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Karin O’Connor Named Venture Partner with Serra Ventures


Champaign, IL; Chicago, IL – WEBWIRE

Champaign, IL, April 13, 2017  -- Serra Ventures, a Champaign-based venture capital firm, announced the addition of Karin O’Connor as a Venture Partner to the firm. With Karin’s addition, Serra is expanding its presence in the Chicago market where it has nine portfolio companies. Karin O’Connor is the founder of Chicago-based Perimeter Advisors, an advisory firm that assists owners of promising mid-market companies with planning and execution of value enhancement strategies. She is also an active investor in and advisor to early and growth-stage companies and entrepreneurs.

“I could not be happier to have Karin join our team,” said Dennis Beard, Managing Partner with Serra Ventures. “We have worked informally with Karin for several years and have appreciated her high degree of professionalism and knowledge related to technology investing.”
 
“With over twenty years in the investment business, I truly believe that the Midwest is home to some of the most innovative technologies and savviest company-builders around.” Says O’Connor.  “Serra Ventures has proven its ability to identify great opportunities early and help its companies succeed with strong support and experienced advice. I’m excited to be part of the team and look forward to working with the next group of success stories.”
 
About Serra Ventures

Serra Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm investing in technology companies in emerging Midwest technology centers and selected other geographies. Sectors of focus include information technology, devices/instrumentation and agricultural technologies. The profile of an ideal startup is one that has just finished an accelerator program, an I-Corps program or has been through a round of seed funding to establish and prove a strong product-market fit. 

Serra Ventures is headquartered in the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign, Illinois. Champaign’s central Midwest location enables Serra to act local in several Midwest markets. Entrepreneurs know that critical business issues requiring advice are rarely scheduled. Serra’s central location means hands-on work with entrepreneurs at a moment’s notice when they need it the most. For more information, visit www.serraventures.com.

More About Karin O’Connor

Karin recently joined the faculty of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and teaches the school’s “New Venture Launch” and “Growth Strategy Practicum” courses. She also serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of  Illinois Research Park, where she provides advice, counsel, and training to start-up companies and prospective technology entrepreneurs, including University faculty and students.
 
Since beginning her career in corporate banking in the 1980’s, Karin has invested in and advised entrepreneurs in a variety of industries that includes financial services, business services, software, technology distribution, health care, manufacturing, and consumer services.  She has invested at all levels of the capital structure—from senior debt to mezzanine, venture leasing, and equity—and in companies ranging from early stage to mature. From 2011 until 2014, Karin served as Managing Director of Hyde Park Angles, Chicago’s largest angel investor network and invested in fifteen early-stage deals. 
 



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 Venture Capital
 High Technology
 Midwest
 Venture Partner
 University of Illinois


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