Lakewest Venture Partners

Lakewest Venture Partners was founded in 2013 and has invested in over 50 early-stage companies across the United States.

Lakewest Venture Partners is an affiliate of Lakewest, Inc., a real estate and private equity company located in Chicago. It is led by Buzz Ruttenberg, David Mann, and Jonathan McCulloch and was formed in 2013 to pursue seed and early-stage investment opportunities primarily in Chicago. In its first several years, Lakewest's investments and participation in companies ranged from passive interest at $50,000-$100,000 to lead seed stage investments in excess of $1,000,000 with board involvement. In 2015, Lakewest partnered with Dundee Venture Capital to make lead seed stage investments in high-growth, early-stage technology companies across the Midwest.

Today, Lakewest continues to broadly invest in early-stage opportunities and in funds run by elite managers with diversified strategies.

Our founders' long history of business, civic work, and entrepreneurship in Chicago allows us to provide the entrepreneurs we support with connections to an extensive network. Our own entrepreneurial roots in real estate and private equity also gives us the ability to provide these entrepreneurs with strategic mentorship, insights and views from a unique perspective.