Atlantis Capital, LLC

The best founders we met in Silicon Valley this week weren't building AI agents. At Startup Grind 2026, they were reinventing steam power for data centers, building food systems for space, and creating materials that sound like science fiction. The "I'm building an AI that..." pitch has hit a wall. Not because AI isn't transformative, but because too many teams are chasing vitamin-level problems with new CRMs, random automations, and content creation tools. The breakthroughs are happening much deeper. The pre-seed investing thesis is shifting, too. The best early-stage teams we met weren't just looking for checks; they wanted operators building with them and introductions that will change trajectories. That's what we do best. What keeps us coming back is the community. Startup Grind is one of the most genuine ecosystems in the world. No egos. No velvet rope. Just builders meeting the people who believe in what they're building. To every founder who shared their vision with us, thank you. We're reviewing everything and following up. If we met you this week, drop a comment or DM us.

Almost every time we go to Startup Grind, we come home with a new portfolio company. 2023: Ekkobar. Invented social decision intelligence before anyone knew that was a category. Now partnered with teams across major professional sports. 2025: Fighter Foundry. Built a smart strike pad that brought data to combat sports. Now installing pads at major professional fight gyms. 2026: ? Tomorrow we're back in Silicon Valley with thousands of founders and investors. We're looking for the next team building something the market doesn't understand yet. We don't just write checks. We help founders build the business engine around the breakthrough, helping with GTM, investor pipelines, operator networks, and the introductions that change trajectories. That's how early-stage companies become world-changing businesses. If you're at Startup Grind and building something bold, come find us or DM us.

The room said it better than we could. A week out, we're still smiling about this one. Not just because of what happened that night, but because of what's still happening because of it. Chicago has the talent. Chicago has the capital. Sometimes it just needs the right room. If you want to be in the next one, DM us. Thank you again to everyone who showed up, competed, and made our inaugural Building Bridges what it was. And another huge shoutout to the J.P. Morgan team, Molly Koehler, Gabrielle Dubick, and Scarlet Decker for making the night possible.

Last night we put 60+ founders and investors in an arcade and told them to go play. No hotel ballroom. No awkward small talk. Just Skee-Ball, Pop-A-Shot, and Mortal Kombat, with curated 1-on-1 pairings between founders and the investors we thought they should know. The best relationships don't start in a conference room. They start when you're trash-talking someone over a Skee-Ball lane and realize you're both obsessed with the same problem. We wanted to build that moment on purpose. It worked. Less than 24 hours later, pairings are already scheduling follow-ups: investment explorations, partnership conversations, intros that wouldn't have happened in a traditional format. At Atlantis Capital, we keep coming back to the same belief: Chicago doesn't have a talent problem or a capital problem. It has a connection problem. Building Bridges is one way we're working to fix it. This was our first one. It won't be the last. If you're a founder or investor who wants to be in the room next time, DM us. Huge thanks to J.P. Morgan for sponsoring the evening and for their continued commitment to the Midwest ecosystem. Molly Koehler, Gabrielle Dubick, and Scarlet Decker showed up with real energy and helped make the night what it was. And thank you to every founder and investor who competed, connected, and made it a night to remember.

Only a few spots left! Your next portfolio company isn't going to come from a cold email. It's going to come from a game of Pac-Man or Pinball. On March 31, Atlantis Capital and J.P. Morgan are hosting Building Bridges at Emporium Arcade Bar in Fulton Market. 50+ founders and investors are already paired up and competing head to head on arcade games. We've spent weeks curating the founder side of this room full of AI, quantum computing, fintech, energy infrastructure, gaming, and consumer-facing solutions. 20+ companies that are building the solutions you want to explore, all showing up in one place. Space is limited, and attendance is by application only. Apply using the link in the comments.

Join us on March 31 for Building Bridges, a curated evening for founders and investors hosted by Atlantis Capital, LLC in partnership with J.P. Morgan at Emporium Arcade Bar. 75 founders and investors will be paired as teams and go head-to-head on arcade games. No pitches or panels, just games, drinks, food, and real connections. Space is limited, and attendance is by application only. We already have over a third of the spots filled with incredible investors and founders. You can apply using the link in the comments.

Today, we launch 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲™ powered by Ekkobar and Sports Tech HQ.   The NFL Combine uses the 40-yard dash to measure speed and the bench press to measure strength. But Ekkobar measures 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. Because athletes entering the league are no longer just players. They are platforms. They are IP. They are culture shapers. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀. The next generation of stars needs more than on-field performance; they must move narratives and culture to ignite the fan obsession that will engineer the next revenue revolution. If you need to see it to believe it, we are offering free access, but only through Draft Day.   https://lnkd.in/gXN-XtEk Hurry before spots run out. #TheSocialCombine #NFLCombine #SocialDecisionIntelligence #AthletesAreDynasties #RevenueRevolution 

Stadiums don't cap revenue anymore. Legacy thinking does. Last week, we attended the Sports Tech HQ Showcase during the NFL Combine. 50+ people from major leagues, sports tech startups, and the investor community packed a room around one question: how do we actually quantify off-field impact? Not reach. Not impressions. Revenue. Watching our portfolio company Ekkobar demo, The Social Combine, answered it in real time. They're not measuring follower counts, they're quantifying athlete-to-fan connection strength, audience psychographics, and cultural momentum before a player takes their first professional snap. Using their D.N.A. framework (Discover. Navigate. Act.), leagues and brands can finally see the signal inside the noise. Ekkobar is engineering the revenue revolution beyond the stadium, turning fan connection into measurable, scalable obsession. Big thank you to Jeffrey Hintz, Brian Alkire, Wyatt Wells, and the full Sports Tech HQ team for building a room worth being in. And to Darius Willis (ScoutSync), Emma Meehan (KinetikIQ), Paul Roberson and Roderick Moore, Jr. (FLO Unleashed), genuinely looking forward to what comes next. Huge credit to the entire Ekkobar team for showing up and delivering: Rhys Ryan, George, Justin Segrest, Thomas Reedy, Amber Dodson, Eli McGanal, Samuel MacDonald, Mickey Vershbow, Robert Mayer. We are so proud of you all! Let's keep building this momentum.