Investor Profile: Hyde Park Venture Partners — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

For founders seeking Hyde Park Venture Partners funding, the first distinction matters: this is a venture capital firm, not to be confused with Hyde Park Angels, the Chicago angel group. If you are building an early-stage technology company in the Midwest, Toronto or the Southeast, learning how to get funding from Hyde Park Venture Partners is worthwhile: it has been one of the region's most consistent early-stage lead investors for more than a decade.

Thesis: mid-continent, early, AI and software

Hyde Park Venture Partners (HPVP), founded in 2011 and based in Chicago, invests in high-growth technology startups with a connection to the Midwest, Toronto or the Southeast. Its current stated focus is artificial intelligence, software and tech-enabled services. It backs companies from idea stage to around $2 million in revenue, raising their first or second institutional round, and argues the mid-continent offers strong teams at more attractive early valuations than the coasts.

Sectors and stages

The firm invests at pre-seed through Series A, emphasising business-to-business software, marketplaces and tech-enabled services, increasingly AI-first applications, infrastructure and enabling technology. Its portfolio spans logistics, supply chain, marketing technology, fintech, healthcare and robotics, a broad mandate anchored by geography and stage rather than a single vertical. It often leads deals and presents itself as a local partner in each market.

Fund size and cheque size

Hyde Park Venture Partners Fund IV closed at $98 million in May 2024, bringing total assets under management to approximately $320 million, including a $25 million Fund I (2012), a $65 million Fund II (2015), a $100 million Fund III (2019) and a $30 million Opportunity Fund (2021). Average cheque size is reported at $500,000 to $4 million, so treat that range as reported rather than an official published figure. Fund IV was planned for 20 to 22 companies.

Notable portfolio and exits

Its best-known companies include ShipBob, in which HPVP led a $4 million Series A in 2016 and which has since raised over $300 million; FourKites, which has raised over $200 million; and G2, which has raised over $200 million. Other names include LogicGate, Dentologie, Slip Robotics, Diffit and CivCheck. Exits include VNDLY (Workday, $510 million), Tock (Squarespace, more than $400 million), FairX (Coinbase) and Pear Deck (GoGuardian).

Partners and support

Hyde Park Venture Partners is led by managing partner Greg Barnes, partners Allison Lechnir and Guy Turner, chief financial officer and partner Alisa Vass, and talent partner Jim Conti. The firm runs a portfolio job board and leans heavily on talent and later-stage investor introductions. It publishes no accelerator programme and no credits or perks catalogue; its support is partner-led and network-led.

How to apply for funding from Hyde Park Venture Partners

There is no public application portal on the firm's site, so the route in is through hydeparkvp.com and its team pages, ideally via a warm introduction from a portfolio founder, a Midwest operator or a co-investor who knows the partners. Pitch the fit in the firm's own terms: an early-stage AI, software or tech-enabled services company with a real Midwest, Toronto or Southeast connection, raising a first or second institutional round, with a founding team the firm can back through the hardest early years.