Jason Jacobsohn

Founder & Managing Partner
2020
Propellant Ventures is a Seed stage venture capital fund that invests in the growth of Chicago and the greater Midwest across a broad range of powerful, diverse, and leading-edge B2B industries such as healthcare, future of work, supply chain, fintech, and edtech. Investments include SupplyHive, SquareStack, Innovare, Under, and STRATAFOLIO.

2008

Founder & Managing Director
2008
Reliable Venture Partners is a venture development firm that aligns entrepreneurs and emerging businesses with resources for growth. Services include investor readiness preparation and coaching, strategic advisory services, business development, resource development, and capital formation. Clients include: - Dog Tag - Equips veterans, military spouses, and caregivers with the tools to rediscover their purpose after serving our nation and reenter their communities with confidence and support. - ASTRALABS - Operated one of the world's fastest growing startup accelerators (Newchip). - VentureSHOT - Provides programs to assist entrepreneurs in growing revenues, scaling to accelerate growth, and funding. - Teach For America - Develops leaders who will help drive change at every level of the education system. - AEGIS Professional Services – Provides comprehensive business services through legal, consulting, and capital formation to emerging and established businesses. - The Executives Profit – Business coaching services that assisted entrepreneurs and other senior management professionals. - KMG Enterprises - Entrepreneurship advisory firm that provides custom growth strategies and resources for business owners

2011

Managing Director
2011
The Founder Institute is a global network of startups and mentors that helps entrepreneurs launch meaningful and enduring technology companies. Through a four month early stage accelerator program, entrepreneurs can launch companies with expert training, feedback, and support from experienced startup CEOs, without quitting their day jobs. Jason facilitates the Chicago chapter, which launched in Fall of 2011.

2016

Adjunct Faculty, Driehaus College of Business
2016
Jason teaches the following courses in the Driehaus College of Business - "Entrepreneurship Strategy", "Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset", and "Introduction to Driehaus: Business Fundamentals and the Entrepreneurial Mindset".

2017 - 2018

Principal
2017 - 2018
Bascom Ventures is a community of Wisconsin alumni: investors, entrepreneurs, executives, and innovation enthusiasts. The core is a private, for-profit venture fund for Wisconsin alumni that invests in seed, growth, and later stage companies with a Wisconsin alumni connection. Bascom Ventures'portfolio spans across industry, stage, and geography. The investments are alongside top-tier venture capital and private equity lead investors. Bascom Ventures is separate from (but friendly with) the University of Wisconsin. Bascom Ventures is part of Alumni Ventures Group, which manages a series of alumni VC funds including Green D Ventures (Dartmouth), The Yard Ventures (Harvard), Castor Ventures (MIT), Chestnut Street Ventures (Penn), and Purple Arch Ventures (Northwestern). Jason was responsible for sourcing, researching, and evaluating deals, while supporting the Wisconsin entrepreneurial community.

2011 - 2017

Business Advisor, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative
2011 - 2017
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at the City Colleges of Chicago is a practical business management education program that helps small business owners develop the skills they need to grow their companies. Participants will receive one-on-one business advising from dedicated professionals to help them develop a tailored plan for growth. Jason provided one-on-one business advising and technical assistance to the program scholars. In this role, he assisted the program participants to successfully develop business growth plans and implement change strategies.

2005 - 2015

Co-Producer
2005 - 2015
The Greater Chicago Networking Extravaganza brings together the business and entrepreneurial communities in the Chicagoland area for an incredible night of networking and presentations by industry experts.

2005 - 2007

Director of Client Services
2005 - 2007
The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center was a nonprofit affiliate of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce that provided growth services to entrepreneurs throughout Chicagoland. Jason was responsible for advising entrepreneurs on various strategies such as capital raising, marketing, sales, and business models. Much of his time was spent assisting entrepreneurs with capital raising through deal sourcing and syndication to a network of investors and banks. Also, Jason developed and managed Innovate Illinois, which was a statewide entrepreneurial fellowship program for 13 high-growth businesses.

2001 - 2004

Senior Business Analyst
2001 - 2004
The National Association of Realtors is one of the nation’s largest trade associations, serving over 1,000,000 professionals in the real estate industry. Jason was responsible for helping build the commercial real estate division's affinity program so he spent much of time evaluating and recommending various technology firms. In addition, Jason managed relationships with key stakeholders between various business units, which improved collaboration and communication. Jason spearheaded his group's sponsorship of the premier commercial real estate technology conference, Realcomm.

2000 - 2001

Associate
2000 - 2001
Vcapital was an online business exchange between entrepreneurs and a network of investors that was acquired by a boutique investment banking firm in 2002. Jason evaluated several hundred technology investment opportunities across various industries and recommended and marketed the best deals to his team and investors. In addition, he managed relationships with clients and advised entrepreneurs on the capital raising process.

Advocate, Advisor, Resource, and Connector for Entrepreneurs