Julia (Maguire) Ruge

Venture Partner

2022 - Current

Associate

2019 - 2022

Sandalphon Capital is a venture capital firm focused on early stage (Seed and Series A) investments. Primary industries of interest: B2B/Enterprise SaaS, FinTech, InsureTech, RegTech, Real Estate Tech / PropTech, Tech-Enabled Healthcare Services / Healthcare IT, Consumer, Food, FoodTech, IoT / Hardware with Recurring Revenue Geographic focus: Chicago, the Midwest, Austin TX, and other relatively underserved markets, NY (primarily for FinTech and Real Estate Tech), others opportunistically. We are focused on finding strong management teams and problem-solving, tech-enabled business models that will scale into high margin, recurring revenue businesses.

MBA Associate Intern

2018 - 2019

Corazon Capital, a leading Chicago-based venture fund, brings a coastal approach to Seed and Series A investing. With a rare blend of investing experience and operating expertise, Corazon provides unusually pragmatic, actionable counsel to the entrepreneurs it supports. Corazon believes that the best entrepreneurs and the smartest VCs will intentionally solicit both financial and operating investors in their syndicates, with Corazon recognized across geographies for its deep operating knowledge and reach inside and outside of Chicago.

Master of Business Administration - MBA

2018 - 2019

Major: Finance Pathway: Venture Capital & Entrepreneurship Activities & Societies: Beta Gamma Sigma, Outreach Co-Chair - Kellogg Cares Day; Women's Business Association; Abbvie Innovation Challenge

Marketing Manager

2017 - 2018

(Formerly BrandLinkDC) Built marketing campaigns for high-growth and emerging brands including WeWork, Universal Standard and RETHINK Water.

Brand Strategy Consultant - Breakaway Ventures

2016 - 2017

Spearheaded market research and consumer insight initiatives to capture deep quantitative and qualitative customer knowledge and translate it into actionable growth for brands including Oath Craft Pizza, Rockefeller Center, Petco and more.

Marketing and Client Program Manager

2015 - 2016

M.Gemi, a D2C luxury Italian shoe company, was the first startup to emerge from LAUNCH, a Boston-based venture-builder.

New Business Development Manager

2015 - 2015

Managed market research and beta launches of LAUNCH’s new business concepts including Rockets of Awesome, a children’s clothing business, that went on to raise $12.5 million in Series A funding.

New Business Coordinator

2013 - 2015

Launched Food Network’s first restaurant concept, Food Network Kitchen (FNK)