Campus Founders Fund

Our vision is to be the leading Mid-Michigan Venture Fund providing economic impact for the region and the state with new jobs, new companies, and value-added partnerships. Who we are As the premier land grant university, Michigan State University has a presence in every county within the state of Michigan. To complement MSU’s land grant mission, the MSU Research Foundation formed and supported the first Mid-Michigan Venture investment organization, Red Cedar Ventures. Our team supports 4 funds. Pre-Seed Fund Opportunity Fund I Opportunity Fund II Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III Supporting Michigan Startups The focus of these funds is to support early-stage entrepreneurs throughout the state of Michigan. Our funds have significant partnerships and collaborations to assist in its vision. Its close relationships with Michigan State University Technologies and Spartan Innovations provides a robust pipeline of early-stage technologies for cultivation and assessment. Red Cedar Ventures also partners with Spartan Innovations in the facilitation of Conquer Accelerator program. When possible, working with Spartan Innovations, Red Cedar Ventures assists in bridging Industry and Statewide Commercial entities in innovations and partnerships around startups with the vast and talented resources surrounding Michigan State University. The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation empowers students to learn through action by providing programs, courses, and resources to foster an entrepreneurial mindset, develop empathy, and create new ventures – another pipeline created for student startups in search of funding and support. As a member of the Michigan Venture Capital Association, our team works in concert to support startups in Michigan in coordination with Invest Detroit, Invest Michigan, Renaissance Ventures, and other ecosystem partners looking to impact Michigan's economy. Red Cedar Ventures portfolio companies and startups, throughout campus and the Mid-Michigan region, can rent office space at The East Lansing Technology Innovation Center or VanCamp, and access essential resources made available by the MSU Foundation. Our team provides many resources to help launch entrepreneurial ventures including funding, mentorship and coaching, board participation, commercial/market assessment, startup advising, business documentation and support services, partnership opportunities related to MSU, and consulting on overall strategy and execution.

We're a community of students backing outlier startups in Southern California. With 20 partners spanning 12+ universities, we build relationships with SoCal's best founders and companies. As students, we connect with alumni and founders before they're founders. We run a syndicate, connecting SoCal's biggest dreamers with funding from our community of angels. SoCal has a gap between founders and capital.SoCal universities produce top technical talent but its founders have little access to early-stage venture capital. Deal flow from regional universities is opaque for institutional investors - meaning most miss out on the region's outlier returns. And we've bridged it once before. At California Crescent Fund, we invested 20+ portfolio companies to bridge SoCal's best talent with the capital they need. We've worked with our LPs to back outlier companies and make our impact - now, we're spinning out and ready to do it again through a new Syndicate. We're looking for founders who…Have SoCal in their DNA: 1+ founding member being a SoCal student, dropout, or alum. Hold an Unfair GTM Advantage: What makes you the right team to build and sell this product? Build & Test Quickly: Focused on building product, launching fast, and iterating. Chase a "Why Now?" Timing matters: how do you see the world around you right now?

Strand Ventures. provides early-stage funding, mentorship, and a powerful network to student-led startups across the UK. Traditional venture capital firms rarely invest in founders at the idea stage. We bridge that gap by providing student entrepreneurs the capital and resources they need to launch and scale their ventures. Our approach is built on three core pillars: Capital – Early-stage funding to support product development and market entry. Network – Access to investors, mentors, and advisors across multiple industries. Community – A structured support system that connects student entrepreneurs with like-minded peers. Connecting Universities and Venture Capital. Strand Ventures. is built on a university-driven ecosystem, leveraging talent from King’s College London, LSE, UCL, and Imperial. Our deep connections with academic institutions, alumni investors, and industry partners give student founders unparalleled access to funding and mentorship. How We Help Startups. Funding – We provide pre-seed capital to help founders develop and validate their ideas. Mentorship – Our network of investors, alumni, and entrepreneurs guides founders through the early challenges of building a company. Network – We connect student startups with investors, accelerators, and strategic partners to help them scale. What kind of founders are we looking for? We invest in students with bold ideas and the expertise to execute them. Whether you have deep industry knowledge but need help developing your idea, or a well-developed concept but require guidance in execution, we provide the funding and support to turn potential into success. Strand Ventures backs student founders at the earliest stages, focusing on individuals with either: Deep expertise in their field, looking to build a business around their knowledge. A well-developed idea, but needing resources, mentorship, and funding to bring it to life. We don’t just invest in businesses - we invest in people with the vision, resilience, and drive to build something transformative. Why Partner With Strand Ventures? Student founders are shaping the future of innovation. By investing with Strand Ventures., you gain: Early access to promising university startups. Curated deal flow from top UK universities. A long-term impact on the startup ecosystem.

Our vision is to empower the next generation of student entrepreneurs before anyone else. Providing the capital and support they truly need to actualise their ambitions. We are for the next generation of curious, ambitious and innovative students.

As part of a top three public university for raising capital, we have backed more than 125 companies that have brought in more than $2.7 billion in outside capital. Founded in 2000, Illinois Ventures is one of the largest and longest-running university-based venture firms in the country. Other firms have watched us work for decades, but our approach remains unique in two ways. First, we invest early with a connection to the University of Illinois family. From student competitions to venture-stage enterprises, we work closely with founders to navigate challenges and seize the moment. We don’t just write checks. We forge lasting relationships built on trust, collaboration, and share success. Second, we leverage an incredible ecosystem of founders, mentors, researchers, experts, and students. The thousands of people in this ecosystem are dedicated, ready to help, and exceptionally talented. Illinois Ventures is constantly building upon the University of Illinois’ innovative legacy. Regardless of which campus you call home, Illinois Ventures staff members are always available to speak with prospective founders or meet up for a coffee.

S2S Ventures is a fully student-led VC fund from Switzerland, backed by some of the country's most successful entrepreneurs. We provide student founders with a first check to kickstart their startups and work closely with them to raise their pre-seed round. Our team mirrors the founders we support - students, aspiring investors, and entrepreneurs, eager to drive our fund to new heights.