Origin Ventures Adds Alex Meyer as Partner
Early-stage investor and operating executive joins Chicago office
CHICAGO, IL – Origin Ventures, a Chicago and Salt Lake City based venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments, today announced that Alex Meyer has joined as a Partner. Meyer brings 20 years of experience as an operator, executive, and investor to Origin Ventures. He joins Origin from SAP, where he served as Vice President for Global Business Development.
Mr. Meyer is also the founder and chairman of the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels and Entrepreneurship Council of Chicago, one of Chicago’s most active early stage investors with investments in over twenty startups, several of which have grown very rapidly and gone on to raise significant institutional capital at greatly expanded valuations. He serves on the global board of the HBS Alumni Angels Association and also helped to establish the Global Alumni New Venture Competition at the Harvard Business School, where he is an emeritus member of the school’s alumni board of directors and its executive committee.
“Adding Alex Meyer as our Partner is a huge win for Origin Ventures,” said Steve Miller, the firm’s co-founder and Partner. “From the time that Bruce Barron and I started Origin Ventures twenty years ago, our team has consisted exclusively of former entrepreneurs, operators, and engineers. This allows us to support our portfolio companies not only with capital, but also with deep operational, financial, and strategic expertise. Alex bolsters the Origin Ventures DNA in all of those areas and expands Origin’s relationships with potential partners and acquirers of our portfolio companies. We are thrilled to add him to the partnership at this impactful moment in our firm’s development as we look towards Fund V and beyond.”
Meyer brings a lifelong passion for entrepreneurship and economic development to Origin Ventures. He has contributed to entrepreneurship and engineering programs at Harvard University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Northwestern, IIT, and Endeavor as a judge, lecturer, and advisor. He has served on Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s technology and economic development delegations to Boston, London, Israel, Tokyo, and Beijing. Additionally, he is a founder and vice chairman of the board of Chicago’s Stage 773 Theater.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the world-class team at Origin Ventures and supporting the firm’s investment and platform endeavors,” Meyer said. “Throughout my career, I’ve supported entrepreneurial ecosystems and the emerging ventures within them through direct involvement as an advisor and investor. I can’t think of a better place to continue this work than a premier venture capital firm like Origin.”
Meyer holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Meyer was named one of Chicago’s 40 Under 40 and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
