• max@heartlandvc.com

Max is a forward-thinking venture capitalist with a passion for expanding technological innovation into smaller, underrepresented Heartland communities. In line with this passion and commitment, Max founded Heartland Ventures to enhance Silicon Valley startups’ access to this market. With offices in San Francisco, Ohio, and Indiana, Heartland Ventures connects coastal startups to their largest customers within the recently flourishing and often overlooked Heartland market.

While pursuing his BS from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Max served as CEO/Founder of both CleanSlate and Peloton Investors, from which he gained valuable domain and entrepreneurial experience, as well as a deep understanding of Heartland business trends and practices. Through the process of inventing, designing, and marketing, Max was able to patent and license CleanSlate, a technology that prevents cheating on written exams. Prior to developing CleanSlate, Max founded Peloton Investors at age 14, a Milwaukee-based real estate investment firm, which he grew to 450 residential units throughout high school, before selling the portfolio while in college. Max also led the acquisition of a Midwestern construction company, which subsequently experienced 20X revenue growth.

Max serves on several regional boards designed to increase per capita income and entrepreneurial activity.

• Mark@heartlandvc.com

Mark joined the Heartland Ventures team shortly after it was founded, in June of 2017 and has since been named Partner. Mark spent his first year at Heartland in Silicon Valley to lead the firm’s deal sourcing, co-investor relations, and founder interactions. Currently, Mark resides in New York City and has added firm operations to his duties.

Mark has over a decade of business leadership experience within the travel technology sector. There, Mark served as Vice President, in charge of strategy at Sceptre Vacations based in Long Island, New York. Mark led European product development, North American business development & National Accounts, as well as oversaw all operations and financial functions.

Additionally, Mark co-founded an Angel Investment firm and currently sits on the Board of Directors for DH Enterprise & Associates. Mark received a BS in Entrepreneurship from Muhlenberg College and an MBA from The University of Notre Dame.

• Conor@heartlandvc.com

Conor works with our Midwest corporate LPs to ensure Heartland’s portfolio aligns with their strategic and financial needs.  As Head of Platform, he leverages his knowledge of the challenges facing Midwestern businesses, gleaned from his experience as a Consultant to many such firms.  His history of overseeing the development and growth of new technology products and delivering them to legacy firms is similarly advantageous.

A transplant to the Midwest, now going on 10 years, Conor is passionate about connecting the region’s unique businesses with technology being developed on the coasts.

Conor is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland and the University of Notre Dame Law School.

• bianca@heartlandvc.com

Bianca Caban joined the Heartland Ventures team as a Principal in October of 2020. At Heartland, Bianca is responsible for leading the firm’s deal sourcing, co-investor relations, and founder interactions in Silicon Valley.

Prior to that she was Head of Partnerships at Republic, an AngelList spin-off, and CEO of SheWorx, which was acquired by Republic in 2019. 

Before Republic she worked for a decade in financial services including at firms, Credit Suisse, BlackRock, and Atlas Merchant Capital, which sought investment in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Bianca also established a consultancy, Taino Capital, where she worked with clients on fund formation and strategy.

Bianca is on the Advisory Board of Lilu, an innovative female-led hardware startup, and an alum of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers and Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle. She founded the annually held Harvard Latina Empowerment and Development Conference in 2007, and has served on the Harvard Schools and Scholarships Committee. Bianca received a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia University.

• mike@heartlandvc.com

Mike is a Director at Heartland Ventures, where he works on brand development and investor relations.

A South Bend native, he was the national campaign manager of Pete for America, Pete Buttigieg’s groundbreaking 2020 presidential campaign. In that role, he led an organization of 550 team members with over $100 million in resources.

Mike was previously Vice President at the consulting firm 270 Strategies in Chicago, advising not for profit clients and issue-based causes. In Indiana, he has led political campaigns for U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly and Mayor Pete Buttigieg. He also served as chief of staff to the Mayor of the City of South Bend.

He received a BA in History from the University of Notre Dame and a MA in International Affairs from Sciences Po in Paris, France.

• Anna@HeartlandVC.com

Anna is an Operations Analyst at Heartland Ventures and is responsible for leading communication with the community and engagement efforts for the firm. Previously, Anna was on the strategic sales team at Kimball Midwest where she supported programs to grow revenue in the public sector. Anna received a BS in Education with Honors from The Ohio State University.

Ryan is a Venture Partner of Heartland Ventures and has been actively involved in the formation of the business since its inception.

Prior to Heartland, Ryan served (and is actively serving) as Managing Partner of Great Lakes Capital since co-founding the firm, Ryan leads the firm’s strategic direction and investment focus. In addition to leveraging his two decades of development experience, he has worked to position the firm to capitalize on opportunities in both debt and equity across market segments and cycles.

Ryan is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

Brad is a Venture Partner of Heartland Ventures and has been actively involved in the formation and development of the business.

Prior to Heartland, Brad served (and is actively serving) as Managing Partner of Bradley Company, Brad leads the firm with 20 years of real estate transaction and management experience. Throughout his tenure, he has gained an insightful and broad-based view of industry dynamics that allows him to provide his clients with valuable awareness of market trends and new opportunities.

Brad is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles with dual degrees in business and history.

Phil Daniels is Co-Founder of Springbuk, the leading Health Intelligence platform used by 3,000 employers nationally. Over the last decade, Phil has led strategic brand initiatives with nearly 150 companies nationwide, including Salesforce Marketing Cloud, McLaren Automotive and Chase Bank. He holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has been recognized as both a “Forty under Forty” and “Best and Brightest” award winner.

Phil joined Heartland in 2019 as an Advisor to support firm strategy, enhance corporate relationships, and assist our portfolio companies.

• Haylee@heartlandvc.com