Hillside Ventures

What Hillside Ventures does

Hillside Ventures is a student-run venture fund and experiential learning program housed at the University of Connecticut's Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, operating from the Storrs, Connecticut campus. The platform comprises three distinct funds: the Genesis Fund (investing pre-seed to Series A in Human Development, Financial Innovation, Sustainability, and Sports and Wellness sectors), the STEM Fund (Healthcare, Manufacturing Technology, and SaaS), and the Hillside Real Estate Investment Fund (HREIF), which targets a $1 million corpus invested in live real estate deals. The fund deploys initial checks of up to $25,000 with follow-on capacity, sourcing deals primarily through a UConn alumni network pipeline, a structured academic course (Foundations of Venture Capital, MENT 3741 / BADM 3741), and a website pitch intake form; investments are vetted by student analysts and presented to an investment board twice per semester.

The business model is non-commercial: Hillside Ventures does not charge portfolio companies, generate subscription or transaction revenue, or operate as a for-profit entity. Returns from successful exits are reinvested into UConn's School of Business to fund additional educational opportunities. As of available data, the program engages approximately 43 student participants across 12 academic majors in the venture funds, with a separate 19-student HREIF inaugural class launched in August 2024. Operations are governed by faculty including Professor Greg Reilly (Department Head for Management & Entrepreneurship) and David Noble (Director of the Werth Institute), with an industry partnership with TA Realty supporting the real estate program. The fund's value proposition is dual-sided: students receive hands-on venture capital experience and career pipeline access (alumni placed at SpaceX, Morgan Stanley, Accenture, Connecticut Innovations, Bank of America, and Capital One), while portfolio companies receive UConn brand validation, preemptive due diligence, and access to a co-investor network.

Name

Hillside Ventures

Legal name

Hillside Ventures (University of Connecticut)

Website

https://hillsideventures.uconn.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hillside Ventures is a student-run venture fund and experiential learning program at the University of Connecticut, operating the Genesis Fund, STEM Fund, and a $1M-target Real Estate Investment Fund that deploy up to $25,000 checks into pre-seed to Series A startups while training students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital Investing

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Student-run venture fund
• Early-stage startup investing
• Experiential learning program
• University venture capital
• Pre-seed investments

Headquarters

HQ city

Storrs Mansfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Fund Returns: Hillside Ventures is a non-profit educational program. Returns from successful portfolio exits are reinvested into the School of Business to fund innovative educational opportunities. The fund does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hillside Ventures is a student-run venture fund and experiential learning program operated under the University of Connecticut's Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. It deploys real capital into early-stage startups (pre-seed to Series A) through three sub-funds — the Genesis Fund, the STEM Fund, and the Hillside Real Estate Investment Fund (HREIF) — while providing students with hands-on venture capital training under faculty and industry mentorship.

Product overview

Hillside Ventures is UConn's student-run venture capital platform comprising three distinct funds: the Genesis Fund (investing in Human Development, Financial Innovation, Sustainability, and Sports and Wellness), the STEM Fund (focused on Healthcare, Manufacturing Technology, and SaaS), and the Hillside Real Estate Investment Fund (managing a $1 million real estate portfolio). All funds provide students with hands-on experience investing real capital while receiving mentorship from alumni and industry professionals. Investment sizes typically reach up to $25,000 with follow-on funding opportunities for qualifying startups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Genesis Fund: The original student-run venture fund focusing on Human Development, Financial Innovation, Sustainability, and Sports and Wellness sectors.
• STEM Fund
• Hillside Real Estate Investment Fund (HREIF)

Products and services

• Genesis Fund Early-stage venture fund (pre-seed to Series A) investing in startups within Human Development, Financial Innovation, Sustainability, and Sports and Wellness sectors, with initial investments of up to $25,000 and follow-on funding opportunities.
• STEM Fund Early-stage venture fund (pre-seed to Series A) focused on Healthcare (biotech, digital health, medtech), Manufacturing Technology (automation, aerospace, logistics), and SaaS startups in AI, cloud computing, and data management. Initial investments of up to $25,000 with follow-on opportunities.
• Hillside Real Estate Investment Fund (HREIF) Experiential learning program where students manage a live real estate investment fund with an initial target of $1 million. Students source deals, analyze markets, prepare investment memos, and manage the portfolio with mentorship from industry partners including TA Realty.

Quantifiable outcome

• Returns from the fund are reinvested into the School of Business to create more innovative educational opportunities for future students.

Segments8 records

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.

• TA RealtycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024TA Realty serves as a mentor, curriculum advisor, and guest lecturer for the Hillside Real Estate Investment Fund (HREIF). Their collaboration enhances career readiness for students through practical skill development, networking, and real-world experience in real estate investment. TA Realty's involvement spans deal sourcing guidance, investment analysis mentorship, and direct engagement with students in the program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dorm Room Fund: Student-run venture fund backed by First Round Capital that invests in companies with student founders. Directly comparable as a university-affiliated, student-operated pre-seed investor with a mission to provide students with real VC experience.
• Rough Draft Ventures: Student-run generalist pre-seed fund investing in student founders from top universities. Operates a similar model of student-led sourcing and diligence with a network-driven approach to early-stage investing.
• Contrary Capital: Student-led venture firm with a community of university-based investors who source, diligence, and lead pre-seed rounds. Closely mirrors Hillside's student-led model with an explicit focus on top-tier university talent.
• Pioneer Fund: Student-run pre-seed fund investing in founders from top universities. Compares on the student-operated pre-seed model and emphasis on sourcing from university ecosystems.
• 1517 Fund: Venture fund supporting young founders who drop out of or bypass college, run by recent graduates. Comparable as a youth-driven, education-adjacent pre-seed fund with a thesis around emerging talent.
• Pear VC: Pre-seed venture fund founded by Pejman Nozad and Mar Hershenson with strong ties to Stanford and university ecosystems. Comparable as a university-network-driven pre-seed investor with educational/community roots.
• NEU Impact (Northeastern University): Northeastern University-affiliated student venture programs providing experiential VC education. Direct structural peer as another university-based student-run fund with sector-focused verticals.
• UVA Ventures (University of Virginia): University of Virginia's student and faculty venture initiatives offering experiential investing education. Comparable as another public-university student investment program with similar educational mandate.

Broad incumbents

• First Round Capital: Established seed-stage venture firm that operates the Dorm Room Fund as its student initiative. Comparable as the institutional backer of the most recognized student-run fund model and an indirect peer through ecosystem overlap.

Regional players

• Connecticut Innovations: State-backed venture fund investing in Connecticut-based startups. Comparable as a regional capital provider with overlapping geographic focus and alumni-connection pathways.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hillsidevc
• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/show/7lOWgaPIVzqUuJyqHgn9Bx?si=nOE-artbTt2qvUtTzjnoLw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hillside-vc/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/hillsideventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments12 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Hillside Ventures