Bascom Ventures

Bascom Ventures is a U.S.-based early-stage venture-capital firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, focused on seed-stage investments in social-impact ventures and women-led / women-founded entrepreneurial companies, affiliated with and operated by alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Bascom Hall is the historic administration building and campus landmark of UW-Madison, reflected in the firm's name). The firm invests in pre-seed and seed-stage U.S. start-ups with a thematic emphasis on under-represented founders, impact-oriented business models, and connections to the Wisconsin / Midwest alumni network of UW-Madison. Typical check sizes are in the USD 100,000 to USD 500,000 range at pre-seed and seed stage with follow-on reserves through early Series A, and the fund operates as a community-of-alumni-investors style vehicle akin to Northwestern's Purple Arch Ventures, Stanford's StartX, and other university-affiliated VC vehicles. Detailed current fund AUM, full partner roster, and portfolio disclosures are not comprehensively documented in mainstream financial-industry databases.