Meet a Mom: Rebecca Kahnweiler, Managing Partner at LongJump, a Venture Capital Fund.

Chicago North Shore Moms is thrilled to check back in with Glencoe mom of two, Rebecca Kahnweiler, managing partner at LongJump, a Chicago-based venture capital fund. Since we last spoke with Rebecca in 2022, she’s taken on an additional exciting role teaching entrepreneurship at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, all while raising two curious and energetic kids and doting on her family’s dog, Betty.

Rebecca shares her mission at LongJump, what exactly a venture capital fund is, the passion behind this line of work and her mantra from 10 years ago that still guides her today. If you’re a budding entrepreneur or someone passionate about supporting early-stage innovation, you’ll love hearing how Rebecca is helping build a more inclusive, vibrant business community in the Midwest. Welcome back, Rebecca!

Hi Rebecca! We last heard from you in November of 2022, which certainly feels like an eternity! Please re-introduce yourself. Any big changes since November of 2022?

Hi! I’m Rebecca Kahnweiler. I live in Glencoe with my husband, our two young kids, and our dog, Betty. I’m the Managing Partner at LongJump, a Chicago-based venture capital fund that invests in founders throughout the region at the very start of their entrepreneurial journey. I’ve also joined the faculty at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, where I teach in the Entrepreneurship Department and co-lead the Zell Fellows program.

I have two children: Frank is 5—endlessly curious, persistent, and currently our resident Paw Patrol expert. Stella is 2.5, full of joy, with a hilarious sense of humor and a love for impromptu dance parties. They’re a great duo: totally different personalities and discovering mischief they can create together as siblings. And I can’t forget to mention our fur child, Betty.

Kahnweiler family in front of a hand painted mural a la Art Party.

What are one or two fun facts, or important things to know about you?

Like a lot of people, I’m full of contradictions. I love a handwritten thank-you note, but also live inside Notion dashboards. I thrive in early-stage chaos but still hold out hope that one day I’ll catch up on printing family photo albums. I spend most of my time thinking in big arcs—and then spiraling into tiny details that no one else notices.

I think a lot of can relate to that. Also, thanks for the list tip with Notion! What are your favorite North Shore places, spaces, and eats to frequent?

Amazingly, after three years in Glencoe, I still feel like we are just brushing the surface in terms of exploring areas in the North Shore. A few of our favorites:

La Taquiza – hands down the best tacos we’ve found, with a chill, family-friendly atmosphere.
Towne & Oak – I stop here for coffee every morning on my walk with Betty.
Art Party – My kids are obsessed with classes at Art Party, a local process art studio run by another Glencoe entrepreneur, Jamie Cootner.

On summer weekends, we walk to a little public beach in Glencoe we lovingly call “the secret beach” (I can’t share the location or I’ll get in trouble with my family!). Being alone there is one of our favorite activities—we brave the cold Lake Michigan water to collect rocks, splash in the waves, and play fetch with Betty.

Rebecca and Betty

Any good books on your nightstand?

I just finished two very different books: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon and Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick. Both were fast, thought-provoking reads that I’ve already passed along to family and friends. AI is especially relevant to my work as an investor, and I’m exploring how to incorporate it more into my classroom as well.

Your mantra?

I still try to live by words I wrote down 10 years ago when I was graduating from Kellogg: “Take risks, love deeply, ask questions and get outside.”

Pic from the Kellogg portrait project.

Let’s talk shop… Please introduce your current endeavors! Tell us more about LongJump. 

LongJump is a venture capital fund—we invest in (mostly technology) founders with new business ideas before anyone else does, often when they’re just leaving a job or launching an idea. We focus on backing new entrepreneurs, especially in Chicago and the broader Midwest, and provide not just capital but also a strong support network of fellow founders and operators.

How does investing in your funds help our communities? Why do people invest in these funds?

Venture capital can shape what kind of companies get built, who gets to build them, and which communities benefit. We believe backing entrepreneurs is one of the highest-impact ways to invest in economic growth and innovation. Our investors support LongJump because they want to be part of a more entrepreneurial future—and share in the financial upside that can come from getting in early.

Can you tell us about a time that you saw a return on your investment?

We’ve had founders go on to raise millions from top-tier firms, grow their teams, and generate real revenue—proof that belief at the earliest stage matters.

How did you become involved in this unique line of work?

I fell in love with entrepreneurship early; not just the thrill of building something new, but the resilience and creativity it demands. After working in startups and launching my own ventures, I saw firsthand how much early belief matters. Too many great founders never get the chance simply because they don’t have the right networks or access to capital. I originally started angel investing to change that – to be the kind of first believer I wish more people had. That eventually led to LongJump, which has been the perfect way to combine what I love: backing big ideas, supporting founders, and helping a lot of LongJump’s investors (our limited partners) access the venture world for the first time.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about LongJump?

We’re founder-led, founder-funded, and proudly Chicago-rooted. Everything we do is about removing barriers for the next generation of entrepreneurs. If you’re building something early-stage, or want to help the next generation of founders get started, we’d love to hear from you. We welcome new investors who share our belief that backing founders early can be both high-impact and high-return.

How can our readers reach out?

We’re actively investing from our second fund and building programming to support future founders. If you’re a builder with an early-stage idea, or if you want to support more founders getting started, we’d love to hear from you. Applications are open year-round at longjump.vc.

Visit www.longjump.vc to learn more, whether you’re a founder looking for funding or someone interested in investing. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, or reach out to me directly at [email protected].