. I always knew that India was a cricket-loving country, but I was shocked to see how popular soccer is getting in the country. Two years into living here, I have a weekly soccer game with five friends. While I know lots of Japanese expats and other foreigners, 90% of my circle is local Indians. The people I work with are collaborative and open-minded, and they have always been helpful when I encounter daily operational challenges. My commitment to living in India is long term, and I don't plan to come back to Japan in the next five years at least. Even if I move back home after 10 years, I want to continue to be exposed to India and Indian businesses. Bridging India and Japan is the goal of my entire life and career.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
United Football League team coming to Ohio
The United Football League (UFL) is coming to an Ohio city, according to our media partners, WBNS-10 TV. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] A spokesperson with the premier spring football league told our media partners that a team will be located in Columbus starting in the 2026 spring season. TRENDING STORIES: Homeowners burning weeds leads to Montgomery County house fire, firefighters say At least 2 hurt in local apartment fire; 8 units displaced Soulja Boy arrested on suspicion of weapons charge during a traffic stop The new team will play at the Historic Crew Stadium, which is located at One Black and Gold Boulevard. 'The UFL selecting Historic Crew Stadium to host a team's home games is a further testament to the first-class fan experience at our venue, as well as advances our commitment to bringing unique major events to Columbus that highlight our city and promote economic impact in the region. It's also the result of Columbus' continued growth and its long-standing passion for supporting sports,' the spokesperson told WBNS-10's Dom Tiberi. This move comes after entrepreneur Mike Repole joined the league's ownership group. 'Football has clearly established itself as America's most popular sport, with tremendous momentum and demand,' Repole said in a media release by UFL. 'There's no better time than now to build a strong, sustainable spring league that unites players, teams, and fans. I'm honored to join the United Football League's ownership group as we work to create something truly lasting and game-changing.' Repole told ESPN that the league is planning to relocate two home markets. One of the new locations will be Columbus. The UFL currently operates eight teams as a spring football league in the following cities: Arlington, Texas Birmingham, Alabama Detroit, Michigan Houston, Texas Memphis, Tennessee San Antonio, Texas St. Louis, Missouri Washington, D.C. There are currently 10 games during the regular season, which are divided between the USFL and XFL conferences, according to WBNS-10. Details on the new team are expected to be announced at a later date. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]


Axios
5 hours ago
- Axios
Boulder native Ty Haney returns to Outdoor Voices
Boulder entrepreneur Ty Haney is back with Outdoor Voices, the athleisure company she founded in 2013, Inc. reports. Why it matters: Her return follows a trend of female founders rejoining the brands they started. Driving the news: Haney left Outdoor Voices in 2020, but she told Inc., that she returned last August, shortly after New York City-based private equity firm Consortium Brand Partners acquired it. Meanwhile, Haney has founded two other startups: Joggy Energy, a plant-based sparkling energy drink, and a brand loyalty rewards platform called Try Your Best that raised $11 million in Series A funding. What she is saying: "We've always been good at zigging when people zag and offering a fresh take," Haney told Inc., regarding her plans to grow Outdoor Voices. "I'm excited to reactivate our original customer, but also introduce this doing things philosophy to a younger Gen-Z audience." Zoom in: Haney was born in California but grew up in Boulder. She moved her family back and now splits her time between the two.