I profiled some of the younger members of Chicago’s venture capital community — the fresh blood who are set to make waves in the industry. In fact, some are already leaving their mark. Get to know them.

Does venture capital run on karma? He would know — he majored in happiness →

As a professional poker player turned startup employee turned business school student, Ezra Galston was looking for a way to stand out when he entered venture capital in 2012. His strategy: social media.

A passion for problem-solving tech led him to Lightbank →

In college and soon after, Eric Ong had an image of San Francisco as the only place tech innovation happened, but it didn’t take long for an opportunity in Chicago to bring him back to the Midwest.

Her call for diversity went viral. What other problems does she want to solve? →

Samara Mejia Hernandez thinks often about how to make the company she’s working at — or the industry she’s working in — run better.

He stepped out of the Pentagon and into venture capital →

You might step out of your office building to interview for a new job. Chicago-area native Michael Sachaj had to step out of the Pentagon to do the same.

At age 25, Victor Gutwein heads a fund that believes in the Midwest →

Victor Gutwein is attempting to build a firm that will be known as the ideal co-investor for venture capitalists looking to back Midwestern companies.

He uses his Harvard Law degree to geek out on health tech →

Some venture capitalists worry about growing their Twitter followings. Derek Lindblom, of 7wire Ventures, thinks that if you’re focused on being the star, you’re doing venture capital wrong.

Art + engineering = a VC with a passion for the Internet of Things →

What happens when you send an engineer with a passion for painting to business school? You get Jackie DiMonte, an associate at Hyde Park Venture Partners.

Venture capitalists like David Vandegrift shape how things get done →

David Vandegrift spends a lot of time thinking about the future — but not necessarily his five-year plan or anything like that. This young venture capitalist is more concerned with the technologies of today that could be major forces tomorrow.