About — Midwest Forward Ventures

Mission

To foster economic and regional growth in the Midwest by owning, operating, and building companies that create jobs, expand access to opportunity, and open professional pathways for the people of the region.

Vision

A thriving, self-sustaining Midwest where talent doesn’t have to leave to find opportunity — and where homegrown companies, technology, and talent compound into lasting regional prosperity.

Our thesis

Keep the value where it’s created.

For too long, a disproportionate share of opportunity and momentum has concentrated on the coasts — even though the Midwest produces world-class talent, research, and grit. We think that’s a gap worth closing.

So we get hands-on. We own, operate, and consult with companies led by people who stay close to their customers and communities. We connect those companies so technology, talent, and brand reinforce one another. And we treat opportunity — the pathways we open for people — as a genuine competitive advantage, not charity.

What a holding company means here

MFV holds ownership in each portfolio company and provides operating support, strategy, brand, and shared services. Each company keeps its own leadership and identity — we govern through ownership, not micromanagement.

What guides us

Our values

Rootedness

We measure success by the jobs, opportunities, and pathways we create — not just by the bottom line.

Long-term ownership

We build companies meant to last decades, growing them patiently for the long haul.

Access

Talent is everywhere; opportunity is not. We work to close that gap, deliberately.

Integrity

We operate with the integrity of a neighbor — because in the Midwest, you usually are one.

Craft & innovation

We pair Midwestern pragmatism with a builder’s appetite for technology and new models.

Community

We pour back into the region’s people, vendors, and stories — growth that stays close to home.

How we measure ourselves

Impact, alongside performance

Because our mission is regional growth and access to opportunity, we track impact next to the balance sheet.

Jobs created & retained

Across the portfolio, with emphasis on Michigan and the broader Midwest.

Pathways opened

Internships, apprenticeships, and hires for local and emerging talent.

Dollars kept local

Hiring, regional vendors, and new ventures kept in the region.

Community built

Owned media that elevates regional stories and talent.

The Team

Meet the Team

Andrae Washington (left) talking with RichesArt at a startup event sponsored by Midwest Forward Ventures at the RichesArt Gallery — Andrae (left) with RichesArt — a GrowthPlug.ai client — at a startup event MFV sponsored at the RichesArt Gallery.

Andrae Washington is the founder of Midwest Forward Ventures. He was formerly Startup Programs Manager at Amplitude, where he empowered pre-seed to Series A startups and built out the company’s partner ecosystem — work that kept him shoulder to shoulder with founders and operators across the country.

He’s a three-time founder himself and a 2021 alum of UC Berkeley’s FORM + FUND accelerator, and he writes regularly on startups, product, MVPs, and growth.

MFV is where that experience comes home. Andrae started the firm to channel what he’s learned in the startup world back into the Midwest — owning, operating, and building companies that create jobs, opportunity, and professional pathways in the region he believes in.

Read Andrae’s writing on Amplitude

Want to build with us?

We’re always glad to meet founders, operators, and partners who believe in the region.

Get in touch

A long-term home for ventures that strengthen the Midwest.