Kurt Akers
Investor at Endeavor Health
Greater Chicago Area
Overview
Work Experience
Venture Capital & Innovation
2024 - Current
At Endeavor Health, my team and I drive impact through Endeavor Health Ventures, our dynamic Corporate Venture Arm specializing in strategic direct investments and Venture funding. Additionally, I also enhance and support our innovation capabilities to drive transformative initiatives forward. What is Endeavor Health? Endeavor Health is a comprehensive, community-based health system serving more than 1.3 million patients across the Chicagoland area. By the numbers, Endeavor has 27,000+ employees, 300+ care locations, 9 hospitals and 5 Clinical Institutes. Our community-based hospitals include: -NorthShore University Health System -Edward-Elmhurst Health -Northwest Community Healthcare -Swedish Hospital
Venture Partner
2022 - 2024
LvlUp Ventures is an early-stage value-add Venture Capital fund, investing in great teams with strong initial market validation and bringing startups to the next level through NextUp, a revolutionary hybrid startup accelerator-venture studio.
Venture Scout
2022 - 2024
Lvlup Ventures is a pre-seed to seed stage value-add fund, focused on helping their teams reach the next level.
Venture Advisor
2022 - 2024
Propellant Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Chicago that boldly invests in a broad range of innovative B2B companies such as healthtech, future of work, supply chain, fintech and edtech. At Propellant I assisted in creating fund operational processes, performing thorough due diligence, sourcing startups for deal flow, preparing strategic deal memos for investment committee review & performing investment analysis.
Propellant Ventures is Seed stage venture capital fund.
Investment Management & Operations
2012 - 2024
Managed a diversified investment portfolio (public/private) concentrating on technology startups, cannabis industry and funds at the Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A stages. Investments: Chaos Tilray - NASDAQ: TLRY exit LongJump Lightning Labs Leafly - NASDAQ: LFLY exit Ginger Commerce Hungry Jane Technologies Privateer Holdings Left Coast Ventures - Acquisition Docklight Brands Juked LVLUP Ventures The Parent Company - Public market exit Jane West Gumroad MOGL Earlybird Studio Management Citizens Inside Kingscrowd Assak Nada
Investor
2013 - 2021
Leading website and technology platform in the cannabis & CBD industry helping you find your dispensaries, brands and up to date cannabis news. NASDAQ: LFLY
Leafly is a cannabis marketplace and resource that helps people find the right cannabis experience.
Raised $70,808,437.00 from Cohanzick Management.
Private Investor
2021 - 2021
Stage agnostic family office
Studio Management is a data-driven asset manager investing across public equities and venture capital.
Investor
2014 - 2021
1st cannabis company to IPO on a major US Exchange (NASDAQ) - July 2018 Tilray (TLRY) is a global leader in cannabis research, cultivation, processing and distribution.
LP Investor
2021 - 2021
LongJump is a first-check, founder-led fund, based in Chicago, designed to invest in the next generation of founders. They provide capital, connections, and community to help founders take the leap towards building fast-growing, scalable businesses.
LongJump is a first-check venture fund, based in Chicago, designed to invest in the next generation of founders.
Co-Founder and CEO
2015 - 2020
Social network and community for those 21+ aiming to provide a safe place to connect, share & learn with like minded people, companies & brands. Kannatopia is an alumni of Chicago's Premier Tech Incubator 1871
Investor
2012 - 2019
A pioneering company of firsts within an emerging industry
Privateer Holdings is a private equity firm.
Raised $228,000,000.00 from Employee Stock Option Fund.