The Penn State Smeal College of Business has launched the Propel Penn State Seed Fund, an initiative designed to provide undergraduate students with hands-on experience in venture capital while supporting real-world startups seeking early-stage investment.
The Propel Penn State Seed Fund expands access to undergraduate students interested in venture investing and is modeled after the paradigm of the Garber Venture Capital Fund, which was founded more than 25 years ago and continues to provide graduate students with real-world investing experience. To date, the Garber Fund has made more than 35 investments, deployed $3.5 million in capital and educated nearly 300 graduate students on venture investing and entrepreneurial finance topics.
“The Propel Penn State Seed Fund has a dual mission to expand experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students related to venture investing and entrepreneurial finance topics and to invest in early-stage companies to promote economic development, innovation and sustainable educational programming for the future,” said Michael Zaydon, fund manager and administrator of the Propel Penn State Seed Fund and business development relationship advisor at the Farrell Center.
The seed fund is part of the Propel Business: New Venture & Innovation Program, a hallmark initiative of Smeal’s Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship that provides experiential learning and engagement opportunities that bridge the classroom and the business world. The seed fund offers undergraduate students the chance to explore venture investing topics and apply their knowledge by evaluating, recommending and investing in promising startups.
Full story: Smeal launches Penn State’s first undergraduate-centered venture investment fund | Penn State University
