Mode VC
Illinois

Open Prairie

Open Prairie, based in Illinois, backs food and agriculture companies at Series A and B, can lead rounds, and writes checks from $1 million to $10 million.

WebsitePitch pageTeam page
Entry stageSeries A, Series B
Check size$1M to $10M
Leads roundsYes
FocusFood and ag
Latest fund$81M (2017)$81M (Rural Opportunities Fund) (2017)
Investing team4 peopleNo activity since Sep

Who you would pitch at Open Prairie

4 people on the investing team, 4 of them partners who can make the call. Partners are listed first.

Jim Schultz
Jim SchultzFounder & Managing PartnerHe previously served as Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Patrick Morand
Patrick MorandPresidentHe previously led life science funds and companies.
Matt McKenna
Matt McKennaPartnerHe has held roles with PepsiCo, PepsiAmericas, and Keep America Beautiful, and serves on boards for Green Dot Bioplastics and Foot Locker.
Ryan Dammeyer
Ryan DammeyerPartnerHe has nearly 20 years of experience in structured finance and capital solutions.

Work here and something is wrong? Ask for a correction.

Writes $1M to $10M checks. Its smallest check is larger than 83% of firms in the atlas.

Bars: how many firms in the atlas report each band. Highlighted: this firm.

No recent activity since September 2026. Quiet does not mean closed.

Weekly count of activity updates. Activity is not a confirmed deal.

Before you pitch

Ownership target7-10%

In their words

Open PrairieOpen Prairie, based in the heartland of America with headquarters in Effingham, Illinois, is a multi-faceted private equity fund management firm with deep roots in agricuwww.openprairie.com
Founders and investors at a Mode VC gathering

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Raising a pre-seed or seed round? We write $1M to $5M first checks and help founders with distribution. A partner reads every deck.

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Alert me when Open Prairie is active

One email when this firm shows new activity. Nothing else.

Firms like Open Prairie

Consumer Ventures$1M to $3M
Bluestein Ventures$500K to $3M
Fulcrum Global Capital$1M to $10M
Narya Capital$3M to $10M · active Sep 29
Renewal Funds$1M to $10M
TO VC$1M to $10M

On these lists

Series A food and ag investors in Illinois9Series A investors in United States1790Series B investors in United States563Series A food and ag investors64Series A investors in Illinois48Series B food and ag investors27Series B investors in Illinois25Series A investors1867

Questions

What stage does Open Prairie invest in?

Open Prairie reports entry at series a, series b.

How much does Open Prairie invest?

Open Prairie reports checks of $1M to $10M.

Does Open Prairie lead rounds?

Yes. Open Prairie says it can lead.

Who are the partners at Open Prairie?

Jim Schultz (Founder & Managing Partner), Patrick Morand (President), Matt McKenna (Partner), Ryan Dammeyer (Partner).

Is Open Prairie active right now?

No recent activity since September 2026.

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