IU Ventures

What IU Ventures does

IU Ventures is the early-stage venture and angel investment arm of Indiana University, founded in 2018 through the rebranding of the former Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation (IURTC). The organization serves three constituent groups: IU-affiliated accredited investors, IU-affiliated entrepreneurs (students, alumni, and faculty), and the broader Indiana innovation ecosystem. It operates three core programs — the IU Angel Network (a membership-based angel investing group), the IU Philanthropic Venture Fund (an evergreen venture fund capitalized initially with $11 million from Indiana University and targeted to grow to $50 million), and the IU Founders and Funders Network (a community-building program) — and supplements these with The Quarry, a faculty-focused entrepreneur support program.

The core operating technology is a curated deal-flow pipeline combined with an online investment collaboration platform for Angel Network members; the third-party Gust platform serves as the investor portal for deal review, diligence documentation, and syndicate administration. The organization screens roughly 150 companies per year and presents 10-12 to its membership, with the Philanthropic Venture Fund having executed 14 or more investments to date across AI (Genie), supply chain/logistics (Stock), and life sciences, among other verticals.

The business model rests on three revenue and capital streams: (1) annual membership dues of $1,500 per Angel Network member, (2) tax-deductible donations routed through the IU Foundation that flow into the Philanthropic Venture Fund, and (3) equity returns from portfolio investments that are recycled into the evergreen fund. Strategic positioning is reinforced by National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) membership, an affiliation with Osage University Partners, and the 2021 TechPoint Mira Award for Investor of the Year. Recent moves include a 2026 partnership with The Wisory to integrate the IntelliQ-U diligence platform and a 2026 partnership with the Institute for Preferred Capital to broaden access to underrepresented founders.

Name

IU Ventures

Legal name

IU Ventures

Website

https://iuventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IU Ventures is Indiana University's early-stage venture and angel investment arm, providing capital, community, and commercialization support to IU-affiliated startups, accredited alumni investors, and faculty researchers through its Angel Network, evergreen Philanthropic Venture Fund, and Founders and Funders Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Services

NAICS

Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

Keywords

• Angel investing network
• Venture capital fund
• Philanthropic venture funding
• Startup incubation services
• University entrepreneurship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. IU Angel Network Membership Fees: Recurring annual membership dues of $1,500 paid by accredited IU-affiliated individual investors for access to the Angel Network platform, curated deal flow, diligence support, and networking events. Funds the operations of the Angel Network including administrative services and the online collaboration platform.
2. IU Philanthropic Venture Fund Donations: Tax-deductible philanthropic donations from IU donors and friends, processed through the IU Foundation. Initial $11M committed by Indiana University with plans to grow to $50M. Donors receive Bicentennial Campaign and Lifetime Giving credit, periodic fund updates, and annual gatherings. Equity realizations are recycled into the fund for reinvestment (evergreen model).
3. Equity Investment Returns: Capital gains from equity investments in portfolio companies (seed, Series A, B, and pro rata in subsequent rounds) ranging from $100K to $1M per company. Returns are reinvested in the evergreen fund structure rather than distributed to LPs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IU Ventures operates the early-stage venture and angel investment arm of Indiana University, running an accredited-investor Angel Network, a philanthropic evergreen venture fund that recycles equity returns for reinvestment, and The Quarry entrepreneur support program for IU faculty. It curates deal flow, performs diligence, and co-invests personal capital from members and donor capital into U.S.-based, IU-affiliated seed and Series A startups.

Product overview

IU Ventures operates as a platform-plus-programs organization rather than a single unified software product. The IU Ventures brand (relaunched in 2018 from the former IURTC) anchors a portfolio of interlocking programs: the IU Angel Network (an accredited-investor membership network using the Gust platform for deal access), the IU Philanthropic Venture Fund (a philanthropic-style investment fund), the IU Founders & Funders Network (a cross-campus membership community for founders, including the Founders Council), and The Quarry (a faculty/staff entrepreneur support program). These programs sit under the broader IU Innovates initiative, which ties together pitch competitions, the StartupIU community, and related university-affiliated commercialization activity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IU Philanthropic Venture Fund: Evergreen philanthropic venture fund managed by the IU Ventures team that invests donor capital into IU-affiliated early-stage companies.
• IU Angel Network
• IU Founders and Funders Network
• The Quarry

Products and services

• IU Angel Network
• IU Philanthropic Venture Fund
• IU Founders & Funders Network
• The Quarry
• IU Innovates

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50% of fund investments since 2018 have gone to women- or minority-led companies
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• The WisorycoreTechnology or Integration · 17 June 2026The Wisory and IU Ventures announced a strategic partnership to support evaluation of investment opportunities from Indiana University-affiliated companies using The Wisory's IntelliQ-U platform. The IntelliQ-U platform provides IU Ventures with diligence frameworks and insights into business readiness and growth potential to assess companies seeking investment. The collaboration is part of The Wisory's University Program, which supports university-affiliated venture capital and angel investment funds.
• IU InnovatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts the IU Founders and Funders Network Venture Summit. IU Innovates is a new initiative that advances entrepreneurship at Indiana University, co-led by Julie Heath. The two organizations collaborate on the IU Innovates Student Startup Showcase and other programming that supports IU-affiliated founders.
• Osage University Partners (OUP)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership strengthens IU Ventures' network of potential co-investors. High-tech companies that seek venture capital and have been launched by Indiana University students, faculty, staff or alumni could benefit from this partnership. Pennsylvania-based OUP specializes in university-affiliated venture investments.
• Paragraph VenturesmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presents the Hoosier Startups showcase session at the 2026 Venture Summit alongside IU Angel Network and Flywheel Fund, spotlighting high-potential startups with ties to Indiana.
• Flywheel FundmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presents the Hoosier Startups showcase session at the 2026 Venture Summit alongside IU Angel Network and Paragraph Ventures, spotlighting high-potential startups. Event sponsor of the Venture Summit.
• Western Alliance Bancorporation (Bridge Bank)moderateGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle Sponsor of the 2026 IU Founders and Funders Network Venture Summit. Also an IU Angel Network sponsor. Ryan Dammeyer serves as both a Western Alliance executive and an active angel investor affiliated with the program.
• Amundsen Davis LLCmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle Sponsor of the 2026 Venture Summit. Larry Tomlin, a partner at Amundsen Davis, introduced keynote speaker Richard Gunderman at the 2026 Summit.
• TechPointmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent Sponsor of the 2026 Venture Summit. TechPoint awarded IU Ventures the 2021 Mira Award - Investor of the Year and is a key partner in the Indiana tech ecosystem.
• Elevate VenturesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent Sponsor of the 2026 Venture Summit. Indiana-based venture development organization.
• Venture Club of IndianaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent Sponsor of the 2026 Venture Summit. Indiana-based angel investor network.
• BridgeBankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIU Angel Network Sponsor. Provides instrumental support in helping drive innovation and entrepreneurial success at Indiana University.
• PerkinsCoieminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIU Angel Network Sponsor. Law firm providing legal support to the IU entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Gutwein LawminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent Sponsor of the 2026 Venture Summit. Provides legal services to the IU startup community.
• BioCrossroadsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent Sponsor of the 2026 Venture Summit. Indiana-based life sciences and healthcare innovation initiative.
• 16 Tech (Indiana Design and Technology Innovation Hub)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent Sponsor of the 2026 Venture Summit. Indianapolis-based innovation hub.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Osage University Partners: Pennsylvania-based venture firm specializing in university-affiliated investments; explicit strategic partner of IU Ventures and a co-investor in the same university-spinout deal flow, making it the most directly comparable peer in the university-affiliated venture niche.
• Alumni Ventures Group: Largest U.S. alumni-affiliated venture firm pooling capital from alumni of many universities; operates a similar 'community/fund' model that curates deals from university ecosystems and recruits accredited alumni investors, directly comparable in mission and structure to IU Ventures' Angel Network.

Regional players

• Elevate Ventures: Indiana-based statewide venture development organization; directly competes for Indiana-headquartered deal flow and is a co-marketing partner/event sponsor with IU Ventures, making it the most direct regional peer.
• M25: Chicago-based early-stage venture firm focused on the Midwest; co-invested with IU Ventures in Stock's $1.5M pre-seed round and participates in IU-affiliated deal flow, making it a closely overlapping regional peer.
• High Alpha: Indianapolis-based venture studio and fund that builds and invests in B2B SaaS startups; competes for Indiana deal flow and ecosystem mindshare alongside IU Ventures.
• Allos Ventures: Indianapolis-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in Midwest technology companies; an established Indiana VC peer that competes for the same local early-stage deals.
• VisionTech Partners: Indiana-based angel network and early-stage fund; comparable model to the IU Angel Network in mobilizing individual investors around a regional/affiliated thesis.
• Flywheel Fund: Indiana-based pre-seed and seed fund; co-presents the Hoosier Startups showcase at IU Ventures' Venture Summit and competes for the same Indiana early-stage deal pool.

Others

• TechPoint: Indiana's technology industry accelerator and the awarding body of the Mira Awards (which named IU Ventures Investor of the Year in 2021); comparable as an Indiana tech-ecosystem orchestrator and a close ecosystem partner rather than direct investor.

Broad incumbents

• Rev1 Ventures: Ohio-based startup studio and venture fund affiliated with The Ohio State University; the closest large-scale peer to IU Ventures' combination of an angel network, venture fund, and university-affiliated founder support programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=Bo3BBp0mNvU
• Xx.com/IUFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iuventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments48 records

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Frequently asked questions about IU Ventures