NUseeds is Northwestern’s $4M pre-seed/seed investment fund. The funding comes from philanthropic donations to Northwestern, and is intended to accelerate the successful launch of innovations from NU students and finance the most promising early-stage student ventures. We look for teams who have an outsized vision and would benefit materially from incremental financial support. NUseeds writes checks in the $10,000 - $100,000 range in exchange for equity.
Applicants are required to have:
To Apply:
Interested student founders should email Melissa Kaufman, Executive Director of The Garage, with the following:
Teams are vetted by the NUseeds External Investment Committee:
Founded by Maura Rampolla, WCAS ‘90
In 2004, Maura and her husband, Mark, were bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and founded ZICO Beverages, one of the trailblazers of today’s $8B coconut water category. The Rampollas launched ZICO to combat obesity by encouraging consumers to drink a healthy, natural alternative to popular artificial, high-sugar beverages and to spur sustainable economic development in tropical nations across the world. ZICO experienced a decade of explosive growth and became one of the fastest growing beverage brands in the world before being acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in 2013. Rampolla’s roles at ZICO spanned strategy, branding, marketing, product development and employee health and wellness.
Prior to ZICO, Maura lived in El Salvador for five years where she gave birth to and raised her daughters while consulting for a variety of small and large non-profits. She wrote grants, evaluated programs and consulted on rural health and early education for CARE El Salvador, DEVTECH Systems, and Health Unlimited UK. During the late 1990s, Rampolla championed women and children’s health at Planned Parenthood and LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN.
Today, Maura Rampolla is Principal of Rampolla Ventures. Rampolla Ventures invests in and advises companies with social missions. She is also co-founder and director of The Mark and Maura Rampolla Foundation established in 2012. The Foundation’s focus is on health and social entrepreneurship benefiting low income and vulnerable populations. She also sits on advisory boards of USC’s Brittingham Social Entrepreneurship Lab (part of the Marshall School of Business) and UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Public Health.
Gary Kremen, McCormick ‘85
Match.com launched in 1995 and revolutionized online dating. A pioneer in the industry, Match.com “matches” or pairs singles in hopes of finding a successful romantic relationship. Gary Kremen founded the company and was President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Electric Classified, Inc., the parent company of Match.com from 1993 until March 1996, until it was acquired by CUC International Inc. Gary is also the founder of Clean Power Finance, building the future of solar through an online B2B marketplace.
Founded by Chuck Templeton, KSM ‘06
Founded by Andy Dunn, WCAS, BA, Economics and History, ‘00
Northwestern Clubs: Sigma Chi Fraternity
Andy Dunn is the founder and CEO of Bonobos, Inc., the company behind e-commerce-driven apparel brands Bonobos and AYR. Founded in 2007 with namesake menswear brand, Bonobos, Dunn has worked to define a new model for vertically integrated fashion retail in the ecommerce era, providing a bundle of high quality, great-fitting clothes and a hassle-free shopping experience across brands. He was named to Crain’s “40 under 40” list in 2013 and was listed as one of Fortune magazine’s “Rising Retail Stars” in 2012. Additionally, he founded Red Swan Ventures, an angel investment firm focused on building great consumer Internet companies, is on the board of personal dating website, Hinge, and is founding board chair emeritus of education social enterprise Blue Engine. Dunn graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2007 and from Northwestern University in 2000.