Capitalize VC

General contacts
Investor type

VC

Founded

2021

AUM

-

Location

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Investment Ticket

$0-1 m

Investment Stage

Pre-seed Seed

Region of investment

North America

ESG Focus

Impact investor People of color and other minorities
Investor profile last updated: 16 August, 2026

Profile

Capitalize VC is a venture capital firm based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2021. The firm focuses on investing in pre-seed and seed stage companies, particularly in the commerce-enablement tech sector. The team is composed of 14 professionals, including partners Ariel Segal Eck and Frank Grande. Capitalize VC distinguishes itself by supporting under-represented founders, especially Black and Latinx entrepreneurs, with a commitment to racial equity.

The firm invests in sectors such as e-commerce, fintech, consumer products, and AI, with a typical check size ranging from $100K to $200K. Capitalize VC primarily targets investments in the United States, focusing on early-stage companies that are innovating in the commerce and creator economy. The firm does not lead investment rounds but collaborates with other investors to support its portfolio companies.

Notable investments by Capitalize VC include companies like Vow App - a business productivity software, Atronous - a business productivity software, and Omega 3 - a food products company. These investments reflect the firm's focus on supporting innovative solutions in various industries, particularly those that enhance commerce and consumer engagement.

Industry

Consumer Products E-commerce/Marketplace Fintech Foodtech Software AI HealthTech Logistics

Contacts

Name
Title
Email
Social Networks
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Tessa Flippin Managing Partner
Managing Partner
t•••@•••
LinkedIn
avatar
Vanessa Stephens Venture Partner
Venture Partner
v•••@•••
LinkedIn
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Investment-team contacts for Capitalize VC — including verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — are available to Private Equity List subscribers.
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FAQs about Capitalize VC

Capitalize VC is a venture capital firm. It backs companies at Pre-seed and Seed, writing tickets of $0-1 m.
Capitalize VC is located in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Capitalize VC was founded in 2021.
Capitalize VC invests in companies and startups in Consumer Products, E-commerce/Marketplace, Fintech, Foodtech, Software, AI, HealthTech, Logistics.
Capitalize VC invests in companies and startups in North America.
Capitalize VC invests in companies and startups at Pre-seed, Seed.
Capitalize VC usually invests $0-1 m on average.
Capitalize VC invests and supports People of color and other minorities startups and founders.
Yes, Capitalize VC is impact investor.
Capitalize VC can be reached through its website capitalizevc.com, its LinkedIn page and its X account. Cold-mailing a general inbox rarely reaches a partner, so Private Equity List also lists the investment-team contacts for Capitalize VC — names, roles, verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — available on a Pro plan from $129/month (see pricing). Contacts are sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn and re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.
Yes. Every field on this page — profile, funds, investment criteria, portfolio and investment-team contacts — is available programmatically through the Private Equity List REST API and MCP server, so AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT can query Capitalize VC directly instead of scraping this page. One subscription covers both the web app and machine access — see API & MCP.
Private Equity List re-verifies investor profiles on a rolling cycle, pulling from the firm's own website and LinkedIn rather than a one-off import. This profile was last updated on 16 August, 2026. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.