Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures

Northwestern Mutual announced that it had designated $50 million to form Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures to invest in startups whose technologies could transform how consumers experience and achieve financial security. The multiyear commitment provided for individual investments of $500,000 to $3 million and four priority areas: consumers’ changing preferences, reimagining the client experience, the digital health revolution, and transformational analytics and technologies. Rebecca Porter, then vice president of corporate strategy, chaired its investment committee.⁠[1][1][1][1]

Northwestern Mutual had already been ramping up its investments in and relationships with early-stage companies following its 2015 acquisition of the financial planning platform LearnVest.⁠[1]

Northwestern Mutual announced that it had designated $150 million to form Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures Fund II. Its investment criteria remained the same as Fund I’s, with individual investments widened to $500,000 to $5 million and typically beginning in Series A or B rounds. Since launching in 2017, Fund I had invested in 14 startups and deployed $43 million.⁠[2][2][2]

NMFV announced that it would dedicate $20 million of its funding to startups founded by women; by then it had invested more than $50 million in 18 startups.⁠[3][3]

NMFV announced that it would dedicate $20 million to startups founded by Black entrepreneurs, and Northwestern Mutual launched the Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator with the startup accelerator gener8tor. The accelerator began in 2021 and by 2023 had partnered with more than two dozen Black-founded startups; selected companies are eligible for a $100,000 investment and executive mentoring.⁠[4][4][5][5][5]

NMFV led the $1.1 million seed round of the online mental health platform MentalHappy, with Social Impact Capital, Chai Angels, and others participating. Craig Schedler, then managing director of NMFV, was involved in the deal.⁠[6][6]

NMFV took part in the $82 million round of the bitcoin life insurer Meanwhile co-led by Bain Capital Crypto and Haun VenturesHaun VenturesHaun Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2022 by Katie Haun, a former U.S. federal prosecutor and former general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. It focuses on digital assets, financial infrastructure, and related frontier technologies; it raised $1.5 billion across two funds at launch and a further $1 billion in 2026.Open the full entry.⁠[7]

Northwestern Mutual announced a further $150 million through NMFV to form Fund III, targeting emerging and growth-stage fintech and insurtech companies and providing follow-on capital to portfolio companies, bringing the company’s total venture capital allocation to $350 million. Since starting in 2017 with a $50 million Fund I, NMFV had invested in more than 50 companies; Fund II also carried additional reserve capital for follow-on investments.⁠[8][8][8][8][8]

NMFV pairs capital with strategic partnership, and in some cases portfolio companies’ solutions are piloted and deployed within Northwestern Mutual. Portfolio company Chime, a fintech, went public in June 2025; newer partners include Levitate, an AI-driven relationship-marketing platform led by ShareFile founder Jesse Lipson. Michael Sias, the company’s vice president for corporate development and venture, said the funds would expand its ability to partner with high-growth companies.⁠[8][8][8][8][8]

As an existing investor, NMFV took part in Meanwhile’s $37.5 million round led by Bain Capital Crypto.⁠[9]

As of October 2026, NMFV says it looks for emerging startups in fintech, wealthtech, health and wellness, and data analytics, focusing on four themes: the future of the consumer wallet, the future of the advisor, the future of health and wellness, and the future of data and analytics. Team members include Michael Sias, vice president for corporate development; Marie-Christine Razaire, a principal responsible for deal sourcing and due diligence; analyst Jameel Ahmed; and head of community Teodora Peiffer.⁠[10][10][10][10][10][10][10][10][10][10]

Portfolio logos listed on its website include more than 50 companies such as Alkymi, Amino, Betterment, Boldin, Chime, Ladder, Levitate, Meanwhile, MentalHappy, Ocient, Trust & Will, Vestwell, and Zero Hash.⁠[10][10][10][10][10][10][10][10][10][10]

Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures: Official website: https://venture.northwesternmutual.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[11][8]

Northwestern Mutual: Official website: https://www.northwesternmutual.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[10]

X: Public account: https://x.com/NMFuture (opens in a new window)⁠[10]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/northwesternmutualfutureventures (opens in a new window)⁠[10]