Its backers include Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, as well as local family foundations like the Field, Duchossois, Crown, Polk. We won t look at a product company, hardware or software, explained James E. Crawford II, one of four managing partners, whose experience centers on telecom. The exception to Frontenac s no seed or first round rule is in Crawford s realm.
Telecom is all seed.
The attraction in the consulting space comes from the idea of helping businesses reach the Internet. These are necessary consulting businesses, observed Crawford. The investment in divine interVentures investment was based on long-standing relationships. When Filipowski launched divine interVentures, he asked Frontenac managing partner Jamie Cowie to sit on the board. We re not playing in dot coms directly, Crawford reiterated.