John M. Mueller

Founding Member

2023 - Current

Illini Angels is a powerful cohort of investors that brings decades of experience in investing, innovating, building strong companies, establishing connections, and encouraging the highest-impact relationships. Every opportunity we create reflects the world-class technological leadership of the University of Illinois and its thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. As a Founding Member, I've committed to advising, supporting, and investing in the great ideas from the University of Illinois that drive global innovation. We are improving the world by supporting the companies that will make it happen. And in the process showing our Illini pride.

Owner

2018

Owner of the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge / Keweenaw Resort, LLC

Co-founder, President

2014

Building products and services to help runners clean up trash: "cleaning the world one run at a time".

Founder and Director

1998

* In charge of technology development, overall company strategy, business development, and staffing. Founded the company in 1998.

Assistant Professor

2017 - 2022

Assistant Professor

2016 - 2017

Focus: entrepreneurial finance, technology entrepreneurship, sports entrepreneurship

Chapter Director

2013 - 2017

Started and ran the Kalamazoo chapter of Startup Grind, the first Startup Grind chapter in Michigan. Started the Fresno chapter in Fresno, California with 4 other team members.

Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

2012 - 2015

Focus: entrepreneurial finance, technology entrepreneurship, sports entrepreneurship

Instructor / Research Assistant

2008 - 2012

Teaching entrepreneurial finance (created course), and performing research with co-authors on entrepreneurial finance (resourceful financing), opportunity discovery/creation, entrepreneurial orientation, and accounting (internal control weaknesses)

Owner and Director

2004 - 2008

CSA was a software development company that built software applications for storage purposes including backup, online storage, and storage aggregation. Sony, Onstream (subsidiary of Philips Electronics), and Iomega were all companies that were partners of CSA. I bought the company in 2004 and ran the day-to-day operations.