RPM Ventures

RPM Ventures, founded in 2000, is an early-stage venture capital firm that primarily invests in either: (1) companies with principal customers that are the Midwest Fortune 500 manufacturing base, or (2) startups based on technology developed at one of the Midwest's premier research centers. RPM is first and foremost a high-tech and information-technology venture firm that primarily invests in seed and early-stage companies, including university spinouts. RPM is currently interested in investing in: Advanced materials processing; Business services and process optimization; Data discovery and analytics; Manufacturing quality, warranty and costing systems; New-media delivery and infrastructure; Personalization of the Web; The real-time enterprise; Retail automotive software solutions; Semiconductor digital and analog design; Software automation and design and QA tools; Web-application optimization and security; and Wireless infrastructure. RPM was founded under the name Waypoint Ventures and changed its name to RPM Ventures in 2006 to reflect a strategy focused on leveraging the Midwest's strengths. As Waypoint, the firm invested in 16 companies and raised more than $275 million.