Government Affairs Agenda

IVCA supports an entrepreneurial spirit in Illinois' public policy that encourages economic and business development and rewards investment in job creation and job relocations. To that end, IVCA's government affairs objectives, developed by the IVCA Legislative Committee and adopted by the IVCA Board of Directors, seek to:

Educate government officials in Illinois about the positive effects venture capital and private equity investment in Illinois has on economic and job growth.

Encourage Illinois officials to promote and maintain a business environment that supports venture capital and private equity investment in Illinois through:

• Increased public pension investment in venture capital and private equity and, all things being equal, with Illinois-based firms.
• An expanded Technology Development Fund.
• Exploration of state initiatives to promote early stage (seed/angel) investment in Illinois companies.
• Removal of disincentives to private equity investing, which include:
  • Advocating for pension fund reform to provide transparent, competitive, performance-based opportunities to access public pension fund investments
  • Clarifying of restrictions on public pension funds’ private equity investing to ensure that any and all restrictions are workable and allow the private equity community to comply
  • Eliminating discriminatory taxes
  • Clarifying the Freedom of Information Act