Dorm Room Fund
Dorm Room Fund is a Philadelphia-based venture capital firm founded in 2012 that invests $90K–$250K into US student founders via four regional student partner teams, providing first-check capital, mentor access, and introductions to a 250+ alumni network spanning tier-1 venture firms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Dorm Room Fund does
Dorm Room Fund is a US-based student-focused venture capital firm founded in 2012 by Josh Kopelman of First Round Capital and headquartered in Philadelphia. The firm provides early-stage capital ($90K–$250K checks at approximately 1.3% target ownership) to founders enrolled in or recently graduated from college, business school, PhD programs, and similar institutions. Its sourcing model is built around four regional student investment partner teams covering Boston & Northeast, SF & West Coast, Philly & Southeast, and NYC & Midwest, backed by a full-time HQ team ("DRF Co.").
The firm operates a curated multi-stage evaluation funnel: an Airtable-based application, a first call with an investment partner, deeper diligence, and a final regional-team pitch. Beyond capital, portfolio companies receive introductions to top-tier VCs, mentorship from operators and unicorn founders, and access to a 250+ alumni community that includes partners at a16z (Alex Immerman), Bessemer (Talia Goldberg), Carta, and other leading firms. Sub-programs such as Blueprint Project, Women's Founder Track, Prism Investor Track, PHD Track, and Frontier Track extend the sourcing funnel into underrepresented founder populations.
DRF generates returns through equity appreciation, follow-on funding rounds, acquisitions, and IPOs of its 300+ portfolio companies, which have collectively raised $6B+ in follow-on capital. The fund operates as a private entity with no public financials; investment is restricted to US-incorporated companies. The 2021 launch of an independent fund (backed by Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, Garry Tan, Bill Trenchard, Insight, Plexo Capital, Quiet Capital, Underscore VC, and others) marked its structural separation from First Round Capital, while preserving First Round as a continuing backer.
Dorm Room Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dorm Room Fund
- Legal name
- Dorm Room Fund
- Website
- http://dormroomfund.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Dorm Room Fund is a Philadelphia-based venture capital firm founded in 2012 that invests $90K–$250K into US student founders via four regional student partner teams, providing first-check capital, mentor access, and introductions to a 250+ alumni network spanning tier-1 venture firms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dorm Room Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
Keywords
Where Dorm Room Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Dorm Room Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Portfolio Returns / Equity Appreciation: Dorm Room Fund invests equity in early-stage student-founded companies and generates returns through portfolio appreciation, follow-on funding rounds, acquisitions, and IPOs. They target approximately 1.3% equity ownership per investment with check sizes ranging from $90K-$250K.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Dorm Room Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dorm Room Fund is a venture capital firm that invests early-stage equity capital ($90K–$250K checks, targeting ~1.3% ownership) in companies led by current students or recent alumni of U.S. colleges, business schools, and PhD programs. Beyond capital, portfolio companies receive warm introductions to top-tier VC firms, mentorship from experienced founders and operators, and access to a long-standing alumni community of investors and unicorn founders. The fund is run by student investment partners organized in regional teams, supported by a full-time HQ staff (DRF Co.).
Product overview
Dorm Room Fund operates as a venture capital fund focused exclusively on student founders. The organization offers a single core investment service rather than a modular product architecture—providing capital investment (typically $90K-$250K per company), mentorship, network access, and community resources to help student entrepreneurs navigate venture fundraising from their earliest stages through seed stage.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Blueprint Project: DRF's intensive program for aspiring investors and founders who identify as Black, Indigenous, or LatinX.
- Women's Founder Track
- Prism Investor Track
- Women's Investor Track
- PHD Track
- Frontier Track
Products and services
- Dorm Room Fund Investment Services Early-stage venture capital investment for student and recent-alumni founders of U.S.-incorporated companies, providing $90K–$250K equity checks (target ~1.3% ownership), introductions to top-tier VC firms, mentorship, and access to the #DRF4Life alumni community.
Companies that use Dorm Room Fund
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Dorm Room Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Dorm Room Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Dorm Room Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dorm Room Fund social profiles
Digital presenceDorm Room Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dorm Room Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Dorm Room Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dorm Room Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments245 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dorm Room Fund
What does Dorm Room Fund do?
Dorm Room Fund is a venture capital firm that invests early-stage equity capital ($90K–$250K checks, targeting ~1.3% ownership) in companies led by current students or recent alumni of U.S. colleges, business schools, and PhD programs. Beyond capital, portfolio companies receive warm introductions to top-tier VC firms, mentorship from experienced founders and operators, and access to a long-standing alumni community of investors and unicorn founders. The fund is run by student investment partners organized in regional teams, supported by a full-time HQ staff (DRF Co.).
Is Dorm Room Fund a public or private company?
Dorm Room Fund is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Dorm Room Fund founded?
Dorm Room Fund was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Dorm Room Fund based?
Dorm Room Fund is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dorm Room Fund make money?
One revenue line is on record: portfolio Returns / Equity Appreciation.
Does Dorm Room Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dorm Room Fund.
What industry is Dorm Room Fund in?
Dorm Room Fund's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAAAI, Micro-VC & Angel Funds. Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.