A-Level Capital
A-Level Capital is a student-run venture capital firm founded in 2015 that provides pre-seed and seed funding to startups founded by Johns Hopkins University students, alumni, and affiliates, managing over $2 million in assets across two funds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBaltimore, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What A-Level Capital does
A-Level Capital is a student-run venture capital firm that invests exclusively in startups founded by Johns Hopkins University students, alumni, and affiliates. Founded in 2015 by Elizabeth Galbut and Demi Obayomi while they were JHU students, the firm operates from Baltimore, MD, and structures itself around three constituencies: Hopkins-affiliated founders (its portfolio), Hopkins undergraduates (its talent and intern pipeline), and a bench of professional advisors drawn from established venture firms.
The firm manages two committed funds. The inaugural 2015 fund closed at $500,000, and the 2021 Fund 2 was raised at more than four times that size (over $2,000,000 in cumulative AUM). Investments are deployed directly into portfolio companies at check sizes of $40,000–$100,000, predominantly at pre-seed and seed stages with selective participation in Series A and Series B. Sourcing relies on a combination of inbound deal flow (via website, newsletter, social channels) and outbound targeting of JHU-affiliated founders. Diligence is conducted by the student team with forward to professional advisors for investment decisions; the firm then supports portfolio companies with introductions to follow-on capital and access to JHU student interns.
The business model is conventional emerging-manager economics: management fees on committed AUM plus carried interest on realized gains. The firm is industry-agnostic within its Hopkins ecosystem mandate, and its disclosed portfolio spans biotech (Insilico Medicine, Proscia), healthtech (Elemy, Sonavex, Siren), enterprise software (Cerbrec, Yet Analytics), fintech (Arkifi), consumer AI (Leap AI), and education technology (GiveCampus). Several portfolio companies have achieved significant follow-on financings — notably Elemy's $219M SoftBank-led round at a $1.15B valuation and Insilico Medicine's $255M Series C — which support the firm's "first-check" value proposition to early-stage Hopkins founders.
Since revenue, carry, and AUM granularity are not publicly disclosed beyond the headline $2M+ figure, the firm's economics operate at emerging-manager scale with a primary strategic emphasis on ecosystem-building rather than asset-management revenue capture.
A-Level Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- A-Level Capital
- Legal name
- A-Level Capital, LLC
- Website
- https://alevelcapital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- A-Level Capital is a student-run venture capital firm founded in 2015 that provides pre-seed and seed funding to startups founded by Johns Hopkins University students, alumni, and affiliates, managing over $2 million in assets across two funds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
A-Level Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+) (FSANAAAC)
Keywords
Where A-Level Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Baltimore
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
A-Level Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Returns (Carry and Management Fees): As a VC firm, A-Level Capital generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. They raised $500K for their inaugural fund in 2015 and more than quadruple that amount for Fund 2.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
A-Level Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
A-Level Capital is a student-run venture capital firm that provides pre-seed, seed, and select Series A/B equity investments to startups founded by Johns Hopkins University alumni and affiliates. The firm deploys capital in check sizes of $40-100K from two managed funds and supplements capital with advisor network access, follow-on fundraising support, and an internship pipeline connecting JHU students to portfolio companies.
Product overview
A-Level Capital is a student-run venture capital firm, not a product company. It does not offer software products or services. The organization provides investment capital, advisory support, internship opportunities, and network access to early-stage startups led by Johns Hopkins University alumni and affiliates. Its portfolio consists of over 40 exited investments across various sectors including biotech, healthtech, enterprise software, fintech, and climate tech.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Inaugural Fund (Fund 1)
- Fund 2
- Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A and Series B Equity Investments
- Portfolio Company Advisory and Network Support
- JHU Student Internship Pipeline for Portfolio Companies
Quantifiable outcome
- 43+ investments made since founding in 2015
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use A-Level Capital
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
A-Level Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
A-Level Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreCore ecosystem partner - A-Level Capital is deeply integrated with JHU, investing exclusively in alumni and affiliates, and providing internship opportunities for JHU students at portfolio companies.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
A-Level Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pear VC: Early-stage venture firm that focuses on pre-seed and seed rounds, often partnering with founders from top research universities. A broader incumbent that overlaps with A-Level on university-network sourcing and pre-seed/seed stage.
- Antler: Global early-stage venture firm that operates residency programs and invests at pre-seed and seed. Much larger and broader than A-Level, but competes for the same founder pools in overlapping geographies.
- Y Combinator: Premier pre-seed and seed accelerator that invests in early-stage startups. While A-Level focuses on a single university and Y Combinator is industry- and school-agnostic, they compete for the same pre-seed/seed founders at similar check sizes.
Direct peers
- Rough Draft Ventures: General Catalyst's student-run fund that backs student and recent-graduate founders in pre-seed and seed rounds. Directly comparable to A-Level in stage, check size, and student-led investment model.
- Pioneer Fund: Student-run venture fund that invests in founders with strong technical and academic backgrounds at the pre-seed and seed stages. Mirrors A-Level's model of university-network sourcing and student-led diligence.
- The House Fund: UC Berkeley-affiliated early-stage venture fund that invests in Berkeley alumni and student founders. Closely parallels A-Level Capital's university-anchored thesis, single-university focus, and pre-seed/seed check sizes.
- Dorm Room Fund: First Round Capital's student-run venture fund that invests in startups founded by university students, operating an almost identical model to A-Level Capital with check sizes in the seed range. Both firms combine student sourcing and diligence with professional VC advisors.
- Visible Hands: Early-stage venture fund that supports first-time and underrepresented founders with an emphasis on community-driven sourcing. Comparable to A-Level in stage and in building a structured deal-sourcing program around an emerging-founder network.
- Contrary Capital: Student-run venture firm that invests in seed and pre-seed companies with ties to a network of university students. Like A-Level, it pairs student deal teams with experienced venture partners to source and diligence investments.
Emerging players
- Bedrock Capital: Early-stage venture firm investing in seed-stage technology companies with an emphasis on technical founders. Comparable in stage and check size to A-Level, though without the single-university sourcing constraint.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
A-Level Capital social profiles
Digital presenceA-Level Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
A-Level Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
A-Level Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
A-Level Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments17 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about A-Level Capital
What does A-Level Capital do?
A-Level Capital is a student-run venture capital firm that provides pre-seed, seed, and select Series A/B equity investments to startups founded by Johns Hopkins University alumni and affiliates. The firm deploys capital in check sizes of $40-100K from two managed funds and supplements capital with advisor network access, follow-on fundraising support, and an internship pipeline connecting JHU students to portfolio companies.
Is A-Level Capital a public or private company?
A-Level Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was A-Level Capital founded?
A-Level Capital was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is A-Level Capital based?
A-Level Capital is headquartered in Baltimore, United States, in the North America region.
How does A-Level Capital make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns (Carry and Management Fees).
Who are A-Level Capital's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Pear VC, Antler and Y Combinator. Direct peers are Rough Draft Ventures, Pioneer Fund, The House Fund, Dorm Room Fund, Visible Hands and Contrary Capital. Bedrock Capital is listed as an emerging player.
Does A-Level Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for A-Level Capital.
What industry is A-Level Capital in?
A-Level Capital's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAC, Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6211.