Vijen Patel (born July 2, 1986) is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He is a founding partner at The 81 Collection, and co-founder of Pressbox, an on-demand laundry and dry cleaning company acquired by Procter & Gamble in 2018 and rebranded as Tide Cleaners.
Early life and education Patel was born in the Chicago metropolitan area. He attended Barrington High School, where he operated a small business reselling Chicago Cubs tickets on eBay. He earned bachelor's degrees in finance and mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 2008.
Career Patel began his career at Goldman Sachs in 2007. In 2008, he joined McKinsey & Company as a business analyst, and in 2011, he became an associate at the private equity firm Friedman Fleischer & Lowe.
In 2013, Patel co-founded Pressbox with Drew McKenna in Chicago, Illinois. The company offered laundry and dry cleaning services through self-service lockers installed in residential and commercial buildings, with orders managed through a mobile application. Pressbox expanded to several U.S. cities before being acquired by Procter & Gamble in 2018 for an undisclosed amount. Following the acquisition, the company was integrated into P&G's Tide Cleaners division. Patel served as its CEO until 2020, when he moved to an advisory role.
In 2021, Patel founded The 81 Collection, a venture capital and growth equity firm headquartered in Chicago and New York. The firm invests in early-stage technology companies in industries such as manufacturing, logistics, construction, infrastructure, and real estate. Its first fund, launched in 2022, raised $41 million, with investors including DNS Capital, the investment office of the Pritzker family, along with over 100 business founders and executives across the United States.
Patel is a member of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Chicago Development Council, which supports local soccer initiatives. He has served on the Chicago Board of Directors for Peer Health Exchange, a nonprofit organization focused on health education for young people.
Views and commentary Patel has commented on venture capital investment trends, highlighting what he views as a funding gap in traditional or “hard” industries such as manufacturing and logistics. He discussed these views during interviews, including an appearance on Bootstrapping in America in 2022. He has been a speaker at events including the Illinois Growth & Innovation Fund Summit and the Mid-Market Summit hosted by Kiser Group.
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