Student VC Founderful Campus starts a new chapter

Founderful Campus, the student-led venture capital initiative of Founderful, has undergone a transformation, aiming to strengthen student engagement in tech while providing startups with their initial funding. Some of the new changes are the Venture Academy and VC community.

Every year, Founderful Campus (formerly Wingman Campus Fund) joins forces with students interested in investing in the tech space and university-based startups seeking funds, offering them a platform to learn about entrepreneurship and investing and secure initial funding for their ventures, respectively.

With an annual budget of CHF 500’000 and a fixed investment amount of CHF 25’000 for each project, the student VC aims to invest in 20 startups every year. For startups, the Founderful Campus is a launchpad to secure their initial funding to accelerate their development. Since its founding three years ago, Founderful Campus has supported 33 projects, some of which incorporated their startup and secured additional funding from Swiss and international investors. Among its alumni are companies like Adaptyv, Ascento, Rapidata, and IsoSpec Analytics, among others.

The three startups that joined the portfolio are Stacksync (went to YC), real-time and bidirectional data synchronization; naialabs, offering at-home finger-prick test which can measure the most important biomarkers for immune diagnostics and catchfree, the startup developing plant-based seafood. Application for funding is open.

In line with the changes at its parent VC Founderful, the student VC has also changed its name from Wingman Campus Fund to Founderful Campus, reflecting its new vision to unlock opportunities for all dedicated students. The newly revamped initiative has two core aspects: the Venture Academy and the Community.

The Venture Academy is a platform where students interested in venture capital activities get hands-on experience in investing. They engage in scouting, selecting, and determining the most promising student startups for investment. The "think like a VC " mindset is reinforced through VC workshops, 1:1 mentorship calls with leading investors, and networking with the Founderful team. The Student Academy is led by a team of students from each of the participating universities. The newest team for this year has already been determined.

The community - ‘Slack workspace’
Founderful Campus has created a community where students from ETH Zurich, EPFL and HSG can sign up to fast-track the development of their entrepreneurship skills. The community space offers access to like-minded students, venture capital players and top founders who share their experiences. Members of the community also have access to job opportunities from Founderful’s portfolio and exclusive events.

(RAN)