Genius Guild

Genius Guild is a Chicago-based venture capital firm and venture studio that invests in and builds early-stage, tech-enabled companies led by Black founders. The firm operates the Greenhouse Fund I, a $5 million to $6 million investment vehicle that provides pre-seed and seed-stage capital typically ranging from $150,000 to $400,000 per transaction via simple agreements for future equity. Through its advisory services and community-building lab, the organization aims to support over 1,000 Black-founded enterprises developing scalable, market-driven solutions for healthy communities and environments. The firm secured its initial capital commitments from institutional limited partners including Pivotal Ventures and First Close Partners. Its active investment portfolio features technology startups and emerging fund managers such as Juno Medical, RareBreed Ventures, and QuirkChat. Genius Guild was founded in 2021 by Kathryn Finney and Kasey Roh.