Green Bay Packers and Microsoft-backed venture capital firm continues investing in founders solving problems in industries core to Midwest
GREEN BAY, Wis. (July 24, 2023) – TitletownTech, a venture capital firm formed out of a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, successfully closed its second fund of $70 million from 27 new and existing investors, including the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft. Launched in 2019, TitletownTech now has $95 million in assets under management.
TitletownTech’s combined Fund I and Fund II corporate investor base highlights expertise across individual domains and TitletownTech’s industries of investment in areas core to the Midwest: sports, media, & entertainment; health & wellness; agriculture, water, & environment; manufacturing & construction; supply chain & logistics; and cross-industry technologies. The firm’s corporate investors offer TitletownTech portfolio companies unique opportunities for market feedback, potential pilots, and partnerships.
“More than doubling the size of our first fund demonstrates the trust and confidence our investors have in the strength of our team and portfolio,” said TitletownTech Managing Director Craig Dickman. “With new and existing investors working alongside us, we are uniquely positioned to support founders and portfolio companies.”
“Through TitletownTech, we’ve learned that entrepreneurship is a team sport, which is why we’re pleased to continue supporting entrepreneurs and inspiring others to embrace innovation,” said Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy. “We think TitletownTech has the potential to be one of the most impactful things we do for the organization, community, and beyond.”
“When we teamed up with the Packers five years ago to bring more entrepreneurship and opportunity to Green Bay, we were tapping into a long legacy of innovation in Wisconsin and across the Midwest,” said Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft. “Today, this winning formula is gaining momentum with new startups, new talent, and another round of funding.”
Located in the heart of Titletown across from historic Lambeau Field, TitletownTech was launched to catalyze a network of champions to support startup founders and their teams. With engaged corporate investors, in-residence partners, industry advisors, higher education, and a dedicated core team, TitletownTech is unlocking the potential of disruptive ideas.
TitletownTech invests in early-stage companies like Synthetaic, a Wisconsin-based startup building revolutionary AI that can create computer vision models without the need for human-labeled datasets. Most recently, Synthetaic was featured in the New York Times for its work tracking the Chinese balloon via geospatial data. TitletownTech is also invested in Demiplane, a company born inside its walls, that created the de facto toolset for tabletop role-playing games for well-known brands like Pathfinder, Paizo, Marvel, and Nickelodeon; Fork Farms, whose product, the Flex Farm, is the most efficient hydroponic farming system, built entirely in Wisconsin and with customers across the US and several countries; and StatusPRO, a sports technology company that developed the first major league-licensed VR title: NFL PRO ERA.
“Starting a successful company, much like leading a National Geographic exploration, takes a lot more than a good idea and funding. It also requires a local critical mass of talent, partnerships, and energy,” said Synthetaic CEO and Founder Corey Jaskolski. “TitletownTech is a unique focal point that brings all these pieces together and has been key to Synthetaic's success to date.”
Under the leadership of Managing Directors Craig Dickman and Jill Enos along with Partner Cordero Barkley, TitletownTech has invested in more than 30 companies, with three relocating to Green Bay and several working in residence at TitletownTech. Notably, the majority of its Fund I portfolio companies are led by first-time founders and more than 50% have gone on to raise additional capital. The current portfolio is comprised of startups from across the country, with the majority based in Wisconsin and the Midwest.
TitletownTech is already deploying capital from its second fund and is actively reviewing investment opportunities.