FO

Forge Catalyst

VC
Chicago, ILWebsite

Forge Catalyst is a Seed, Series A venture capital firm based in Chicago, IL investing in Other, AI / ML, SaaS. The firm typically writes $300K–$3.0M checks and has 27 portfolio companies in our records.

How to approach: cold outreach ok
Stage

Seed, Series A

Check Size

$300K – $3.0M

Portfolio

27+ companies

Team

1 partner

Investor activity
Investments in last 12 months: 0

Investment Thesis

Focused on elevating HR operations, corporate training, and AI-driven workforce optimization, especially SaaS tools targeting 500+ employee organizations.

How Forge Catalyst invests

Forge Catalyst is a vc firm based in Chicago, IL. The firm invests at the Seed, Series A stages, with a focus on Other, AI / ML, SaaS, Developer Tools, Healthcare. It does not invest in D2C, Consumer Marketplace.

Forge Catalyst typically writes checks of $300K–$3.0M per investment.

Forge Catalyst has backed 27 companies in our records, including WorkSkill AI, LiveLeadership, The RepTrak Company.

Meet the Team

CO

Chris Owens

Founding Partner

Corporate SaaS
HR Innovation

Industry Focus

Invests In

Other
AI / ML
SaaS
Developer Tools
Healthcare
Consumer
Food / AgTech
Real Estate

Does Not Invest In

D2C
Consumer Marketplace

Portfolio Companies (27)

Other

WO

WorkSkill AI

AI-Powered HR Tech
LI

LiveLeadership

Corporate Training
TH

The RepTrak Company

big data

Reputation analytics and perception analytics.

ME

MediaMath

advertising/marketing

Digital ad tech company.

WE

Weave

healthcare/CRM·growth

Patient communication platform.

VI

Videology

streaming/advertising·acquired

Video ad platform.

CH

ChowNow

food delivery/e-commerce

Restaurant ordering platform.

CO

Conductor

marketing tech

SEO platform.

BR

Breezeway

real estate/SaaS

Property management software.

EK

Ekos

financial tech

Winery/brewery software.

How to pitch Forge Catalyst
  • Raising at Seed, Series A? You're squarely in their sweet spot.
  • Lead with your fit in Other, AI / ML, SaaS — the sectors they actively back.
  • Size your ask to their typical $300K – $3.0M check.
  • cold outreach ok
  • Address your outreach to a specific partner, such as Chris Owens, Founding Partner.
  • A warm introduction beats a cold email. Get matched and request an intro.

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