Almost a century old, Thillens is one of the largest independent armored carriers in the Midwest, providing cash pickup and delivery, ATM replenishment, and retail cash solutions to banks, credit unions, and retailers across Illinois and Wisconsin.

“Blake is a no-nonsense, deeply experienced investor — direct, honest, and generous with his time beyond anything I could ask for. He has been one of my biggest sources of support: his conviction in me and in this deal never faded, and that is what made a very difficult process possible. As a board member, that experience and straight talk are priceless.”

Resit Melik, CEO

Blue Peak provides tent and event rental services for high-end private events, corporate programs, and industrial applications nationwide..

“Partner Ventures has been a great partner to us as we build Blue Peak for its next chapter. Blake brings a unique perspective as both an investor and operator and has been a valuable sounding board as we continue to grow. We are grateful to have them on our team.”

Cody Adelizzi/Kyle Pearson– Co-CEOs, Blue Peak

Echo Point is an online bookseller and independent audiobook publisher with a passion for bringing enduringly popular, often complex, and always eclectic titles into audio.

“Blake has been an invaluable partner through my entrepreneurial journey and Echo Point’s growth. As a board member, he balances an investor’s uncompromising growth mindset with a seasoned operator’s understanding of the resource constraints in a small business.”

John O’Brien – CEO Echo Point Books and Media

Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation is the world’s leading surrogacy and egg donation agency with over 2,500 babies born through our programs

“Blake has been instrumental in our success throughout our leadership of Circle – from casual lunches to more in-depth strategic discussions, Blake was an investor that we knew was in our corner and who was immensely interested in helping us grow both as operators and as people”

Sam Hyde, Steuart Botchford – Co-CEOs, Circle Surrogacy

MotionVFX makes top quality software tools for hundreds of thousands of video editors globally: advanced amateurs, YouTubers small & big, as well as global TV stations & movie studios. MotionVFX was sold to Apple in 2026.

“Partner Ventures is a true partner. Blake was instrumental to our success in conducting a search for “one great company to buy and operate” via his tremendous operating and investing experience. He continues to deliver value as a Board member through his global network which gives us access to people who have faced similar problems and find solutions faster.”

Andrzej Basiukiewcz, Wojciech Korpal – Co-CEOs, MotionVFX

Atrenta’s SpyGlass product suite significantly improved design efficiency for the world’s leading semiconductor and consumer electronics companies. Atrenta was acquired in 2015 by Synopsys.

“Partner Ventures learned our business and helped us sell more to existing customers which became the turning point to driving revenue growth and ultimately led to our successful acquisition.”

Bert Clement – Former CFO Atrenta (CEO Retail Solutions)