The MBA Fund

What The MBA Fund does

The MBA Fund is a venture capital firm founded in 2018 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, that invests exclusively in student, alumni, and dropout founders from four target business schools: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and Berkeley Haas. The firm operates a community-led model in which campus investment partners at each school source deals, run pitch competitions, and provide ongoing portfolio support. As of the latest available data, the fund has made more than 150 early-stage investments across Fund I and Fund II, with portfolio outcomes including at least one unicorn (Vise) and a confirmed exit (DataFleets, acquired by LiveRamp).

The fund's core products are its two flagship investment vehicles (Fund I and Fund II) and an invite-only AngelList syndicate that brings later-stage co-investment opportunities to accredited investors. The firm does not sell technology or charge portfolio companies directly; instead, it earns revenue through the standard venture capital model of management fees on committed capital (typically 2%) and carried interest on profitable exits (typically 20%). Portfolio companies also benefit from introductions to follow-on capital from top-tier firms including Sequoia, Founders Fund, Accel, Bessemer, and Lightspeed.

The general partner team is composed of repeat operators and investors: Josh Hoffman-Senn and Hansae Catlett as co-founders and general partners, Hiro Tien as general partner, and Julia Maltby and Iynna Halilou as additional general partners. The firm runs a continuous sourcing engine through student campus leads, publishes content via a company blog, and conducts annual pitch competitions at target schools. A recent strategic extension includes cross-border co-investment, with participation in Beijing-based ThetaWave AI's Pre-A round in January 2026.

Name

The MBA Fund

Legal name

The MBA Fund

Website

https://thembafund.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The MBA Fund is a Palo Alto-based venture capital firm that invests in student, alumni, and dropout founders from Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton, and Berkeley Haas, deploying capital through Fund I, Fund II, and an AngelList syndicate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Seed-stage investing
• AngelList syndicate
• Founder mentorship
• University-affiliated investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management: The MBA Fund generates revenue through management fees on committed capital from Fund I and Fund II, plus carried interest (performance fees) on successful exits and returns to LP investors. Additional revenue comes from their AngelList syndicate management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The MBA Fund is a venture capital firm that provides early-stage equity capital to student, alumni, and dropout founders from Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Wharton, and Berkeley Haas. It deploys capital through two flagship funds (Fund I and Fund II) and an invite-only AngelList syndicate for later-stage co-investments. Beyond capital, the firm offers portfolio companies operational support, hiring assistance, customer introductions, and access to follow-on investors such as Sequoia, Founders Fund, Accel, Bessemer, and Lightspeed.

Product overview

The MBA Fund is a venture capital firm offering a unified investment platform rather than a product suite. Its core offerings consist of two flagship funds (Fund I and Fund II) that provide early-stage capital to founders from top business schools, supplemented by an AngelList syndicate for later-stage deal participation. The firm's portfolio spans over 100 companies across various sectors including fintech, healthtech, AI, and enterprise software. The fund does not offer a technology product but rather investment capital, network access, and operational support to portfolio companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Funds (Fund I and Fund II) Flagship early-stage venture capital vehicles that have made over 150 investments in student, alumni, and dropout founders from Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and The Wharton School, providing equity capital plus operational and network support.
• AngelList Syndicate Invite-only AngelList syndicate managed by The MBA Fund that brings later-stage deals to accredited investors, allowing them to invest alongside the firm on a deal-by-deal basis.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AngelListcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe MBA Fund manages an invite-only syndicate on AngelList, bringing later-stage deals to accredited investors for co-investment opportunities on a deal-by-deal basis.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pear VC: Pre-seed and seed venture firm co-founded by Pejman Nozad and Mar Hershenson with deep Stanford and university roots; competes for the same Stanford MBA/alumni founders and offers a larger platform.
• Backstage Capital: Early-stage fund investing in underestimated founders including those from underrepresented business school backgrounds; competes for the same alumni-led pre-seed deal flow at top schools.
• HOF Capital: Multi-stage venture firm where MBA Fund co-founder Hansae Catlett is also a Partner; invests in applied AI, B2B software, and deep tech, overlapping with The MBA Fund's sector exposure and co-investor universe.
• Moxxie Ventures: Pre-seed and seed fund focused on diverse and non-traditional founders; previous employer of Iynna Halilou and a likely co-investor or competitor in the same early-stage MBA-founder pipeline.

Direct peers

• Dorm Room Fund: Student-led venture fund backed by First Round Capital that invests in founders with student or recent-graduate backgrounds; operates a campus investment partner model nearly identical to The MBA Fund's sourcing approach.
• Rough Draft Ventures: Pre-seed fund backed by General Catalyst that invests in student founders using a network of student venture partners at universities; competes for the same early signal on student-led startups.
• Contrary Capital: Venture firm built on a network of student analysts at top universities who source and support early-stage startups; mirrors The MBA Fund's reliance on campus talent for deal flow and community-driven thesis.

Emerging players

• South Park Commons: Founder community and pre-seed fund that engages technologists and operators, including those from top universities; overlaps with The MBA Fund's community-led pre-seed model.

Others

• Flybridge Capital: Early-stage venture firm where General Partner Julia Maltby also invests; overlapping LP/investor base and likely co-investor in portfolio companies emerging from the MBA Fund pipeline.
• Bessemer Venture Partners: Top-tier multi-stage VC and frequent follow-on investor in The MBA Fund's portfolio companies; also the prior employer of co-founder Hansae Catlett, making it both a co-investor and an ecosystem anchor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thembafund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments75 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The MBA Fund