Freshman year over spring break I was mindlessly scrolling on Linkedin when I saw a post about Redhawk Ventures, the student venture fund at Miami University (OH). Its participating students were investing real money in real startups to grow their investing skills and strengthen their school’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. It seemed like a great opportunity for students to learn about VC, and as someone who was exploring their career options, I knew I wanted to participate in a similar experience during my time in college. I quickly tried to find UConn’s student venture fund, and it did not exist.
It seemed like something UConn should have. So, after shooting off a few emails, I had found a few friends to help me bring this to fruition. I owe a tremendous gratitude to Benjamin Morneault who first connected me with Professor Noble. Despite many people rejecting my initially crazy, unrefined idea of establishing UConn’s student venture fund, Professor Noble was one of few who saw potential in the opportunity. He was always there to support the growth of myself and the fund. From connecting me to Alumni in the field to teaching me the nuances of raising capital, this fund would not be a reality without him. Ever since the day I emailed Ben, I have been working to turn this idea into a reality. Today, Hillside Ventures is that reality, UConn’s student venture fund.
Hillside Ventures was founded to address a gap in the training for UConn students: early-stage, private companies. It is an opportunity for students to invest real money in real startups while receiving mentorship and guidance from our panel of expert alumni. The Course started as an independent study with a couple of students trying to raise capital while also navigating the intricacies of a venture fund. Now, we have a full class of 17 students analyzing companies, ready to invest in the next great entrepreneurs.
On the surface, it may seem like this opportunity is aimed at just business students. But that is contrary to our core belief of including students from across campus. This group is open to any gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and major. Anyone interested in learning about the private capital industry is encouraged to apply to the fund and attend VC & PE Society events, which is a student organization to assist those interested in private capital. Unfortunately, the VC industry has excluded people on the basis of race and gender, and we are going to lead the next generation of inclusive investing.
To start, we have begun accepting donations for the initial $1m fund. Our investment focus targets UConn-affiliated entrepreneurs as well as non-UConn affiliated entrepreneurs in three macro-areas of insurtech, sustainability, and edtech. We will begin investment in startups this semester.
If you are interested in participating in the fund or receiving investment please reach out to me (noah.sobel-pressman@uconn.edu). We are excited to work with startups and investors from all across the UConn ecosystem.
This fund would not have been possible without the hard work of students, alumni, staff, and professors this year and last year. Thank you to Melvin Andre, Jaden Brodeur, Alex Candow, Ben Grosse, Kelly Finn, Devin McNamara, Ashley Nelson, Mihir Nene, Karolina Tarnacki, Matt Yang, and Zachary Zambuto. Thank you to Professor Noble and Professor Reilly, and our numerous guest speakers that have so generously donated their time. Thank you to Micheal Van Sambeck and the entire UConn Foundation team. Thank you to Kevin Kulak, Amy Errett, Dan Toscano, and John Fodor for generously providing their support and leverage to make sure my dream became a reality. For this, I will always be grateful.
Now, the hard work begins!
Noah Sobel-Pressman, Founding Managing Director
UConntreprenuership Highlights:
Nate Williams (CLAS ‘98) has raised $29 million for his deeptech VC fund
Bryan Rosenblatt (BUS ‘11), a Principal at Craft Ventures, is on the Board of ClickUp, which just raised a Series B
Are we missing any exciting #UConntreprenuership activity? Comment below or email noah.sobel-pressman@uconn.edu to be featured in the next newsletter.