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Ford Johnstone

Ford Johnstone

Associate at Chicago Ventures, early-stage investor

fordjohnstone
Chicago, Illinois
Joined November 2025

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Baird Investment Banking
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Victory Park Capital
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Startup Founders
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Corporate Development Strategy
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Annie Startup Team
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Chicago Ventures

Summary

Early-stage VC focus: Ford currently works as an Associate at Chicago Ventures (joined May 2025) and is active in evaluating and supporting early-stage startups; he is listed on the firm's public team page and appears in deal/investor activity for small, deep-tech / grid / energy-related startups like Magnefy. chicagoventures+2
Broad finance background across research, banking, and credit: Ford progressed from equity research (Susquehanna) to investment banking at Baird (analyst โ†’ associate) and then to opportunistic / credit investing at Victory Park before moving into VC โ€” a trajectory that combines modeling and transaction execution experience with later-stage investing sensibilities. theorg+2
Active angel / co-investor participation: public investor and co-investor listings (e.g., Magnefy funding items and co-investor summaries for energy/infra deals) indicate participation in early-stage financings alongside other institutional and angel investors. crunchbase+1
Student-athlete and regional roots: Ford is from the Lake Forest, Illinois area (Lake Forest Academy alumnus) and played varsity lacrosse at Swarthmore College, indicating sustained involvement in team sports during his education. constantcontact+1

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Played varsity men's lacrosse at Swarthmore College. swarthmoreathletics+1