IVCA Honors 2022 IVCA Awardees: Stephen V. King , Autism In Motion, and TPC

December 7, 2022

On Monday, December 5th, the VC/PE community honored the 2022 IVCA Awardees at the annual IVCA Awards Dinner presented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

View the pictures HERE!

2022 IVCA Stanley C. Golder Awardee Stephen V. King, Co-Founder of Prairie Capital,  epitomizes what the IVCA Golder Award is all about: an exceptional leader who upholds the strongest ethical standards, an astute investor with a strong track record of success, and a civic-minded philanthropist who uses his platform to make a difference.

Steve King and Bryan Daniels founded Prairie with Prairie Capital Fund I in 1997.  The firm currently is investing out of Fund VII with a 2021 Vintage year.

Steve’s many civic/philanthropic involvements include:

• IVCA Scholar Program
• Dean’s Business Council for the Gies College of Business at University of Illinois
• Board Chair of Arc of Hope (an organization that established and oversees a primary school in Uganda)
• Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Big Shoulders Fund
• Board of Catholic Charities
• Board of the Academy at St. Joan of Arc
• Past Board Chair of Boys Hope/Girls Hope
• Past Board of Trustees of Loyola Academy

Outside the Prairie Capital portfolio, Steve has had several other key professional affiliations, including serving as past Chairman of NASBIC (now the Small Business Investor Alliance), being a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, and sitting on the Board of Directors of First Busey Corporation (NASDAQ: BUSE).

2022 IVCA Venture-Backed Portfolio Company of the Year was awarded to Autism In Motion Clinics (AIM Clinics).

AIM’s mission is to bring world class autism therapy to geographic areas where unmet need is highest. AIM provides one-on-one, gold standard ABA therapy to children at an average of 20+ hours per client per week and is fully accredited by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE).  AIM was launched in Chicago where its headquarters remains.  The first clinics were in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Tennessee. AIM is a past winner of the Social New Venture Challenge at UChicago Booth. AIM has helped thousands of families with life changing therapy since it was founded in 2018.

The Company was founded by George Boghos who immigrated to the US from Syria while in middle school without knowing any English. George’s mother is a pediatrician and George has always had an interest in healthcare. George saw the prevalence of autism continue to grow and the lack of access to care for children with autism, he launched AIM Clinics in his first year of business school at Booth.

The company received Seed stage funding and two follow on rounds of funding from Breakout Capital. Breakout exited the company in 2021 at a 20X multiple of initial capital invested.

2022 IVCA PE-Backed Portfolio Company of the Year was awarded to TPC.

TPC is a provider of industrial skills and workplace safety training, performance management, and compliance software solutions for environmental, health, & safety (EHS). The business model combines a proprietary Learning Management System with an industry-leading content library approved by governmental agencies for required certification and continuing education.

Frontenac acquired Buffalo Grove-based TPC in March 2018.  Prior to Frontenac’s acquisition, the company’s core competency centered around live, instructor-led industrial skills training, with a small but growing base of digital training offerings. TPC sought a partner that could help transform the business to a predominantly digital platform with streamlined delivery of an expanded set of service offerings and increased focus on technical and safety training content.

Frontenac worked with the leadership team and a value-added Board of Directors to expand the Company’s customer base (Fortune 500 customers), channels (B2C compliance), technology products (simulations and workforce management software), and end markets (food), while identifying and supporting the acquisition and integration of five M&A targets.  The resulting business mix shifted from less than 45% digital delivery to more than 85% digital delivery.

Under Frontenac’s ownership (2018-2021), TPC’s enterprise value and base of employees increased markedly.

IVCA thanks the generous sponsors of this event!

• Presenting Sponsor:  Kirkland & Ellis LLP
• Cocktail Reception Sponsor:  White & Case
• Dessert Reception Sponsor:  Cooley
• Platinum Sponsors:
  • FIC/CEP
  • KRD, Ltd.
  • PwC
• Gold Sponsors:
  • 50 South Capital
  • Adams Street Partners
  • Andersen
  • Baker Tilly
  • EY
  • Frontenac
  • Growth Catalyst Partners
  • GTCR
  • JP Morgan
  • Locke Lord
  • Madison Dearborn Partners
  • Mayer Brown
  • McDermott Will & Emery
  • Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg
  • OCA Ventures
  • OceanM19
  • Origin Ventures
  • Plante Moran
  • Prairie Capital
  • Pritzker Group Venture Capital
  • Pritzker Private Capital
  • RSM US LLP
  • Shore Capital Partners
  • Thoma Bravo
  • VedderPrice
  • Winston & Strawn