Rough Draft Ventures

Rough Draft Ventures (RDV) is a distinctive student-led venture fund, strategically backed by General Catalyst, a prominent venture capital firm. Operating primarily across the United States, RDV focuses exclusively on identifying and funding technology-focused university entrepreneurs. Its unique model empowers student teams at top universities to source, evaluate, and recommend investments in their peers' nascent startups, providing crucial early-stage capital and support. This approach allows RDV to tap into a vast pipeline of innovation emerging directly from academic environments, often before these ventures have even formally incorporated or developed a full product.

The fund's investment thesis centers on providing the very first institutional capital to student founders, helping them transform their ideas into viable businesses. RDV seeks out ambitious teams with disruptive concepts, offering not just financial backing but also invaluable mentorship, access to General Catalyst's extensive network, and practical resources. This support system is designed to navigate the unique challenges faced by student entrepreneurs, bridging the gap between academic research and commercialization.

Rough Draft Ventures typically invests between $5,000 and $25,000 in initial checks, providing essential seed funding to get projects off the ground. Since its inception, RDV has supported hundreds of student-led startups, with its portfolio encompassing a diverse range of sectors from enterprise software to consumer technology. Notable alumni from their portfolio have gone on to raise significant follow-on funding from leading venture capital firms, underscoring RDV's effectiveness in identifying future industry leaders at their earliest stages. Their commitment to fostering entrepreneurial talent directly within universities makes them a pivotal player in the early-stage startup ecosystem.