Brian Hand is a Chicago-based investor who co-founded the FireStarter Fund in 2011 and serves as CEO of Hand. See portfolio, sector focus and contact routes.
Brian Hand is a Chicago-based investor who co-founded the FireStarter Fund in 2011 and serves as CEO of Hand Capital, while also holding board and executive roles at Ocient and Tiege Hanley. He focuses on early-stage venture funding and angel investing, primarily targeting pre-seed and seed rounds in technology sectors including enterprise applications, consumer, healthcare, and industrial automation within the Greater Chicago Area. While specific check sizes and lead/follow behavior are not publicly documented, his thesis emphasizes deep understanding of tech, financial services, and industrial automation ideas. His notable portfolio companies include Ocient, Tiege Hanley, Gearflow, Improovy, Songfinch, Routific, Perfect Audience, and Sittercity, with Sittercity exiting in August 2020. Hand holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School and multiple mechanical engineering degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, complementing his prior leadership roles at Sunoco LP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Blockbuster. No distinctive public writing or unique point of view beyond his stated investment focus is available in current sources.
This profile is part of the StartupFundraising firm database: focus, portfolio history, disclosed location and contact routes, refreshed as new filings and rounds are ingested. Founders use it to check fit before reaching out and to find investors in Chicago.
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