Dipalo [di-pa-lo]

1. From Bangla, the modern South Asian language rooted in Sanskrit
2. ‘Pra-dip’ (Bangla), ‘Pra-di-pa’ (Sanskrit) meaning “light, lantern”
3. ‘Alo’ meaning light

Team

Building hard tech products is complex. Founders need VCs with product expertise to make the leap from prototype to design and manufacturing at scale. We are product experts and seasoned investors who back science and engineering-based innovation.

Rafiq Ahmed

Managing Partner

Rafiq is the Founding Managing Director at Dipalo Ventures. As a serial entrepreneur and investor, Rafiq has over three decades of experience in innovation, user experience design, product development, management consulting, and early-stage ventures.

His investment focus areas include climate, industrial, manufacturing, and medical devices. Rafiq’s angel investment portfolio has a 29.23% IRR, 2.33x MOIC with 1 unicorn and 5 exits. He co-founded the interactive storytelling platform Demibooks and exited to EDC (NASDAQ: EDUC). He is a Limited Partner in a number of Venture Capital Funds. Rafiq’s prior work included Motorola Mobility, Publicis Sapient Fannie Mae, and PwC.

Rafiq studied Computer Science and received an MBA from Virginia Tech and a BS in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia Wesleyan.

LinkedIn | Prior Investments

Rafiq Ahmed

Managing Partner

Dr. Lauren Bigelow

Venture Partner

Lauren is a Venture Partner at Dipalo Ventures. She works to raise and effectively deploy the fund’s capital into top-flight companies. She sources high-quality startups, assists with the Dipalo Ventures Residency, and performs due diligence to ensure a high-quality portfolio.

Lauren has over 20 years of startup investment, capacity building, and mentorship. She is an active LP, serial entrepreneur, and angel investor. Her focus areas include energy, innovative materials, IT, Fintech, and B2C fields. Previously, Lauren screened thousands of high-growth technology companies in her role as the Founding Managing Director of the Cleantech Group and Executive Director at Accelerate Michigan. She is also an active board member of the Michigan Department of Treasury’s Board of Financial Authority.

Lauren received her MA and Ph.D. from Northwestern University and her BA from the University of Michigan.

LinkedIn | Prior Investments

Dr. Lauren Bigelow

Venture Partner

CHRISTIAN MESSMACHER

Venture Partner

Christian is a Venture Partner at Dipalo Ventures. As an angel investor, LP, and Founder, Christian brings over ten years of experience investing in early-stage investments in manufacturing, biotech, life sciences, and technology.

He has executive leadership experience in projects that eliminated 433,000 tons of GHG emissions annually in the steel industry. Leadership and advisory roles on operations, growth strategy, and M&A in privately and publicly held companies. Christian’s prior work included EVRAZ North America, Kohler Company, Booz & Company across various roles, including Operations, Strategy, and Corporate Development.

Christian received an MBA from Northwestern University and BS in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico).

LinkedIn

CHRISTIAN MESSMACHER

Venture Partner

Bruno Meireles de Sousa

Venture Partner

Bruno is a Venture Partner at Dipalo Ventures. He brings expertise as a strategist, operator, and investor in ClimateTech, AgTech, FoodTech, SupplyChain, FinTech, Data, and Web3 with unique business creation, technology, and financial knowledge.

He is currently a Senior Venture Partner at Cargill, where he leads strategies, partnerships, and investments in ventures and spin-offs created by Cargill Digital Business Studios. For more than 20 years, his work has impacted several cultures, industries, and geographical areas with notable results and business transformation. Additionally, he is an angel investor, advisor, and mentor for startups at more than 20 global incubation and acceleration programs. Bruno lectures on marketing, creativity, entrepreneurship, and venture capital.

Bruno holds an MBA in Business Management, an MSc in Industrial Engineering, and is a Ph.D. candidate researching the Digital Economy.

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Bruno Meireles de Sousa

Venture Partner

Larry Hayward

Venture Partner

Larry is a Venture Partner at Dipalo Ventures. Larry invests in researchers and engineers developing game-changing technology. Recent examples include microneedle medication delivery systems, self-healing coatings, tankless water, air heating, and wireless power technologies.

Larry is also a Partner and Co-founder of hard tech VC Fund Independence Equity, which focuses on efficient resource utilization in early-stage investments. He is a Co-founder of Cornerstone Angels, one of Chicago’s earliest angel networks. Since 2003, he has provided startups investment banking, governance, and management support through VentureLab. His prior work also included Arthur Andersen’s small business advisory division. He is a board member of the EcoMyths alliance and the executive-in-residence at the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center.

Larry received an MBA in Marketing and Finance and a BS in Psychology and Operational Behavior from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

LinkedIn | Independence Equity | Prior Investments

Larry Hayward

Venture Partner

Mitul Patel

Venture Partner

Mitul works as a Venture Partner for Dipalo Ventures. He leads technical due diligence and the Dipalo Ventures Residency for Fund I.

Mitul is the Founder and CEO of M.P. Consulting (MPC) and contractor manufacturer AMC. He has more than 15 years of expertise designing consumer electronics for Motorola Mobility, Cuff., and MPC. He has worked on projects including wearables, smart homes, smartphones, and industrial sensors and has filed more than ten U.S. Patents. In addition to his work at MPC, Mitul has made it his life’s mission to establish his son’s legacy with an initiative to benefit Maternal Fetal Medicine and Fertility with an intense focus on technology development, data analytics, and worldwide causes. Women’s Health is the centerpiece for Mitul’s entire operation from MPC to AMC and his son’s namesake foundation: The Aarush M. Patel Foundation.

Mitul received a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MS in Computer and Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

LinkedIn | MP Consulting | The Aarush M. Patel Foundation

Mitul Patel

Venture Partner

DAN RADOMSKI

Advisor

Dan works as an advisor for Dipalo Ventures, a leading venture financing firm for cleantech devices. He is the director of two international accelerators: C3 Accelerator, which supports cleantech, climate change, and circular economy enterprises, and Industry 4.0 Accelerator, the nation’s first accelerator assisting manufacturing technology businesses

Dan is an Advisor for Dipalo Ventures. He is the Director of two international accelerators: the C3 Accelerator, which supports cleantech, climate change, and circular economy enterprises, and the Industry 4.0 Accelerator, which assists manufacturing technology businesses.

Dan is also the Executive Director of the Lawrence Technological University Centrepolis Accelerator. This program aids in the scaling and acceleration of small manufacturers and creators of new physical “hardware” goods. Dan has overseen NextCycle Michigan, a project that aims to remove garbage from landfills and turn it into goods with value-added.

Dan received a BA in Business Marketing from Michigan State University and a Manufacturing Engineering Certification from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

LinkedIn | Centrepolis Accelerator

Dan Radomski

Advisor

Munir Tawfique

Associate

Munir is an Associate at Dipalo Ventures and has worked across Funds I and II, sourcing deals and conducting due diligence on investment opportunities. Munir brings entrepreneurial experience from commercializing hardware products and systems across electronics manufacturing, e-commerce fulfillment, and AgTech. He is an investor in emerging markets, with startup investments in South America and Africa.

Munir recently relocated to Germany to establish the European arm of IPG, a leading robotics and automation solutions provider for eCommerce Fulfilment operations. He leads the Strategy and Finance functions in IPG’s growth markets. Prior to his current role, Munir was a management consultant at Strategy&, where he worked on cost optimization, operational due diligence, and supply chain strategy.

LinkedIn

Munir Tawfique

Associate

Monika Razdan

Analyst

Monika is an Analyst at Dipalo Ventures, and works across Platform Support, Investor Relations, Deal Sourcing, and Marketing.

Monika is a member of the Fall 2022 cohort of Chicago Venture Fellows by Chicago:Blend. She is a Founder of Mental Polaroids, a startup dedicated to raising mental health awareness and normalizing it in our community.

Monika received an MS in Marketing Analytics from Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business and a BS in Computer Science from Punjab Technical University (India).

LinkedIn

Monika Razdan

Analyst

Maria Messmacher

Analyst

Maria is an Analyst at Dipalo Ventures and works in Investor Relations, Marketing, and Underwriting.

She is also the Associate Director for Account Management at SHIELD Illinois, a nonprofit unit of the University of Illinois system deploying Covid-19 testing programs state-wide.

Maria received dual Business Administration and International Relations Bachelor’s degrees from IE University (Spain).

LinkedIn