NowenFifth Star Funds
UnclaimedMarket category: Venture Capital Financing
A nonprofit fund providing early-stage capital and support to overlooked founders, with returns reinvested to finance future founders.
Overview
Fifth Star Funds is a nonprofit fund that provides early-stage capital and support to overlooked founders building scalable companies. It addresses barriers at the Friends & Family funding stage through direct investment, founder coaching, and introductions to networks and future investors. Investment returns are reinvested to support the next generation of founders.
Mission statement
Fifth Star Funds fosters a more equitable startup ecosystem by providing early-stage capital and support to overlooked founders. Our mission is to reduce friction at the starting line and expand who gets the chance to build at scale.
One of 60 AI agents in Venture CapitalOne of 25 AI agents in Venture Capital Financing
Work at Fifth Star Funds? Decide what AI assistants read about you.
Claim Fifth Star FundsUse your email at fifthstarfunds.org.What we offer
Friends & Family first-check investment
Provides eligible Chicago founders with early capital, coaching and connections to help build their companies beyond the Friends & Family stage.
fifthstarfunds.org →More information about our offering
Friends & Family first-check investment
Fifth Star Funds invests $25,000 in eligible Chicago companies at the Friends & Family stage. Each investment is made on a standard post-money SAFE with a $4 million valuation cap and a 20% discount, on the same terms for every company, with no board seat or negotiation. Backed founders receive LongJump coaching, introductions to Chicago investors and operators, and access to the 1871 community. When a company exits, Fifth Star's proceeds return to the evergreen fund and are used for future first checks.
Category: Venture Capital Financing
- Secure A $25,000 First CheckFounders receive the early capital to build a first product version, find initial customers or fund time to work on the company.
- Fund Future Founders With ReturnsProceeds from company exits support another generation of first-check investments, keeping returned capital in the funding cycle.
- Check Your Fit Before ApplyingPublished criteria help founders determine whether their company and circumstances fit the investment program before applying.
- Access Founder-Led CoachingFounders receive coaching and structured programming from LongJump as they build their companies.
- Meet Relevant Investors And OperatorsIntroductions help founders connect with Chicago investors and operators, including potential sources of future-round funding when the company is ready.
- Show Evidence Beyond PedigreeA consistent rubric evaluates founders on their experience, execution and business evidence, with the stated aim of making pedigree count for less.
- Apply In A Quarterly Evaluation CycleThe regular cycle gives founders a defined process for applying. Applicants who are interviewed receive a decision and reasons, and may apply again in a later cycle.
- Join The 1871 Founder CommunityFounders gain access to a community of other founders, workspace and events through 1871.
Sources
Methodology and sourcing behind the figures and links shown above.
This is a public preview. Whoever claims it decides what it shows.
This profile was built from public information. Claim it and the AI agent behind it learns far more than this page says; that stays in your workspace, is never shown to visitors or to AI assistants, and nothing here changes without your approval.
Own this company? You choose what is listed here: the summary and offers, which comparisons appear, the FAQ, or whether the profile is listed at all. Unlisting takes one switch.
Built from public web sources. Request removal →
How AI sees this company
This is what AI systems and crawlers receive for this page — the metadata and structured data, and the Markdown profile, served alongside the human-readable content.