Karin O'Connor is the founder of Perimeter Advisors, an advisory firm that assists owners of promising mid-market companies with planning and execution of value enhancement strategies and is also an active investor in and advisor to early- and growth-stage companies and entrepreneurs.
Since beginning her career at Continental Bank in the 1980's, Karin has invested in and advised entrepreneurs in a variety of industries that includes financial services, business services, software, technology distribution, health care, manufacturing, and consumer services. She has invested at all levels of the capital structure - from senior debt to mezzanine, venture leasing, and equity - and in companies ranging from early stage to mature. She served as an independent director on the boards of several mid-market companies, including Trust Company of Illinois and Laurus Technologies, Inc., and is currently on the advisory boards of Aaron Equipment Company, North Shore Pediatric Therapy, and LumiSource LLC.
From 2011 until 2014, Karin served as Managing Director of Hyde Park Angels, Chicago's largest angel investor network. She invested as an angel in 15 early-stage companies and served as HPA'a representative on the boards of portfolio companies FeeFighters, which was acquired by Groupon, Inc. in 2012, and Moxie Jean, which was acquired by Schoola in 2015. She is currently a Venture Partner at Serra Ventures, an early-stage investment firm headquartered in Champaign, IL, and also serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Illinois Research Park, where she provides advice, counsel and training to start-up companies and prospective technology entrepreneurs, including university faculty and students.
Karin received her BA in Finance from the University of Illinois, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, where she was an F.C. Austin Scholar and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma. Karin received a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charter in 2007.
