IVCA Feature: Honorees Named for Awards Dinner, New Awards Announced

Last week, the 2024 IVCA Awards Dinner honorees were named, along with the announcement of a new name designation for the Fellows Award and the establishment of a brand new honor … the IVCA Promoting Diversity Foundation Award. In anticipation of the Awards ceremony, the following feature article will provide what each Award represents (including the name change and newest honor) and a short biography of the awardees. The Annual IVCA Awards Dinner will take place on Monday, December 9th.  NEW: THE IVCA PROMOTING DIVERSITY FOUNDATION AWARD The IVCA Promoting Diversity Foundation (IPDF) envisions a Private Equity and Venture Capital community where all individuals have equal access to opportunities and where unique perspectives are valued and celebrated. This new IVCA Foundation award recognizes an individual or firm who has significantly contributed to the IVCA Scholars Program or has made impactful strides in enhancing diversity within the Private Equity and Venture Capital community in Illinois. The 2024 recipient of the first IVCA Promoting Diversity Foundation Award is Managing Partner Walter Florence of Frontenac Private Equity. Throughout his career, Walter has led investments in a variety of industries, including consumer products and services, where he is currently focused. He was chairperson of the IVCA in 2017-2018, and a past Fellows Award honoree.  The inaugural award honors Mr. Florence in recognition of his impact in helping create the IVCA Invitational Golf Event  – which supports the IVCA’s diversity efforts – and spearheading those diversity efforts through the Scholars Program and the creation of the Foundation. RENAMED: THE STEPHEN S. BEITLER AWARD The Fellows Award, which recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the Private Equity profession and the IVCA, has been renamed as a tribute to the late Founder and Managing Director of Dunrath Capital, Stephen S. Beitler. Mr. Beitler was a recognized in the financial and VC industries, and was known for developing leading edge technologies in corporations and government.  Mr. Beitler was chairperson of the IVCA during 2003-2003. He was also instrumental in establishing the annual IVCA Awards and getting the family permission for the naming of the Golder and Daley Awards. He also established the Fellows Award and was himself award that honor in 2004, which now bears his name. The 2024 recipient of the Stephen S. Beitler Award is Managing Director James “Jim” Macdonald of First Analysis Venture Capital. He has over two decades of experience at First Analysis, working with entrepreneurs as an investor and as an advisor on growth transactions to help build leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) businesses. With his widely read “SaaS Quarterly Insights” report, he is a thought leader in the area, and his work has been cited for excellence in the Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” survey, in Forbes and in other publications. Mr. Macdonald was IVCA Chairperson in 2023-2024. The Stephen S. Beitler Award will presented on behalf of his family by Elinore Beitler. THE RICHARD J. DALEY AWARD The Richard J. Daley Award, a traditional IVCA honor named for the former Mayor of Chicago, acknowledges a single individual who has given direct and extraordinary support to the State of Illinois by participating in or being an advocate for the Venture Capital and Private Equity industry. The 2024 recipient of the Richard J. Daley Award is Professor of Finance Mitchell Petersen of the Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Professor Petersen’s research is in the area of empirical corporate finance … the analysis of how firms evaluate potential investment projects and how they fund such projects. His recent writing focuses on how the cost of information, technology, competition, and taxes affect how firms raise capital and fund their projects. The Richard J. Daley Award will be presented by E.F. “Skip” Heizer of Heizer Capital. THE STANLEY C. GOLDER AWARD The Stanley C. Golder Award, a traditional IVCA award named for a VC/PE Chicago pioneer, recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the Private Equity profession and to the Illinois Venture Capital Association. The 2024 recipient of the Stanley C. Golder Award is CEO/Founding Managing Partner James “Jim” Dugan of OCA Ventures. Mr. Dugan has over 25 years of corporate finance, capital markets, and Venture Capital investment experience, and sits on the board of various portfolio companies including Ocient, Alembic, The MOM Project, Prisidio, SumRidge Partners, SpotHero, ArcherEDU, Impossible Objects, BigStep and Falcon Insurance Group. He is a founding member of the IVCA, where he formerly served five years as Treasurer, Director and member of the Executive Committee, and was the 2013 Fellows Award recipient. The Stanley C. Golder Award will be presented by David Golder of Golder Investment Management. NEXT NEWSLETTER: PROFILES OF ALL THE HONOREES. For all information regarding the 2024 IVCA Annual Awards Dinner, taking place December 9th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago … click here.