Jim Jay

Jim Jay is a longtime Indiana technology executive and investor, currently Managing Partner and a founding member of Chatham Venture Partners in the Indianapolis/Carmel area. A high-honors graduate of Butler University with a double degree in political science and history, he began his career in public service on the Washington staff of U.S. Senator Richard Lugar before moving into a series of operating and executive roles. Earlier in his career he served as president of Indianapolis-based Elim, Inc. (financial analysis, operations, marketing and strategic planning for for-profit and non-profit organizations) and directed marketing and strategic planning for Anthem's (now Elevance/WellPoint) AdminaStar Communications, including merger, acquisition and integration work. He also co-founded and sold a technology company before entering the state's innovation-ecosystem leadership.

Jay is best known statewide for his roughly nine-year tenure as President and CEO of TechPoint, Indiana's statewide technology-growth initiative representing public companies, private businesses, universities and economic-development organizations. During that period he greatly expanded the Orr Fellowship talent program (growing it from roughly 8–10 participants to 150–175) and, through TechPoint Ventures, Inc., led the investment of more than $20 million of early-stage capital into 14 Indiana-based tech companies via HALO Capital Group, which he launched in 2009.

Today Jay invests through Chatham Venture Partners while also serving as Chairman, President and CEO of Vinculum Communications, Inc., a San Diego–based VoIP/carrier-services company operating since 2001 that he helped lead through a multi-year turnaround. His email ([hidden]) and phone reflect that Vinculum affiliation.

Beyond technology, Jay has a notable civic and personal footprint: he founded "41 and Change," a coffee company supporting Young Life work in Nicaragua, and co-founded New Day, a Christ-centered mental-health and addiction-treatment effort. He is a descendant of Founding Father John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States, and resides in Carmel, Indiana with his wife Marcia and their four sons.

• Invests at the seed and early-venture stage, with Chatham Ventures typically writing checks in the ~$250K–$1M range into early-stage companies (with a Midwest/Indiana emphasis).
• Backs founders first: in his own words, "Anything, whether you're starting a business or investing, it all starts with people."
• Sector-agnostic within technology, with a track record spanning B2B software/SaaS, sales and marketing tools, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, healthcare IT and communications.
• Values operating help alongside capital — Chatham positions itself as "helping promising early-stage companies succeed," reflecting Jay's hands-on, ecosystem-builder background.
• Strong pattern of investing in and building Indiana companies, leveraging deep local networks (TechPoint, Orr Fellowship, HALO Capital Group).