Learning benefits

As a participant in Orange & Blue Ventures, you’ll be working alongside faculty and industry professionals to invest real money in real startups. This is an exciting opportunity for you to:

• Prepare for careers in venture capital, private equity, investment banking, business consulting – or gain a new perspective on entrepreneurship.

• Get involved with exciting work across diverse fields and industries.

• Boost your résumé with direct fund management experience and stand out to potential employers.

• Grow your leadership potential by working with professionals you can learn from and peers who will challenge you.

How it works

Students interested in becoming part of the Orange & Blue Ventures Fund Management Team must first take FIN 490: Introduction to Early-Stage Investing, a 3-credit-hour course that will be offered each fall and spring semester of the academic year. You don’t need any prior venture capital or investing experience to take this course - just a curiosity about how venture capital investing works and a passion for working in teams to solve high-level problems!

After taking the pre-requisite course, you can apply to be part of the fund management team. Gies Business faculty will lead the selection process and there are a limited number of spots available on the fund team per semester.

As a member of the fund management team, you will participate in all the primary functions that venture capitalists perform, including deal sourcing, due diligence, investment transaction execution, portfolio management and fund administration. The expected time commitment from the members of this team is significant, and as a result they will receive 3 credit hours each semester they are part of the fund.

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in the fund management team, you must:

• Be enrolled in a Gies Business major or minor program

• Hold at least junior standing

• Have completed the FIN 490 pre-requisite course

Once admitted to the fund management team, you will have the opportunity to remain on the team for subsequent semesters.

How to apply

The application process is as follows:

• Fill out the application form to enroll in FIN 490.

• After completing the form, you will be sent an email to complete the interview portion of the application process via Spark Hire. Your application is not considered complete until you submit your interview video.

• If selected to enroll in FIN 490, you will be notified via email of your offer to join. You must accept your offer before March 30th. After you have accepted your offer, you will be eligible to enroll in the course.

Info sessions

Upcoming information sessions will take place on the following dates:

• Tuesday, February 10 at 5pm - Wymer Hall, Room 1020
• Wednesday, February 11 at 5pm - Zoom
  • https://illinois.zoom.us/j/85359752462?pwd=VOtaKdknWNi3mQ06ltd7aBFobIw63m.1

Contact us

Email earlystageinvesting@business.illinois.edu for more information.