OCA Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on equity investments in companies with dramatic growth potential, primarily in technology and highly-scalable services businesses. OCA invests in many industries, with a preference for financial services and for-profit education. Over the last decade, OCA has invested three funds in over 30 companies. OCA is based in Chicago and has investments throughout the United States.
Philosophy
OCA Ventures is not just a source of capital-- it is a long-term
strategic partner. As a partner, we use our resources and experience to
assist on many dimensions, including capital markets, operations,
financial management, recruiting, and strategy. We are very active
board members, and to insure that each of our portfolio companies
receives the access and support it needs, we concentrate our time and
attention on a smaller group of companies per year, thereby generating
disproportionally high investment returns.
We share these core beliefs regarding:
Entrepreneurs:
We fundamentally back entrepreneurs and their teams and never intend to
run portfolio companies ourselves. We recognize that entrepreneurs are
a special breed with an unwavering level of commitment that should be
rewarded handsomely when a company is successful. While we obsessively
learn as much as we can about our companies’ markets, we expect the
entrepreneurs we back to be experts in their company’s area of focus.
Portfolio Companies:
Working side-by-side with management teams, our portfolio companies can
take advantage of rapidly changing market opportunities, overcome the
day-to-day challenges that confront entrepreneurs, achieve dramatic
growth and eventual liquidity.
Investment Team:
Venture capital is an apprenticeship business, and with this
philosophy, we have grown our investment team carefully and
methodically. Our goal is to have a team with exceptional
multidisciplinary capabilities; our investment team possesses
substantial technology, entrepreneurial, operational, financial and
transactional expertise. To continue our success, we must share a
passion for learning and must be devoted lifelong students.
Venture Capital:
Venture capital is a critical ingredient to the “innovation economy,”
which we believe is crucial to the United States’ global economic
competitiveness.
Investors: Our investors have
the opportunity to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns with a
general partnership that is emerging as a leading venture capital firm.
We believe that our substantial commitment of our own capital to the
fund aligns our interest with our investors.
Relationships:
Our relationships with entrepreneurs, technologists, industry experts,
service providers, and sources of capital are central to our ability to
assist our portfolio companies. We often partner with other leading
venture capital firms to create investment syndicates that supplement
our resources and provide complementary investor skill sets. Our strong
relationships with many top venture firms allow us to lead and to be
effective partners in an investment round.
We are
dedicated to adhering to these beliefs and providing support to the
entrepreneurs with whom we partner, while at the same time creating
significant returns for our investors.