Campus Founders Fund
Campus Founders Fund is a student-run venture capital fund founded in 2014 in Salt Lake City that invests $10,000–$50,000 pre-seed in student-founded startups across Mountain West universities. It is sponsored by Kickstart and has backed 50+ companies that have raised $150M+ in follow-on capital.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSalt Lake City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Campus Founders Fund does
Campus Founders Fund (CFF) is a student-run venture capital fund founded in 2014 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. CFF sources, diligenes, and invests in early-stage startups founded by students and recent graduates at universities across the Mountain West region, including Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The fund is entirely sponsored and capitalized by Kickstart, the most active pre-seed and seed venture firm in the Mountain West, which provides financial backing, training, and coaching but is not involved in day-to-day operations or investment decisions. The investment team is composed of students recruited annually from local universities, supplemented by a venture scout program and a 70+ member alumni network.
CFF invests $10,000 to $50,000 per company primarily through uncapped SAFE agreements with a 0% discount and an MFN clause, converting to equity upon a priced round of at least $100,000. The fund also participates in syndicates of priced equity rounds. The investment process is structured around weekly Thursday pitch meetings (in-person in Salt Lake City and Lehi, and virtually for out-of-state founders), followed by a 4-6 week due diligence period. Beyond capital, CFF provides portfolio founders with VC ecosystem introductions, mentorship, and feedback sessions. The fund does not operate proprietary technology; its core assets are its student-run team, its brand within Mountain West university ecosystems, and its exclusive relationship with Kickstart.
Since inception, CFF has deployed over $900,000 across more than 50 university-based startups. Those portfolio companies have collectively raised over $150 million in follow-on funding from top-tier investors including Y Combinator, General Catalyst, Kleiner Perkins, Susa Ventures, Techstars, and others. Revenue, fund returns, and exit data are not publicly disclosed. The fund is a private, non-traded entity entirely dependent on Kickstart for capital deployment, with its student team turning over on an annual academic cycle.
Campus Founders Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Campus Founders Fund
- Legal name
- Campus Founders Fund
- Website
- https://campusfounders.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Campus Founders Fund is a student-run venture capital fund founded in 2014 in Salt Lake City that invests $10,000–$50,000 pre-seed in student-founded startups across Mountain West universities. It is sponsored by Kickstart and has backed 50+ companies that have raised $150M+ in follow-on capital.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Campus Founders Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pre-Seed Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
Keywords
Where Campus Founders Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Salt Lake City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Campus Founders Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: As a venture capital fund, CFF generates returns through equity investments in student-run startups. They invest $10-50k via SAFE agreements and participate in syndicates for priced rounds. Returns are realized when portfolio companies raise subsequent funding rounds at higher valuations or through exits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Pre-seed investment via SAFE |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Syndicate participation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Campus Founders Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Campus Founders Fund is a student-run venture capital fund that invests $10,000 to $50,000 in student-founded startups in the Mountain West region. Investments are made via uncapped SAFE agreements with a 0% discount, or via syndicate participation in priced rounds. The fund is sponsored and fully funded by Kickstart, the most active pre-seed and seed VC in the Mountain West.
Product overview
Campus Founders Fund is a student-run venture capital fund that provides pre-seed investment and advisory services to student-founded startups in the Mountain West. The fund's core offerings include pre-seed investments of $10,000-$50,000 through uncapped SAFE agreements, supplemented by network access and feedback sessions. The fund is sponsored by Kickstart and focuses on university-based startups across Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pre-Seed Investment Pre-seed investment of $10,000 to $50,000 per company, deployed via uncapped SAFE agreements with 0% discount or via syndicate participation in priced rounds. Targeted at student-founders and recent graduates at universities in the Mountain West region.
Quantifiable outcome
- Portfolio companies have raised over $150M in additional funding
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Campus Founders Fund
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Campus Founders Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Campus Founders Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Campus Founders Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dorm Room Fund: Student-run VC fund backed by First Round Capital that invests exclusively in student-founded startups. Operationally the closest analog to CFF: same student-led deal sourcing, same university-driven pipeline, same pre-seed check sizes; differs only in being affiliated with a different parent VC.
- Rough Draft Ventures: Student-run pre-seed VC fund that sources and invests in companies started by student entrepreneurs at universities nationwide. Directly comparable model — student-led deal teams, university-anchored sourcing, pre-seed checks — making it a head-to-head competitor for student founders.
- The House Fund: Pre-seed/seed VC affiliated with UC Berkeley that focuses on student founders from the Bay Area university ecosystem. Same university-tied structure, same student-founder target segment, and same pre-seed stage as CFF, but anchored to a different parent institution.
- Pear VC: Early-stage VC firm with deep Stanford student-founder roots that operates at the pre-seed/seed stage. Directly comparable in the student-founder target market and pre-seed check-size band, with years of student-talent pipeline development that parallel CFF's Mountain West ecosystem play.
- Hack Fund: Student-run VC fund at the University of Michigan that invests in student-founded startups. Same student-led operating model and university-anchored sourcing approach as CFF, providing a Midwest parallel to CFF's Mountain West student-fund thesis.
- Album VC: Pre-seed VC fund focused on student founders and explicitly listed as a follow-on investor in CFF portfolio companies. Operates at the same stage with the same target customer segment; functions as both a peer in deal sourcing and a downstream capital partner for CFF-backed founders.
Others
- Kickstart Fund: CFF's parent/sponsor and the most active pre-seed/seed VC in the Mountain West since 2008. Operates at the same stage and region as CFF, but rather than competing it is the controlling entity that 'transfer[s] funds when CFF makes an investment decision', making it both financial sponsor and the most relevant regional comparator.
Broad incumbents
- Y Combinator: Major early-stage accelerator that has backed multiple CFF portfolio companies as a downstream investor (per the CFF website logos). Functions as the most common next-step capital for student-founded startups and is a broad-incumbent parallel to CFF's pre-seed university focus, though at materially larger scale and broader reach.
- Techstars: Global accelerator network that invests at the pre-seed/seed stage including in student-founded companies. Listed as a downstream investor in CFF portfolio companies, making it a natural follow-on capital partner and a broad-incumbent comparator for very early-stage student-deal flow.
Regional players
- Peterson Ventures: Utah-based early-stage VC listed among the downstream investors in CFF portfolio companies. A regional competitor in the Mountain West pre-seed/seed ecosystem comparable to Kickstart, and a local source of follow-on capital for CFF-backed founders.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Campus Founders Fund social profiles
Digital presenceCampus Founders Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Campus Founders Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Campus Founders Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Campus Founders Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments22 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Campus Founders Fund
What does Campus Founders Fund do?
Campus Founders Fund is a student-run venture capital fund that invests $10,000 to $50,000 in student-founded startups in the Mountain West region. Investments are made via uncapped SAFE agreements with a 0% discount, or via syndicate participation in priced rounds. The fund is sponsored and fully funded by Kickstart, the most active pre-seed and seed VC in the Mountain West.
Is Campus Founders Fund a public or private company?
Campus Founders Fund is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Campus Founders Fund founded?
Campus Founders Fund was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Campus Founders Fund based?
Campus Founders Fund is headquartered in Salt Lake City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Campus Founders Fund make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Who are Campus Founders Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dorm Room Fund, Rough Draft Ventures, The House Fund, Pear VC, Hack Fund and Album VC. Kickstart Fund is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Y Combinator and Techstars. Peterson Ventures is listed as a regional player.
Does Campus Founders Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Campus Founders Fund.
What industry is Campus Founders Fund in?
Campus Founders Fund's product category is Pre-Seed Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed). Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 6282.