Joe Dwyer Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Manifold Group is a venture holding company. Over the past twelve years we have combined talent and capital to form a platform for disruptive growth, with an emphasis on AI and data.Our venture group invests in extraordinary founders and provides strategic guidance to our portfolio to maximize asset value creation.Our studio team partners with extraordinary teams to conceive, build, and scale high growth ventures. Our consulting team partners with enterprise clients to help them adapt and grow in the context of an increasingly disruptive economy.

Evanston, Illinois, Us

I teach courses to full time, part time, and executive MBA students on the subjects of building innovation teams and cultures, and discovering / validating promising innovation opportunities. My focus is on disruptive technologies, and in particular data and AI.

Chicago, Il, Us

OCA Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on equity investments in companies with dramatic growth potential, primarily in technology and highly-scalable services businesses. OCA invests in many industries, with a preference for financial services and for-profit education. Over the last decade, OCA has invested three funds in over 30 companies. OCA is based in Chicago and has investments throughout the United States.

Chicago, Il, Us

OCA Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on equity investments in companies with dramatic growth potential, primarily in technology and highly-scalable services businesses. OCA invests in many industries, with a preference for financial services and for-profit education. Over the last decade, OCA has invested three funds in over 30 companies. OCA is based in Chicago and has investments throughout the United States.

Chicago, Il, Us

Brill Street, an OCA Ventures portfolio company, was originally a conventional temporary staffing and contingent recruiting firm. Joe revamped the team, strategy, and product over a one year period.

ArtistData (acquired by Sonicbids) was an online social web platform and tool enabling music artists to manage their online presence. Joe began as an adviser and board member, and then came on to shepherd the company through a period of rapid change through new product development, business development, online lead generation, and viral growth. During this period the company forged relationships with nearly every major music label, and many prominent music artists.

Conceived, designed, and led development of groundbreaking web application with enterprise back-end designed and integrated local client for management of distributed managed devices. Clients included Ford Motor Company, Lockheed Martin, and British Petroleum. The software was licensed by Kodak for remote management of their network of 70,000 photo kiosks. We sold the company in 2002.

Joe founded Digital Design Studios in 1994 with $1,000 cash and a credit card. He quickly grew the company to over 60 employees with offices in St. Louis, Branson, Los Angeles, and Toronto. The company served as a springboard for multiple other companies, with clients such as Bain & Company, Exodus Computer, and Albertson's. Sold the company in 2002.

Blir was a high technology strategy, consulting, and custom development firm. The company specialized in cutting-edge web applications, online marketing / lead generation, and technology strategy for major national companies such as Bain & Company, Exodus, and Sempra Energy.

LoanSurfer.com was one of the top five online mortgage banks in the industry. By leveraging exceptional (at the time) technology, the company acquired substantial market share. Examples include one of the first integrations with Fannie Mae, and a powerful online mortgage support system with audio and video (in 1998!).

One of the first dynamically generated web sites ever created. Originally built upon proprietary code, the company was also one of the earliest B2B2C marketplaces ever created. Won numerous national awards for technology and design.

M.B.A., Entrepreneurship

J.D., 2008

B.S.F.S., International Relations

International Relations