RESOURCES
Job Postings
Firm Overview
NextGen Growth Partners (NGP) is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on lower middle market essential services businesses. Founded in 2016, NGP operates a distinctive talent-first model that pairs exceptional CEOs-in-Residence (CIRs) with a disciplined investment process to identify, acquire, and grow enduring companies. Now investing from Fund III ($165M hard cap), NGP continues to build a repeatable proprietary sourcing engine to support its expanding platform.
Application
Learn more and apply at: https://nextgengp.com/career-listing/?gh_jid=7636128003
Decasonic is the venture and digital assets fund building Web3 and AI innovation. We draw on our decades of experience as both tech investors and operators to help founders accelerate product market fit and scale growth in blockchain and AI.
Job Description
Implementing AI-native workflows across the investment team to enhance deal sourcing, research, due diligence, and execution
Designing and deploying internal LLM tools that improve investment decision-making and streamline firm-wide execution
Supporting development of our databases and knowledge repositories to capture and scale proprietary insights for AI workflows
Partnering with investment, data and operations teams to build real-time dashboards tracking token milestones, deal pipeline, and portfolio health
Deploying AI-enabled processes to automate portfolio reporting, OKR tracking, and internal communications
Monitoring emerging AI and blockchain infrastructure trends for use in investment research and founder advisory
Supporting Web3 x AI portfolio companies with GPT prompt libraries, agentic workflows, and AI-native product features
Collaborating with marketing to scale content production and digital presence through AI-assisted tooling
Click HERE to see full posting.
Please contact Rizza@decasonic.com
7wire Ventures is looking for a Principal (ideally based in Chicago). This role is ideal for someone who is excited to take on increasing responsibility across the full investment lifecycle while working closely with our partners and portfolio companies. The Principal will be deeply involved in sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities, leading diligence, supporting portfolio companies post-investment, and contributing to our broader platform and LP relationships.
We’re looking for someone who brings strong judgment, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine passion for healthcare innovation. The ideal candidate has experience in venture capital, growth equity, or a related role within healthcare, along with a strong understanding of digital health, healthcare services, or healthcare-enabled technology. This is a hands-on, collaborative role with meaningful exposure and the opportunity to grow within the firm.
Please contact tiffany@7wireventures.com
Sr. Accountant
We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Senior Accountant to join our small, entrepreneurial finance team. This individual contributor role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced venture environment, is highly skilled in Excel and GAAP, and can work independently with minimal supervision. The Senior Accountant will manage day-to-day accounting, prepare quarterly financials for internal funds, support corporate and fund reporting, and ensure accuracy and compliance across financial records, audits, valuations, and tax matters.
This role also offers significant growth potential, with the opportunity to expand responsibilities across fund management, investor reporting, and financial strategy as the firm continues to scale. Candidates who bring curiosity about leveraging AI tools in accounting and finance will be especially well positioned to grow with the team.
Click HERE to see full posting
IVCA Newsletters
About Investing in Private Companies
VENTURE CAPITAL
Venture capital is money provided by outside investors for financing new, growing, or struggling businesses. Such investments are generally high risk, but offer the potential for above-average returns.

The influence of such investment extends beyond financial contribution. Many venture capitalists are highly active within their individual firms, aiding in the development of new products and services. By bringing experience, expertise, and business savvy to these enterprises, VCs can significantly influence corporate investment decisions and thus the area's economy.
PRIVATE EQUITY
Private equity serves a variety of purposes, and companies are frequently rejuvenated when acquired or funded by such a firm.
Buyouts fund an investor's purchase of full control of a business. This may involve (a) purchasing the majority of stock in a private division of a parent company when the parent divests it or (b) buying majority stock in a private company along with its management team in a management buyout. When buyout funding is supplemented by additional money borrowed from lenders, it is referred to as a leveraged buyout.
Acquisition financing involves the use of private equity capital for consolidating an industry segment through the purchase of other companies.
Turnaround financing refers to capital invested in a company that is bankrupt or otherwise non-performing. With turnaround financing, a party with capital and management expertise acquires the business to improve its operations.
Statistics and examples highlighting the value of other private equity are outlined below:
- Since January 2002, Illinois companies have raised $4.2 billion in non-venture private equity. Illinois-based funds manage $57 billion of other private equity assets.
- Willis Stein & Partners, a Chicago private equity firm, acquired Jay's Potato Chips out of bankruptcy in March 2004. By March 2005, revenue trends were positive, the company had introduced several new products, and 400 jobs were saved.
PRIVATE EQUITY IS A MAJOR INDUSTRY IN ITS OWN RIGHT
Apart from the impact of their portfolio companies, private equity firms represent a major business sector of Illinois.
Illinois is the headquarters for more than 100 private equity firms that manage funds totaling $77 billion, of which $65 billion is directly invested in companies and $12 billion is managed by funds-of-funds, which invest directly in private equity firms. Of the directly invested funds, $8 billion is venture capital and $57 billion is other private equity.
Over the past twenty years, private equity investment generated average annual returns of 13.7%. According to that rate, Illinois-based funds produce an estimated $6 billion in average annual returns to investors. These investors are primarily pensions, universities, and foundations, which reveals the vital role private equity plays in providing income for retirement, higher education, research, and charitable giving.
Private equity firms are large supporters of Illinois' professional services sector, including legal, accounting, and consulting services. Based on an IVCA member survey, Illinois private equity firms pay service providers an annual average of about $1.7 million each, or $168 million in yearly total revenue.
The preceding numbers exclude private equity firms headquartered or with funds managed outside of Illinois. IVCA estimates that another 200 private equity firms operate in Illinois, including branches of out-of-state firms and firms that serve as advisors or brokers for funds that they do not manage.
Research / White Papers
Lockton - Insurance
Following IVCA’s recent insurance webinars on April 4 and April 11, 2026, Lockton has shared an insurance market intelligence resource for IVCA members at:
BDO US LLP - Accounting, Tax, Advisory
BDO PRivate EQuity PErspectiveS podcast- March 13, 2026
Lessons Learned, Exits Reimagined: PE's 2026 Playbook - Part B
Andersen - Tax advisory, valuation and financial consulting
In today’s deal environment, most private equity investors are well-versed in identifying financial, tax, and legal risks—but unclaimed property often remains a blind spot. Unclaimed property generally refers to intangible assets – such as unclaimed checks, customer credits, or unredeemed gift cards – that a company holds on behalf of others and is required by state law to report and remit after a defined period of inactivity. Because unclaimed property represents a significant and recurring source of state revenue – and is often governed by strict record-keeping and reporting rules – states have made enforcement a priority. As a result, unclaimed property routinely attracts aggressive audits and inquiries, and overlooked exposures tied to ordinary balance‑sheet items can emerge late in a transaction, materially affecting purchase price, indemnities, and post‑close obligations for both buyers and sellers.
This article highlights why unclaimed property poses frequent and often underestimated transaction risk. It summarizes the legal framework and enforcement environment driving state scrutiny, explains how unclaimed property liabilities arise and transfer in M&A transactions, and outlines practical diligence and mitigation strategies for buyers and sellers to manage exposure and avoid deal‑stage surprises.
Read the full article HERE!
Venture Capital Definitions
Early Stage Financing
Expansion/Growth Stage
Acquisition/Buyout
Seed Stage Financing
At this stage, a relatively small amount of capital is made available in order to support an investor or entrepreneur in proving a concept and qualifying for start-up capital. This may involve product development and market research as well as building a management team and developing a business plan if the initial steps are successful. Seed stage financing is pre-marketing stage.
Start-up Financing
This stage involves financing companies that are completing development, and may include initial marketing efforts. Companies may be in the process of organizing or may have been in business for one year or less, but have not sold their products commercially. Usually, such firms will have conducted market studies, assembled key management, developed a business plan, and prepared to begin conducting business.
Other Early Stage Financing
Other early stage financing includes an increase in valuation, total size, and per-share price for companies whose products are either in development or commercially unavailable. This stage involves the first round of financing following a company's start-up phase and involves an institutional venture capital fund. Seed and start-up financing tend to involve angel investors more than institutional investors. The networking capabilities of the venture capitalist are used more here than in advanced stages.
Expansion/Growth Stage Financing
This stage involves working capital for the initial expansion of a company that is producing, shipping, and has growing accounts receivable and inventories. It may or may not be showing a profit. Some of the uses of capital may include further plant expansion, marketing, working capital, or development of an improved product. More institutional investors are likely to be included along with investors from previous rounds. The venture capitalist's role in this stage evolves from a supportive role to a more strategic role.
Later Stage
Capital in this stage is provided for companies that have reached a fairly stable growth rate, that is, they are no longer growing as fast as the rates attained in the expansion stages. Again, these companies may or may not be profitable, but are more likely to be than in previous stages, and their financial characteristics include positive cash flow.
Bridge Financing
This stage applies to a company that plans to go public within six months to a year. Often, bridge financing is structured so that it can be repaid from the proceeds of a public underwriting. It can also involve restructuring of major stockholder positions through secondary transactions. Restructuring is undertaken if there are early investors who want to reduce or liquidate their positions, or if management has changed and the stockholdings of the former management, their relatives, and associates are bought out to relieve a potential oversupply when public.
Acquisition Financing
This stage provides funds to finance acquiring another company. Included in this category would be mezzanine financing using subordinated debt and bridge loans used to finance LBOs, acquisitions, and recapitalizations.
Management/Leveraged Buyout
These funds enable an operating management group to acquire a product line of a public or private company at any stage of development. Often, these companies are closely held and family owned. Management/leveraged buyouts usually involve revitalizing an operation, with entrepreneurial management acquiring a significant equity interest.
Turnaround
This stage involves financing provided to a company with the intention of improving performance at a time of operational or financial difficulty. This stage includes financing that involves restructuring equity.
Source: Thomson Venture Economics
Case Studies
The IVCA Private Equity Profiles is a continuing series of portraits of Illinois venture capital and private equity investments, spotlights companies that are emerging or proven successes. Each account furnishes information about the company and the private equity firm or firms that invested in it, illuminating the important role they play in nurturing the companies. To submit a case study for a Midwest company backed by an IVCA member firm download this form.