Greetings!
Earlier this month, Touchdown opened our Chicago office, the first new location for the firm since we began our business in 2014. Complementing our coastal presence in key venture capital markets like the Bay Area, the mid-Atlantic, and Southern California, our Chicago office shows our commitment to our midwestern corporate partners and to building the greatest set of capabilities for our "corporate venture capital as a service" model. If you are in Chicago, please make arrangements to stop in and see our team!
As we continue to expand, please contact us with any opportunities you think would make sense, especially recruiting referrals.
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Touchdown's Chicago Office |
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We opened our Chicago office in the River North neighborhood with a small gathering of friends including some of Touchdown's corporate partners, institutional and corporate venture capitalists, and outstanding entrepreneurs.
We've been working in the midwest since founding the firm in 2014, because our first corporate partner was based in Chicago. Establishing a local presence with four full-time investors reflects our belief in the important economic role played by corporations, investors, and startups in the middle of the country.
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Corporate Partner Spotlight |
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T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) is a leading provider of wireless connectivity, covering 330 million people today with its nationwide 5G network. T-Mobile, otherwise known as the “Un-carrier,” is famous for its innovation and disruption of the traditional carrier business model, commitment to customer experience, and solving customer pain points. In addition to delivering wireless connectivity, T-Mobile provides consumer solutions such as online banking and 5G Home Internet, serves businesses with IoT and security solutions, and engages the developer community via its DevEdge platform.
T-Mobile Ventures established Fund I in 2020 and recently announced Fund II in September 2023. Fund II invests in consumer and B2B companies with products and services that align to T-Mobile’s strategic growth areas and where companies can benefit from T-Mobile’s 5G network, sales, and marketing capabilities. T-Mobile Ventures’ Fund II is targeting mid to growth-stage companies with a focus on the U.S. market.
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Home renovation software platform for real estate agents and homeowners
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A.I. contract management and analysis platform |
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Investment platform for single family rental properties
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No-code analytics engine for healthcare
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We gathered in early October for Touchdown's annual in-person offsite retreat with our entire team. Bringing our company together is always our favorite part of the year, and we made the most of our time together with a pickleball tournament, basketball, hiking, wine tasting, giant slingshot cornhole, game shows, a poker tournament, and much more. We always emphasize the power of teams in entrepreneurship and venture capital, and our offsite fun and training inspired us to continue helping corporations and startups work successfully together.
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Prior to Touchdown, Anthony Doe worked as an engineer at Lockheed Martin. His interest in venture capital grew as he progressed through HBCUvc's program in 2023. Anthony graduated with a B.S. in aerospace engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, where he participated in the National Society of Black Engineers on campus and Austin's startup ecosystem.
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Prior to Touchdown Ventures, Doreen Xu spent eight years as an investment banker, private equity investor, and a growth equity investor at Crescent Cove.
Doreen graduated magna cum laude and with High Honors from Harvard University with an AB in Economics and East Asian Studies.
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Randy Clouser joins Touchdown with over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, including a 23-year executive leadership tenure at Zurich Insurance Group in Switzerland and North America. Randy earned an M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. from American University. He has previously served on the Boards of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York and Ronald McDonald House of New York.
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Check out the job listings of our corporate partner portfolio companies here. Please forward our newsletter or career page to anyone you think would be a good fit.
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Our blog on best practices for corporate innovation, venture capital, and entrepreneurship lives on Medium, and some of our team members also contribute to Forbes, TechCrunch, NACD, and the VC Journal.
Here are a few of our recent articles:
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An analysis by industry sector and geography of which of the largest U.S. corporations on the 2023 Fortune 500 list have made at least two startup investments over the last two years |
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Just as corporate boards include independent directors, corporate venture capital investment committees can benefit from outside expertise to evaluate startup deals |
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Best practices for corporate venture capital investment committees to facilitate agile and low drama decision-making at each stage of the startup evaluation process |
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Here's some of our latest news, which we also share on LinkedIn:
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Touchdown President Scott Lenet participated in KPMG's "Tech and Innovation Symposium" and spoke about how corporations and startups can cooperate for mutual benefit
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Touchdown CEO David Horowitz shared his views on the outlook for venture capital investing in early and growth stage companies on the EisnerAmper Podcast
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Unless otherwise indicated, commentary herein reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints and analyses of the authors and should not be regarded as a description of services provided by Touchdown or its affiliates. The opinions expressed here are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual on any security or advisory service. It is only intended to provide education about the financial industry. The views reflected in the commentary are subject to change at any time without notice. While all information presented, including from independent sources, is believed to be accurate, we make no representation or warranty as to accuracy or completeness. We reserve the right to change any part of these materials without notice and assume no obligation to provide updates. Nothing herein constitutes investment advice, performance data or a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Investing involves the risk of loss of some or all of an investment. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. |
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