# Mark Achler

> Mark Achler is a Series A investor at MATH Venture Partners (Chicago) backing Mobile and Software. See 11 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [MATH Venture Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/math-venture-partners)
- Location: Chicago, United States
- Total investments: 11
- Last investment: Nov 2019
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-achler/0/44/4b4
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/markachler

Mark Achler is a Series A investor at MATH Venture Partners in Chicago focused on Mobile and Software. Mark Achler is Managing Director of MATH Venture Partners. Additionally, Mark teaches Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business. Prior to MATH, Mark was the Senior Vice President of New Business, Strategy and Innovation for Redbox. He is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded four companies as well being a partnerin an earlier venture fund called Kettle Partners. Mark has an undergraduate degree in Social Studies Education from Purdue University and is a frequent speaker, resource and ardent champion for the entrepreneurial community.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobile | 3 | 27% |
| Software | 3 | 27% |
| Big Data | 2 | 18% |
| Education | 2 | 18% |
| Apps | 1 | 9% |

28 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 4 | 36% |
| Series B | 4 | 36% |
| Seed | 1 | 9% |
| Series C | 1 | 9% |
| Series D | 1 | 9% |

6 stages tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 6 | 55% |
| Canada | 1 | 9% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Apervita | With wasteful healthcare spending in the U.S. estimated at $935 billion, we take our role as a healthcare innovator very seriously. Simply put, we’re on a mission to transform quality measurement and care delivery.To drive toward a Learning Health System—a framework that drives better outcomes and cost efficiencies across the health ecosystem—theindustry has to commit to real change. Apervita is that change. Through our solutions and trusted collaboration platform, we’re committed to making the Learning Health System a reality, making healthcare smarter and ultimately improving patient care.As we move into our next phase of growth, we’re looking for passionate and fearless professionals to help us pursue our mission. We’ve earned the trust of our investors, including Optum Ventures, Baird Capital, Pritzker Group Venture Capital and Math Venture Partners, to further grow and scale our business. We’ve also been recognized as an industry leader by Gartner, CIOReview, Healthcare Tech Outlook, and Healthcare Informatics. Always in search of the next “first,” Apervita was named the first company to certify electronic clinical quality measures from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) using our proprietary clinical quality language (CQL) ingestion engine. And, we were recently awarded by Healthcare Innovation for our innovative work with The Joint Commission, one of the nation’s largest regulatory organizations.We believe we’re making a difference every day to drive improvements in quality care that lead to better patient outcomes with a lower cost of care. We’re honored to be on this incredibly important journey to build a better healthcare system. | $22M |  | Nov 12, 2019 |  |
| NowSecure | NowSecure is a mobile app security software company delivering fully automated mobile app security testing with the speed, accuracy, and efficiency necessary for Agile and DevSecOps environments. It can identify the broadest array of security threats, compliance gaps, and privacy issues in custom-developed, commercial, and business-critical mobileapps. These offerings are also provided as a managed service or independent 3rd party app verification. NowSecure was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. | $15M | Series B | Jun 28, 2019 |  |
| rMark Bio | rMark Bio's patented intelligence platform, Fabric, unites the real-time business objectives of a pharmaceutical company with the current activities of academic and clinical researchers to deliver next best decisions that remove inefficiencies and increase the ROI in thought leader engagements. | $1.5M | Seed | Feb 07, 2019 |  |
| Packback | Packback is a social learning platform powered by a proprietary A.I. that college professors use to help their students fall in love with the subject matter, drive personalized learning, and most importantly, quantify and improve critical thinking skills. | $2.5M | Series B | Jan 29, 2019 |  |
| Tulip Retail | Tulip Retail is the world’s first cloud-based retail platform built exclusively for store associates. It was founded in 2013 by a team of mobile and e-commerce experts who are passionate about shaping the future in-store experience. Dedicated to store associate empowerment, Tulip is bringing the best of online shopping to the selling floor with anintuitive, simple to use mobile app that enables: assisted selling, endless aisle, clienteling, store communications and point of sale. Leading retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue, Kate Spade, Coach, Frye Boots, Bonobos, and Toys”R”Us use Tulip to help them deliver an unparalleled omnichannel shopping experience. | $8.8M | Series A | Mar 08, 2016 |  |
| ThinkCERCA | ThinkCERCA’s personalized literacy platform helps educators teach critical thinking skills through argumentative writing. With students and teachers using its platform in all 50 states and 130 countries, the company has partnered with prominent education leaders, including Follett Corporation, and has been featured by The Atlantic and EdSurge. A2016 SIAA CODiE Awards finalist in the Best Learning Capacity-Building Solution and Best Reading/English/Language Arts Instructional Solution categories, ThinkCERCA has also been named one of the best tools in ed tech by Common Sense’s Graphite. In July 2013, ThinkCERCA was the recipient of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Literacy Courseware Challenge grant, and in December 2012, graduated from the inaugural class of Impact Engine’s social impact accelerator. To learn more, please visit ThinkCERCA.com | $3.2M | Series A | Mar 11, 2015 |  |
| Apervita | With wasteful healthcare spending in the U.S. estimated at $935 billion, we take our role as a healthcare innovator very seriously. Simply put, we’re on a mission to transform quality measurement and care delivery.To drive toward a Learning Health System—a framework that drives better outcomes and cost efficiencies across the health ecosystem—theindustry has to commit to real change. Apervita is that change. Through our solutions and trusted collaboration platform, we’re committed to making the Learning Health System a reality, making healthcare smarter and ultimately improving patient care.As we move into our next phase of growth, we’re looking for passionate and fearless professionals to help us pursue our mission. We’ve earned the trust of our investors, including Optum Ventures, Baird Capital, Pritzker Group Venture Capital and Math Venture Partners, to further grow and scale our business. We’ve also been recognized as an industry leader by Gartner, CIOReview, Healthcare Tech Outlook, and Healthcare Informatics. Always in search of the next “first,” Apervita was named the first company to certify electronic clinical quality measures from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) using our proprietary clinical quality language (CQL) ingestion engine. And, we were recently awarded by Healthcare Innovation for our innovative work with The Joint Commission, one of the nation’s largest regulatory organizations.We believe we’re making a difference every day to drive improvements in quality care that lead to better patient outcomes with a lower cost of care. We’re honored to be on this incredibly important journey to build a better healthcare system. | $18M | Series A | Jan 07, 2015 |  |
| NowSecure | NowSecure is a mobile app security software company delivering fully automated mobile app security testing with the speed, accuracy, and efficiency necessary for Agile and DevSecOps environments. It can identify the broadest array of security threats, compliance gaps, and privacy issues in custom-developed, commercial, and business-critical mobileapps. These offerings are also provided as a managed service or independent 3rd party app verification. NowSecure was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. | $12.5M | Series A | Dec 02, 2014 |  |
| Novarra | Novarra, Inc. provides wireless Internet solutions. It offers mobile search, portals, advertising, and Web access in mobile phones. The company provides Internet Mobility that deploys of wireless networks and devices, including mass-market phones, Smartphones, and PDAs. It also offers Vision Platform, which provides solutions for mobile dataservices, such as mobile Internet, video, Web 2.0, advertising, location, and ODPs; and Vision Mobile Web platform, a carrier-grade content transformation server. In addition, the company offers Vision Multimedia Platform that provides real-time transformation of video, audio, and flash animation content; and Vision Advertising Platform, which offers an advertising engine component for the delivery and management of graphical and animated advertisements. It serves mobile network operators, wireless handset manufacturers, Web content providers, and enterprises. Novarra, Inc. was formerly known as Infospeed Communications, Inc. and changed its name in 2000. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It has locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Thailand. | $3M | Series D | Dec 19, 2003 |  |
| Novarra | Novarra, Inc. provides wireless Internet solutions. It offers mobile search, portals, advertising, and Web access in mobile phones. The company provides Internet Mobility that deploys of wireless networks and devices, including mass-market phones, Smartphones, and PDAs. It also offers Vision Platform, which provides solutions for mobile dataservices, such as mobile Internet, video, Web 2.0, advertising, location, and ODPs; and Vision Mobile Web platform, a carrier-grade content transformation server. In addition, the company offers Vision Multimedia Platform that provides real-time transformation of video, audio, and flash animation content; and Vision Advertising Platform, which offers an advertising engine component for the delivery and management of graphical and animated advertisements. It serves mobile network operators, wireless handset manufacturers, Web content providers, and enterprises. Novarra, Inc. was formerly known as Infospeed Communications, Inc. and changed its name in 2000. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It has locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Thailand. | $20M | Series C | Jul 27, 2001 |  |

10 of 11 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Baird Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/baird-capital) — VC Fund, 4 deals together
- [Jump Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jump-capital) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [DRW Venture Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/drw-venture-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Forgepoint Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/forgepoint-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [GE Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ge-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [HPA (Hyde Park Angels)](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/hyde-park-angels) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About MATH Venture Partners

VC Fund · Chicago, United States

MATH Venture Partners is an early to middle-stage fund managed by a seasoned team of hands-on investors and operators. We look for entrepreneurial teams that have customer acquisition as part of their core DNA. It is this maniacal focus, deep appreciation for process and exceptional talent that makes them stand out. MATH forms deep and personalpartnerships with entrepreneurs. We have built and scaled many large companies to successful exits. Both of our Managing Directors are serial entrepreneurs and teachers at heart. We love to partner with coachable founding teams that strive to constantly improve. Let's build something great together.

2 contacts available at MATH Venture Partners.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mark Achler | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mark-achler |
| Troy Henikoff | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/troy-henikoff |

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund
- [General Catalyst](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/general-catalyst-partners) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Mark Achler invest in?

Mark Achler invests primarily in Mobile, Software and Big Data startups, most often at Series A and Series B stage. Most of the 11 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Mark Achler last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Mark Achler closed in Nov 2019. Shizune tracks 11 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

# About Shizune
Shizune.co is an investor database. Core features:
- 48,091 startup investors (angels, VCs, accelerators, and others)
- Email, phone, LinkedIn (for intros), socials, and other contact data
- Updated daily from public funding news
- CSV and Excel export

The User can access the full database FOR FREE after signing up: shizune.co