Dennis Beard built his venture career on hands-on experience that goes beyond typical investing: he was CEO of Home Recovery Group, growing it more than tenfold before its 2008 sale, and later served as interim CEO of Agrible for about seven months before its $63 million sale to Nutrien, all while holding a CPA since 1983 and completing the NVCA Venture Capital Institute. He has also spent more than 20 years connected to the University of Illinois startup community as a charter member of the Entrepreneur-in-Residence program and as a teacher of entrepreneurial finance at both Illinois and Millikin, while serving as Managing Partner at Serra Ventures and Partner and CFO at Open Prairie.