About HPA HPA is a leading early stage investor. Our People First model leverages world-class operating expertise, a powerful business network, and venture capital to fuel startup success. As a result, our founders transform their businesses into industry leaders, our investors generate best in class returns, and our community experiences job creation and economic growth. […]
Congrats to HPA Member Bill Watkins for being announced as the new CRO at Pinterest! Bill most recently was responsible for the Mid Market & Small Business Sales teams across North America, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC. His career involves nearly two decades in the technology sector, with a focus on digital media. In 2014, Bill […]
HPA Member Kayne Grau was announced as the new CEO of Uptake. He was appointed in the role after joining as President last year.
Congratulations to HPA Member Amanda Lannert for being inducted into the Chicago Innovation Hall of Fame! As the CEO of Jellyvision, Amanda has been a key figure in driving the company since its founding in 2001. Under her leadership, Jellyvision has become one of Chicago’s fastest growing tech companies. Additionally, Amanda continues to provide thoughtful […]
Congratulations to HPA Member Jason VandeBoom for being recognized as the EY 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year! As the Founder & CEO of ActiveCampaign, Jason embodies EY’s “human spirit of unstoppable ambition”. This award highlights ActiveCampaign, a leader in customer experience automation, and the accomplishments made in the past year toward transforming the way businesses […]
WayUp, a sourcing platform for diverse candidates, is merging with Yello, a Chicago HR tech firm. Congrats to HPA Member Corey Ferengul, CEO of Yello, for this exciting announcement! “In addition to offering a powerhouse of data, recruiters will benefit from the automation opportunities of two solutions from a single company,” said Corey. The two […]
Congrats to HPA Member Dr. Cheryl Rucker-Whitaker for being added to the Board of Directors at Equality Health! “Dr. Rucker-Whitaker has spent the past two decades working to eliminate health disparities by creating and implementing solutions that help close the health disparities gap. In 2013, she was a co-founder of Chicago-based NextLevel Health, an African […]
Congrats to HPA Member Hardik Bhatt for joining SDI Presence as President and Chief Growth Officer! Most recently, Hardik led Amazon Web Services (AWS)’ public sector startup business, launching startup accelerators and incubators globally. Prior to AWS, Bhatt was the State CIO for the State of Illinois where he built the State’s first $1.2 billion […]
First and foremost, as an organization, HPA stands with the Black community and supports the pursuit of justice and equality for all. We speak out against the racism and social injustices in our society, and show our support that #BlackLivesMatter. Our nation has watched the recent acts of racism unfold with the murders of George […]
When the Hyde Park Angels Board of Directors and Pete Wilkins made the decision to start a Managing Director transition plan, we certainly did not anticipate a global pandemic. HPA, and the portfolio, were both in a great position, especially as we were coming off an incredible year. In 2019, we invested a record $17.4 […]
