MBA Ventures

What MBA Ventures does

MBA Ventures is a private, New York-based early-stage venture capital fund and founder network founded in 2023. The firm is led by two General Partners, Monica Aznar (Founding Partner) and Clark Winter, both previously senior investors at Antler VC. MBA Ventures provides pre-seed and seed capital to startups with at least one MBA student or alumnus from a top-tier business school on the founding team, operating as a sector- and geography-agnostic investor.

The firm operates four integrated products: a Fund providing pre-seed/seed equity capital; an invite-only AngelList Syndicate enabling later-stage co-investment; The Valley, an exclusive global network platform for MBA founders featuring co-founder matching (in beta as of summer 2023) and knowledge sharing; and an annual Summit that convenes the community. The fund sources deal flow through on-campus MBA scouts embedded at 15+ top-tier programs including Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, Columbia, MIT, Berkeley, Kellogg, Chicago, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, INSEAD, LBS, HEC Paris, IESE, and IE.

MBA Ventures generates revenue through equity investment returns (transaction-fee model typical of VC). The firm is highly lean, with a stated headcount of two General Partners plus open Investment Partner roles for MBA scouts and interns. As of the latest data, the portfolio comprises 25+ companies across fintech, logistics, health, entertainment, and consumer sectors, with several portfolio companies having raised follow-on capital from top-tier VCs including Sequoia, Y Combinator, 500 Global, Plug and Play, and Norrsken VC.

Name

MBA Ventures

Legal name

MBA Ventures

Website

https://mba-ventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MBA Ventures is a 2023-founded, New York-based early-stage VC fund and network providing pre-seed and seed capital exclusively to startups with MBA student or alumni founders from 15+ top-tier business schools globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE)

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Pre-seed investments
• MBA founder network
• Angel syndicate
• Startup funding

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Equity investment returns: MBA Ventures provides pre-seed and seed capital to startups in exchange for equity ownership. Returns are realized through exits (acquisitions, IPOs) or subsequent funding rounds. The fund is sector and geography agnostic.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MBA Ventures is a global early-stage venture capital fund and network that provides pre-seed and seed capital to startups with an MBA student or alumni on the founding team. It complements its capital deployment with The Valley, an exclusive global community platform for networking and co-founder matching, an invite-only AngelList syndicate for later-stage co-investment, and an annual Summit bringing the community together.

Product overview

MBA Ventures operates as a unified venture capital platform offering four integrated components: a Fund providing pre-seed and seed capital to MBA-founded startups, a Syndicate offering AngelList-based later-stage co-investment opportunities, The Valley platform for exclusive global networking and co-founder matching, and an annual Summit for community events. The Fund is the primary capital deployment vehicle, the Syndicate enables follow-on investments, and The Valley (including its co-founder matching platform) serves as the community and networking infrastructure connecting MBA founders across top-tier schools globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Valley: The exclusive global network platform where MBA student and alumni founders get access to networking, find co-founders, learn and share.

Products and services

• Fund Pre-seed and seed capital provided to startups that have an MBA student or alumni on their founding team. Sector and geography agnostic. Capital is deployed in exchange for equity ownership.
• Syndicate Invite-only syndicate on AngelList that enables outside investors to co-invest alongside MBA Ventures on a deal-by-deal basis for later-stage follow-on opportunities.
• The Valley Exclusive global network platform providing MBA student and alumni founders with access to networking, co-founder matching, learning resources, and community sharing across 15+ top-tier MBA programs.
• Annual Summit An annual Summit that brings together all members of the MBA Ventures community, creating networking, knowledge-sharing, and deal-sourcing opportunities.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Antler: Global early-stage VC and founder generator that sources founders (including MBAs) and pre-seed/seed invests. Both MBA Ventures GPs (Monica Aznar, Clark Winter) were previously at Antler, making it the closest operational and philosophical peer.
• Contrary Capital: Student-led VC fund that invests in companies founded by university students, including MBAs. Operates a similar community/network-driven model with on-campus scouts at top schools, directly overlapping MBA Ventures' deal-sourcing motion.
• Dorm Room Fund: Student-run venture fund backed by First Round Capital that invests in startups founded by current university students. Targets a similar persona (student founders) and is run as a community/network-led model.
• Rough Draft Ventures: Student-led pre-seed fund investing in founders from top universities, managed by General Catalyst. Directly comparable to MBA Ventures in targeting student founders via on-campus scouts.
• Pear VC: Early-stage VC with deep ties to Stanford and other top schools, investing in founders often affiliated with elite university networks. Operates pre-seed and seed strategies with a strong community/brand-led approach.
• 2048 Ventures: Pre-seed/seed fund specifically backing student and recent graduate founders from top universities. Direct overlap with MBA Ventures' student-founder focus and stage.
• Cleo Capital: Pre-seed fund investing in underestimated founders, with significant traction in MBA and top-school networks. Comparable community-driven, founder-persona-focused investment model.

Broad incumbents

• Visible.vc: While primarily a cap-table/investor relations software company, it operates an active investor community and content brand that overlaps with MBA Ventures' community-building approach to deal flow.
• 500 Global: Large global accelerator/VC firm that has co-invested in MBA Ventures' portfolio companies. Operates a global pre-seed/seed program with similar sector-agnostic, founder-first approach, but at significantly greater scale.
• Plug and Play: Global accelerator and early-stage investor that has co-invested in MBA Ventures' portfolio companies. Operates a sector-spanning, network-driven model that competes for similar founder demographics at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mba-ventures-vc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MBA Ventures