Idea Fund of La Crosse

Established in 2016, the Idea Fund of La Crosse is a venture capital firm dedicated to supporting seed and early-stage startups in the Upper Midwest. The fund focuses on investing in companies at their earliest stages, including those without initial sales or even a product, aiming to help entrepreneurs develop their plans and accelerate their growth. The fund's strategy promotes new company formation by spreading venture capital across diverse technologies, industries, and locations throughout the Upper Midwest. It stands behind its companies during the inevitable ups and downs of early-stage growth and reserves significant capital for follow-on funding. The Idea Fund has invested in a broad range of sectors, including information technology, health IT, data analytics, supply chain, agriculture, manufacturing, and financial services. The fund is deeply passionate about supporting entrepreneurs in the Upper Midwest, recognizing the region's hardworking, innovative, and humble people, as well as its outstanding institutions of higher education and sophisticated anchor employers. These resources provide an environment conducive to a successful startup ecosystem, resulting in strong businesses, good jobs, and more vibrant communities. The Idea Fund of La Crosse has raised over $30 million for its second venture capital fund, targeting pre-revenue and early-stage businesses in agriculture, manufacturing, health care, and logistics. This fund is among the three largest venture capital funds ever raised dedicated to investing in the three-state region of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The fund plans to make initial investments of between $500,000 and $1 million in about 20 startups. The Idea Fund's first investments include Golgix, a Milwaukee-based company developing AI for manufacturing applications; Distribution Depot, an e-commerce business based in Brookfield; Lumberjack, a property services management service with offices in Minnesota; and Hopper Health, a health care platform for neurodivergent people. By layering sophisticated technical capabilities over the region's deep industry expertise, the Idea Fund aims to invest in startups creating overwhelming value propositions. The fund has also announced a new partnership with California-based private investment firm Pablo Capital, which includes a co-founder and early employees of Jamf, a successful technology business founded in Eau Claire in 2002. This partnership aims to build a more vibrant startup community in the Upper Midwest and provide more success stories. The Idea Fund of La Crosse continues to support and invest in the region's most promising entrepreneurs, helping them scale their businesses and contribute to the economic growth of the Upper Midwest.