VC Panel: "The Future of Chicago Venture" Hosted by Genisys

Ideal for those interested in learning more about venture capital, whether they are entrepreneurs or simply curious about the startup world!

We're excited to welcome a panel of experts from Chicago's tech innovation and venture community! Hear them share their insights, experiences, and visions for the future of Chicago's venture landscape and gain valuable knowledge about emerging trends that are reshaping the city's entrepreneurial scene.

Register today and who knows - you might even get inspired to take your own venture or startup to the next level! Read about our panelists below:

Click here to learn more about our Genisys program at Illinois Tech.

Meet The Panelists:

Abhinaya Konduru // Principal at M25

Abhinaya is an Indian immigrant who grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago. She studied Finance and Mathematical Computer Science while interning in various finance roles. Her introduction to venture and entrepreneurship was through creating a YouTube video interview and vlogging series with local startup founders while in college. Along with that, she helped make some viral videos.

Aside from sourcing and investing in companies at M25, she brings the Chicago community together through various events she hosts or co-hosts, from 300-person events like ChiTechIRL to 5-person dinners. She actively runs a text group where 360+ people receive a weekly text about Chicago Tech events (+1 (312) 847-2515). She works with the 1 for 2 Education Foundation, a unique scholarship program employing a “pay it forward” model for undergraduate students. Currently, she is going through the Kauffman Fellows Program and is part of class 28. Her favorite hobbies are cooking food for friends, spending time on corners of the internet, building side projects, and exploring unique locations.

Ellie Bahrmasel // CEO at Further Faster Ventures

Ellie Bahrmasel is the CEO of Further Faster Ventures. Throughout her career, Ellie has leveraged human centered design and systems thinking to advance collaborative initiatives in the private, public and nonprofit sectors with partners domestically and abroad. From venture-backed startups to Fortune 100’s, her prior work includes collaborations with The Kennedy Forum, Comcast, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, The Roddenberry Fellowship, and a number of internationally celebrated startup accelerators.

Ellie and the Further Faster team spend their days working with today’s pioneers at the forefront of shaping our future through venture creation, helping them build startups, funds, accelerators, and other vehicles for change. Since they’re founding, Further Faster has worked with over seventy early stage ventures, designed six accelerator programs, and reconstructed one fund thesis.

Previously, Ellie co-founded New Founders, a tech startup and PAC that organized emerging grassroots organizations to coordinate efforts with established institutions to advance democracy.

Outside of Further Faster, Ellie is an adjunct faculty member at the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship at Illinois Tech. She is a member of the BMW Herbert Quandt Responsible Leaders Network, and a delegate to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Young Diplomats Seminar. She was a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Emerging Leaders 2022 cohort. Ellie also serves on the steering committee for the Chicago Chapter of All Raise, an organization committed to achieving gender parity for startup founders and investors.

A lifelong Chicagoan, she resides in the city’s Albany Park neighborhood with her husband, Matt Altstiel, and their rescue dog, Ozzy.

Joey Mak // CEO at Chicago:Blend

Joey Mak is the CEO at Chicago:Blend, a nonprofit organization working to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the region’s venture capital industry. Under his leadership, Chicago:Blend earned the National Venture Capital Association’s “DEI Impact Award” in 2023.

Joey has worked in community and economic development for nearly two decades, most recently as the head of programs at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, where he launched the organization’s workforce training programs and led their COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force. From 2018-23, Joey served on the board of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, a social services agency assisting low-income immigrants. He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and was recognized on the “Notable LGBTQ Executives” list by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2019.

A Chicago native and the son of Cambodian refugees, Joey resides in the city's Uptown community.

Stephen Ross // Principal at Hyde Park Angels

Stephen is a Principal at HPA, one of the most-active early stage investors in the Midwest. In his current role as a Principal, Stephen is tasked with finding high growth companies across the Midwest and supporting those investments through their lifecycle. His portfolio of investments spans a broad spectrum of industry including enterprise (ShipBob), crypto (Stacked), digital health (NOCD), and CPG (Factor_).

About HPA: Hyde Park Angels (HPA) is a leading early-stage investor. Our People First model leverages world-class operating expertise, a powerful business network, and venture capital to fuel startup success. As a result, our founders transform their businesses into industry leaders, our investors generate best-in-class returns, and our community experiences job creation and economic growth.