Venture Capital

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Simplex Ventures

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Simplex Ventures logo

Simplex Ventures

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General information

Firm type

Venture Capital

Year founded

2004

AUM

Undisclosed

Location

Region

North America

Country

United States

City

Chicago

Corporate office

230 S. LaSalle St. Suite 8-500, Chicago, IL 60604, United States

Principals

Erik Swanson

CEO

Dave Haufe

Chief Technology Officer

Sector focus

FinTechEnterprise Software

Frequently asked questions

Who runs investment decisions at Simplex Ventures?

Erik Swanson, the firm's CEO, is the only named executive on the firm's website. CTO Dave Haufe runs technology. The site does not list a separate venture head, suggesting Swanson himself likely directs investment decisions as part of the firm's broader capital allocation.

How does Simplex Ventures source proprietary deal flow?

Simplex's primary business as a market maker and liquidity provider across US options and equities gives it a direct view into trading patterns, volatility, and emerging financial technology companies. This operational vantage point constitutes its primary sourcing mechanism, though the firm has not publicly detailed its pipeline beyond noting a focus on financial and technology start-ups.

Is Simplex Ventures structured as a separate fund or a division of the trading firm?

The firm's website does not reference a dedicated venture capital fund, separate management company, or external limited partners. All indications point to a proprietary investment division operating within the parent trading entity, deploying the firm's own balance sheet without fund-level disclosures or LP reporting requirements.

Does Simplex Ventures take outside capital from institutional investors?

No. Simplex Trading is a proprietary market-making firm, and its venture investments appear to be funded entirely from internal trading profits. The firm does not market venture services to external allocators and has no disclosed fund documents, offering memoranda, or LP relationships.

What investment stages does Simplex Ventures typically target?

The firm's website cites 'early-stage financial and technology start-ups' and also lists growth-stage investing, suggesting a mandate that spans seed through expansion. However, no specific portfolio companies, check sizes, or stage boundaries have been disclosed publicly through the firm's own digital presence.

Which sectors does Simplex Ventures explicitly avoid?

The firm's disclosed venture focus is limited to financial technology and enterprise software derived from its market-making expertise. There is no mention of sectors such as digital health, climate, hardware, media, or life sciences, which likely sit outside its strategic mandate given the absence of in-house edge in those verticals.

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