Hyde Park Venture Partners
Hyde Park Venture Partners is a Chicago-based early-stage venture capital firm managing approximately $320M across five funds, investing in AI, software, and tech-enabled services startups at pre-seed through Series A from the Midwest, Toronto, and Southeast US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hyde Park Venture Partners does
Hyde Park Venture Partners (HPVP) is a Chicago-based early-stage venture capital fund manager founded in 2011/2012 that invests in AI, software, and tech-enabled services startups from idea stage through $2M in revenue, targeting first or second institutional rounds (pre-seed through early Series A). The firm concentrates its thesis geographically on founders with connections to the Midwest, Toronto, and the Southeast US, claiming visibility into more than 90% of mid-continent startups. HPVP manages approximately $320M in assets under management across five fund vehicles: Fund I ($25M, 2012), Fund II ($65M, 2015), Fund III ($100M, December 2019), an Opportunity Fund ($30M, 2021), and Fund IV ($98M, May 2024). The firm has invested in 50+ active portfolio companies and realized 20+ exits including VNDLY ($510M acquisition by Workday), Tock ($400M+ acquisition by Squarespace), Pear Deck, FairX, Hubdoc, BaseCRM, and ParkWhiz.
HPVP operates with a team of approximately 10 professionals including managing partners, vice presidents, a talent partner, an investor, and a CFO/Partner, led by co-founders Guy Turner and Ira Weiss alongside managing partner Greg Barnes. Revenue is generated through standard venture fund economics: recurring management fees on committed and invested capital across the five fund vehicles, plus performance-based carried interest from portfolio exits. The firm's go-to-market is a hybrid direct-and-network model: founders submit inbound via the website and partner emails, while the investment team proactively sources through accelerator lists, conference attendee lists, media coverage, and warm introductions from co-investors and portfolio founders. Distribution channels include content marketing through the HPVP Perspectives blog, an email newsletter, LinkedIn presence, events and webinars, and earned media coverage.
The firm's competitive positioning rests on three pillars: a focused geographic thesis in an undercapitalized market, an institutional LP base anchored by state-affiliated and foundation investors (Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund, RK Mellon Foundation, Renaissance Venture Capital), and dedicated operational support via a Talent Partner and value-add services. HPVP has been recognized as #9 of 200+ firms on the Founder's Choice VC Leaderboard (February 2023) and named to Fortune's America's Most Innovative Companies 2023. Internally, the firm uses AI tooling (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity) and a custom-built Model Context Protocol integration connecting Claude AI to its Affinity CRM to streamline deal sourcing and CRM workflows, though its core business remains capital deployment rather than AI product development.
Hyde Park Venture Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Legal name
- Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Website
- https://hydeparkvp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hyde Park Venture Partners is a Chicago-based early-stage venture capital firm managing approximately $320M across five funds, investing in AI, software, and tech-enabled services startups at pre-seed through Series A from the Midwest, Toronto, and Southeast US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hyde Park Venture Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ)
Keywords
Where Hyde Park Venture Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hyde Park Venture Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture Fund Management Fees: Recurring management fees on $320M+ assets under management across Fund I ($25M, 2012), Fund II ($65M, 2015), Fund III ($100M, 2019), Opportunity Fund ($30M, 2021), and Fund IV ($98M, 2024). Standard VC fund economics.
- Carried Interest from Portfolio Exits: Performance-based carried interest from successful portfolio exits including VNDLY (Workday, $510M), Tock (Squarespace, $400M+), Pear Deck (GoGuardian), FairX (Coinbase), Hubdoc (Xero), BaseCRM (Zendesk), ParkWhiz (FlashParking), and others.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Investment size: pre-seed through early Series A, targeting startups from idea stage to $2M in revenue raising first or second institutional round |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hyde Park Venture Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hyde Park Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital fund manager that invests pre-seed through early Series A in AI, software, and tech-enabled services startups from idea stage to $2M in revenue. The firm concentrates on founders connected to the Midwest, Toronto, and the Southeast, deploying capital across five fund vehicles (Fund I through Fund IV plus an Opportunity Fund) totaling approximately $320M in assets under management, and providing portfolio support through talent networks, strategic guidance, and introductions to later-stage investors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HPVP Fund I The inaugural flagship early stage venture capital fund from Hyde Park Venture Partners, providing capital to Midwest and Toronto startups.
- HPVP Fund II The second flagship early stage venture capital fund from Hyde Park Venture Partners, providing continued early-stage capital to Midwest and Toronto startups.
- HPVP Fund III The third flagship early stage venture capital fund from Hyde Park Venture Partners, providing capital to software, B2B, marketplace, and consumer service business model startups.
- HPVP Opportunity Fund A $30M supplemental fund vehicle that supports follow-on and opportunistic investments in Hyde Park Venture Partners' existing portfolio.
- HPVP Fund IV The fourth flagship $98M early stage venture capital fund from Hyde Park Venture Partners, providing capital to pre-seed through early Series A startups with founders connected to the Midwest, Toronto, and the Southeast.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranking #9 of 200+ VC firms on Founder's Choice VC Leaderboard (Feb 2023)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hyde Park Venture Partners
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hyde Park Venture Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Hyde Park Venture Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- High AlphaminorIndianapolis-based venture studio in HPVP's portfolio ecosystem. Operates a venture studio model and is connected to HPVP's regional mid-continent network.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hyde Park Venture Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Drive Capital: Columbus, OH-based early- and growth-stage venture firm with a Midwest focus, investing in software and tech-enabled services. Directly comparable in geography and stage mandate, and a frequent competitor for the same mid-continent founders HPVP targets.
- M25: Chicago-based early-stage VC focused on tech startups in the Midwest. Co-invests with HPVP (e.g., Benji seed round) and competes for the same pre-seed/Seed AI and B2B software deals out of Chicago.
- Rev1 Ventures: Columbus, OH-based startup studio and early-stage investor with a Midwest mandate. Closely comparable in stage, geography, and mission of backing founders outside the major coastal hubs.
- gener8tor: Milwaukee/Chicago-based accelerator and early-stage investor running Midwest and Midwest-adjacent programs. Direct competitor for the same early-stage deal flow and frequently co-invests with HPVP.
- Lightbank: Chicago-based early-stage VC investing in seed through Series A software and consumer startups. Overlapping geography, stage, and thesis; competes for many of the same Midwest B2B SaaS founders.
- Chicago Ventures: Chicago-based early-stage VC investing in software and tech-enabled services founded in or connected to Chicago. Most directly comparable peer in terms of size, stage, and city-level focus.
Regional players
- Chrysalis Ventures: Louisville, KY-based early- and growth-stage investor focused on Kentucky and the broader Midwest/South. Comparable regional thesis and stage, but typically writes larger checks into later-stage Midwest companies.
- JumpStart Inc. Cleveland, OH-based early-stage venture development organization backing high-growth startups in Northeast Ohio. Comparable in mission (developing an undercapitalized regional ecosystem) though structured as a nonprofit/development finance hybrid.
- Detroit Venture Partners: Detroit-based early-stage VC and venture studio backing founders in Detroit and the broader Midwest. Comparable in regional thesis and stage, but with a more concentrated Detroit focus.
Others
- Cintrifuse: Cincinnati-based startup innovation hub and fund-of-funds/seed investor. HPVP's LPs include Cintrifuse Capital, and the two share the same mid-continent ecosystem thesis — Cintrifuse is a regional ecosystem participant more than a direct check-writing competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hyde Park Venture Partners social profiles
Digital presenceHyde Park Venture Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hyde Park Venture Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Hyde Park Venture Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hyde Park Venture Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments191 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hyde Park Venture Partners
What does Hyde Park Venture Partners do?
Hyde Park Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital fund manager that invests pre-seed through early Series A in AI, software, and tech-enabled services startups from idea stage to $2M in revenue. The firm concentrates on founders connected to the Midwest, Toronto, and the Southeast, deploying capital across five fund vehicles (Fund I through Fund IV plus an Opportunity Fund) totaling approximately $320M in assets under management, and providing portfolio support through talent networks, strategic guidance, and introductions to later-stage investors.
Is Hyde Park Venture Partners a public or private company?
Hyde Park Venture Partners is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Hyde Park Venture Partners founded?
Hyde Park Venture Partners was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hyde Park Venture Partners based?
Hyde Park Venture Partners is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hyde Park Venture Partners make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Venture Fund Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest from Portfolio Exits.
Who are Hyde Park Venture Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Drive Capital, M25, Rev1 Ventures, gener8tor, Lightbank and Chicago Ventures. Regional players are Chrysalis Ventures, JumpStart Inc. and Detroit Venture Partners. Cintrifuse is listed as an others.
Does Hyde Park Venture Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hyde Park Venture Partners.
What industry is Hyde Park Venture Partners in?
Hyde Park Venture Partners's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAJ, Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms. Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6282.