M25

Last week, we wrapped up another incredible #ClubM25 Summit! It’s always a blast to bring together our M25 founders and hundreds of top-tier investors from across the country. With nearly 1,000 double-opt-in meetings over the course of two days, the connections and opportunities created were nothing short of remarkable. 🎉 Every year, the #ClubM25 Summit is one of the Midwest’s biggest VC gatherings. This year it was held right in the heart of Chicago, alongside Millennium Park and Lake Michigan. The highlights? A rooftop happy hour, a ping-pong-packed afterparty and closing out at Big Mini Putt Club on Thursday night. Oh, and did we mention the founder and investor dinners? 🍽️ #InvestintheMidwest A huge shoutout to our amazing sponsors—Banc of California, Gunderson Dettmer, Insperity, JobsOhio and Pasquesi Partners LLC—for making this event a huge success! Victor Gutwein Mike Asem Abhinaya Konduru Leandro Bedolla Katie Birge Arianna Thornton Sam Cavender, CPA Ruth Brungard

“As someone who has long thought about the unique nuances of student-athletes and collegiate athletics — dating back to my own undergraduate studies — I was really excited by the vision Cara shared with our team around unlocking potential that, until recently, was constrained by the NCAA,” said Mike Asem, Founding Partner. “Cara clearly has a unique insight into the challenges and a deep understanding of the opportunities NIL brings, beyond just brand deals and marketing. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Cara and the growing Top Tier Lessons team.” Learn more about why we invested in Champaign-based Top Tier Lessons on the blog! #InvestintheMidwest #ClubM25 https://lnkd.in/gBmqtxeh

We launched a brand-new hotel booking platform and partnership at @hotel today. It's the result of everything my team and I have learned over the past 2 years about how to lower the cost of hotels for travelers. Quick context: most people don’t realize that nearly half of the revenue generated from hotel bookings goes to advertising. Think about it— billions on Google Ads, Super Bowl commercials—that stuff doesn’t come cheap. And even if you try booking directly with the hotel, it won’t help. They’re locked into contracts that keep prices the same as every other public site. So, we built a different model… With 4 billion monthly organic views and over 75 million followers across 100+ leading Instagram destination accounts, we’ve created a marketing engine that lets us reach high-intent travelers while spending zero on ads. And since all our traffic comes from social media accounts, we can offer “private rates” and pass the savings straight to you. $0 CAC (customer acquisition cost) in an industry where CAC has killed every other startup? Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. But here’s the thing: breaking into a trillion dollar industry that’s been around forever—full of outdated contracts and legacy tech—takes more than just cutting prices and costs. We had to figure out how to give travelers the best real-time pricing and seamless booking experience across hundreds of thousands of hotels. That takes a lot of time and resources to get perfect. That’s why today we announced our partnership with Hopper. We’re taking our unmatched social commerce capabilities and combining it with their innovative technology and hotel contracts. Together, we’re building social commerce features alongside hotel rates that you won’t find anywhere else—prices that are exclusive to our network of social media channels. Want to check out our new and improved booking platform? Head over to @hotel on Instagram and click the link in our bio. We’re ready to help you book more Instagrammable stays—while saving you a ton of money in the process. https://lnkd.in/eE_-4kH4

🐾 Introducing Return Buddy – Your Loyal Companion for B2B Returns Made Easy! 🐕 We’re thrilled to introduce Return Buddy, the official mascot of Continuum, and your new best friend in the world of returns management. 🐕 Handling returns, warranties, and repairs isn’t always exciting, but Buddy is here to make it more engaging and to support you along the way. Here’s how Return Buddy brings value to your day: 🔹 Brightens Enterprise Software Returns can be a chore, but Buddy is here to bring a little joy to your workday. As you manage returns inside our platform, Buddy helps by "retrieving" the data you need from your ERP, syncing information quickly and efficiently. Think of him as your friendly, tech-savvy sidekick! 🔹 A Customer Service Team's Best Friend At Continuum, we believe our customers are the real heroes, keeping the wholesale distribution supply chain running smoothly. And like every hero needs a sidekick, Return Buddy is here to help make your B2B returns faster, easier, and more efficient, from processing returns to connecting multiple systems. 🔹 Embodies Continuum’s Core Values At Continuum, our mission to create a seamlessly connected supply chain is powered by five core values. Return Buddy, as the face of our company, embodies these values in everything he does! We hope Return Buddy brings a smile to your face and helps you get the job done faster and better, while embodying the same loyalty and dependability your team deserves. Ready to meet Return Buddy and learn more about how he’s transforming the way you manage returns? 🐕👇 Read the full story here 👉 https://bit.ly/3NePuCW #B2BReturnsMadeEasy #ReturnBuddy #ReturnsManagement #SupplyChainInnovation #CustomerExperience #ContinuumAI #WholesaleDistribution #Distirbutors #Manufacturers

What a great evening in Nebraska! Victor Gutwein was in Omaha where he reconnected with #ClubM25 founders and investors from across the Cornhusker State at our M25 & Friends Happy Hour. 🌽 Huge thanks to our sponsors at Customers Bank for helping us create such a corn-erstone event at Millwork Commons! 🍻

Where was Victor Gutwein this week? He headed to the Peace Garden State for the #PrairieCapitalSummit2024, hosted by the team at Emerging Prairie! 🦬 Before the summit kicked off in Fargo, Victor stopped by the Startup/Investor Meetup on Monday night, hearing from Kodee Furst, Director at 50 South Capital, and Jake Joraanstad, Co-Founder & CEO of Bushel. And of course, a few familiar #ClubM25 faces made an appearance: Pavewise’s Bryce & Brittany W. and Chipp’s Scott Meyer!

#MidwestMadness2024 was a success! After Bloomington, IN's victories in 2021 and 2023, and Columbia, MO's win in 2022, this year's competition saw State College, PA, clinch the title in a dramatic finish, beating Fargo, ND in the final minutes by 53 votes. To celebrate the win, our team joined forces with the Nittany Entrepreneur Society to host a celebration in State College last week, bringing together the local ecosystem. Along with #MidwestStartups glory, our winners received a framed trophy to commemorate the occasion. We're excited to see who will emerge as the Midwest Madness Champion in 2025! For more details, check out the blog: https://lnkd.in/gcSZX4nf

It's that time of year! The M25 team is wrapping up another busy week, and we've covered a lot of ground across the region. 🌎 🗺️ Victor Gutwein headed up to Milwaukee for the NVNG Investment Advisors, LLC's #VentureNorth2024 along with #ClubM25's Alex Witcpalek, CEO & Founder of Continuum AI. 🗺️ Mike Asem was in Pittsburgh attending the AI & Robotics Venture Fair hosted by the team at Innovation Works and Carnegie Mellon University. 🗺️ Fresh from Sioux Falls earlier in the week, Abhinaya Konduru sat down for a fireside chat with Startup Grind during the 2024 Chicago AI and FinTech Showcase. 🗺️ Leandro Bedolla attended the LaFamilia Foundation's (VCFamilia + FounderFamilia) Chicago Hispanic Heritage Month Celebración and lent his expertise as he mentored for the Techstars Chicago Powered by J.P. Morgan class. 🗺️ And out at the gateway to the Midwest, Katie Birge, Ruth Brungard and Mike Asem are gearing up for the Midwest Startups #MidwestMadness2024 Championship Celebration in State College, PA!

BIG NEWS: We are excited to announce Grace Hill has acquired Realync! Grace Hill, an innovator of talent and customer management solutions for commercial and multifamily real estate, announced today that it has acquired Realync to strengthen its offering and meet the growing industry demand for virtual solutions. Grace Hill and Realync share a common mission: to enhance on-site performance for customers. By combining Grace Hill's comprehensive suite of policy, training, and assessment solutions with Realync's virtual, video, and 360-degree technology, the combination is a strategic fit for analyzing and improving property performance. Read more about the news: https://lnkd.in/gfyxipeQ

The wait is over! We’re thrilled to officially launch Offset—a new, game-changing model that lets you, well, offset the cost of your returns program 🚀 As the costs of returns and reverse logistics continue to rise, more merchants are turning to return fees to recover these expenses. In fact, over 60% of merchants charge return fees today and 70% of shoppers agree they're willing to pay for a premium return experience. So, enter Offset—where you can fully cover the cost of Loop’s industry-leading software and return shipping, including Return Bars®, all at zero cost to your brand 🤩 Join early adopters including Mac Duggal, TA3, Grant Stone, and more who are using Offset to cover return costs ahead of peak season! These beta merchants are already seeing an increase in net average order values by nearly 10% while keeping return rates steady 🤯 Plus, over 80% of shoppers are opting in for that peace-of-mind with free returns through Offset 🙌 Learn about Offset Free & Offset Flex and how you can cover costs, enhance customer experiences, and reduce returns abuse now! 👇 https://bit.ly/3U3LHwr