Deming Center Venture Fund

What is Deming Center Venture Fund?

The Deming Center Venture Fund (DCVF) is an educational venture capital fund designed to support entrepreneurship and early-stage investing within the University of Colorado (CU) and the Front Range communities. As part of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the DCVF operates under the Robert H. and Beverly A.

Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, which was founded in 1995. The center promotes sustainable business opportunities, emphasizing clean technology and renewable energy, and adopted the tagline 'Entrepreneurs pioneering a sustainable world' in 2005. The fund not only seeks to provide financial support to emerging companies but also offers an applied educational experience in venture capital to Leeds MBA and other CU graduate students, including those from the Colorado Law School.

These students are afforded the opportunity to engage in hands-on diligence, interaction with entrepreneurs, presenting to advisory board members, participating directly in investment decisions, and the ongoing monitoring and analysis of investments. With the objective of making sound investment decisions and extending the life of the fund, DCVF focuses on early-stage startups based in the Colorado and CU Boulder communities.

The target investment size for DCVF typically ranges from $20,000 to $25,000, though a co-invested round may significantly exceed this amount. Additionally, the DCVF is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion across all its operations and has positioned itself to be at the forefront of operationalizing these practices in venture capital.

It aims to lead by example, being transparent with its DEI initiatives and progress towards goals, and serves as a resource center for the wider Colorado VC and startup community. With maximum fund investments reaching up to $1,250,000, the DCVF invites entrepreneurs who align with their investment thesis to reach out for potential funding opportunities.