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Waterman Ventures

Smart, Simple Venture Investing

Neither Alumni Ventures Group nor any related funds are sponsored by, affiliated with, or otherwise endorsed by any university.

What Is Waterman Ventures?

 

The smartest, simplest way for Brown alums to add venture capital to their portfolio. We are also…

  • A full-time alumni investment team
  • An Investment Committee with over 250 years of investing experience
  • 13k alumni followers
  • The only fund of its kind for Brown alumni
  • Private, for-profit, and not officially sanctioned by the university

 

Follow the Fund

“I always assumed that investing in Venture Capital would be out of reach for me. Waterman offered a feasible opportunity to invest alongside people way smarter than me and diversify outside of the volatile public markets.”

Jesse Bull '05

When I was contacted about investing in Waterman Ventures, part of the Alumni Ventures Group, I was immediately intrigued. Venture Capital investing is something I thought only the big fish could do. But as I learned more and spoke at length with Ludwig Schulze, it became clear to me that there was an opportunity here that I could avail myself of to swim with the biggest of fish, all thanks to my connection to Brown. I believe in diversified portfolios and this investment represents a sector never before in my mix. I’m excited to see which leading edge thinkers, new technologies and up n’ coming companies will populate the fund.

Debbie Irwin '79

My wife and I are both alumni of Brown University and I have spent most of my career in venture capital and private equity. Waterman Ventures is a great way to stay financially and practically connected to the entrepreneurial environment without having to commit a lot of time to the activity. I believe Waterman has great deal flow and has put together a portfolio that will provide strong returns for its LPs. I’m excited about the progress and momentum to date.

Steve and Janet (Pendleton) Kahn '79

Why Invest in Venture Capital?

Consistently Strong Returns

Benefits of Venture Investing

Your chance to invest like an insider in game-changing innovation.

Participate in huge value creation pre-IPO and pre-acquisition.

Higher quality investment opportunities than angel investing or going it alone.

VC is not tied to the stock market, offering diversification during a downturn.

Invest directly in your interests: seed-stage startups, social impact, women entrepreneurs and more.

 

Investment Strategy

Smart, Simple Venture Investing

Diversified Venture Portfolio

15 – 30 investments per fund, diversified by stage, sector, and geography

Co-Invest with Strong Lead Investors

We only invest when a strong, established investor (often a fellow alum) is leading the financing

Deal Access via Alumni Connections

Entrepreneurial teams desire our investment because we are a meaningful check, low friction, and have a large rolodex

Co-Invest Alongside Top Venture Firms

Invest In Deals Most Individuals Never Know About or Get Access To

  • 3M New Ventures
  • 500 Startups
  • Accel Partners
  • Accomplice
  • Alsop Louie Partners
  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • Arena Ventures
  • Aspect Venture Partners
  • Atlas Ventures
  • Benchmark
  • Bessemer Venture Partners
  • Bezos Expeditions
  • BlackRock
  • Blockchain Capital
  • Borealis Ventures
  • Comcast Ventures
  • CrunchFund
  • DFJ Capital
  • Drive Capital
  • Flybridge Capital
  • Elephant Partners
  • Founder Collective
  • Foundry Group
  • F-Prime Capital (Fidelity)
  • General Catalyst Partners
  • Golden Seeds
  • Goldman Sachs Ventures
  • Google Ventures
  • Greylock Partners
  • Highland Capital
  • Javelin Partners
  • Khosla Ventures
  • Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
  • Lightspeed Venture Partners
  • Link Ventures
  • Maveron
  • Menlo Ventures
  • ML Capital
  • New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
  • Nokia Growth Partners
  • Norwest Venture Partners
  • NXT Ventures
  • Obvious Ventures
  • OrbiMed
  • Pelion Venture Partners
  • Relay Ventures
  • Resolute Ventures
  • Sequoia Capital
  • Summit Partners
  • Space Angels
  • SV Angel
  • Thiel Capital
  • Venrock
  • Winklevoss Capital
  • Y Combinator

The leading venture capital firms are provided for illustrative purposes only; there is no guarantee that any fund will invest alongside of any other venture capital firm.

How does Waterman Ventures assemble a great portfolio for me?

  • Full-time investment team wakes up every morning dedicated to delivering a diverse portfolio to investors
  • An Investment Committee with over 250 years of investing experience
  • We use our Brown alumni and broader Alumni Ventures Group network to access deals that simply are not available to most individuals
  • We only invest in deals with a strong lead investor with sector expertise, combining their due diligence with our own

 

See The Waterman Portfolio

“I am in technology in SF, so I have a pretty good venture portfolio around things I know well.  I don’t see much outside of the Bay Area and my sector however.  My alumni fund was a great way to get a more diversified portfolio, and I enjoy being part of a group of classmates investing together.”

Fund Investor

“We’ve been really lucky and participating in the fund was a great way to pay it forward. Both of us were helped by fellow alums at many key points of our lives. And frankly, we just need more people out there creating solutions to society’s key problems. I feel an obligation to do my part.”

Fund Investor