2006 Headlines
Johnson School Student-Managed Venture Capital Fund Invests in New BusinessBR Ventures Invests $50,000 in Experience Enterprises, LLC February 16 , 2006, Ithaca, New York Cornell University's student-managed venture capital fund-the Johnson School's BR Ventures (BRV)--is pleased to announce that it has invested $50,000 in Experience Enterprises, LLC, which closed a $1.8 million financing on January 17, 2006. The recently formed company, operating through its trade name Raceline Motorworks, is a unique experience-based retailer providing boys ages 4 - 13 with a personalized, interactive entertainment-based shopping experience centered around toy vehicles. The company is located in Chicago, Illinois and expects to open its initial store in suburban Chicago in June 2006. BRV provides venture capital and business expertise to promising startups by providing seed funding, typically ranging between $40,000 and $100,000. BRV's dynamic team of nine student fund managers provides an integrated, cross-functional skill set that helps startups' realize their commercial potential and creative vision. BRV's unique structure, which grants principal responsibilities to each manager, gives the team control over every aspect of the fund. Fund managers execute each step of the venture capital process including searching for and selecting investment opportunities; performing due diligence; negotiating term sheets; making investment decisions; and guiding transactions through closing. BRV's previous investments include SightSpeed, an internet-based video conferencing company started by a Johnson School MBA and Cornell professor (http://www.sightspeed.com); Gene Network Systems, a systems biology company (http://www.gnsbiotech.com); NovaSterilis, a biomedical sterilization company (http://www.novasterilis.com); Pacific Biosciences, a DNA sequencing company (http://www.pacificbio.com); and Medical Care Corporation, an Alzheimer's detection company (http://www.mccare.com). The Johnson School at Cornell University, founded in 1946, is Cornell's graduate school of management. The Johnson School combines leading edge intellectual capital with "real time, real world" business practice and is among the top business schools in the world. Opportunities for experiential learning, such as immersion programs and student-run venture capital and mutual funds, distinguish the Johnson School's curricula. Programs include MBA and doctoral degrees, a twelve-month MBA option for students with advanced degrees in science or engineering and two executive MBA programs. The Johnson School is located at the center of Cornell University-the largest of the Ivy League schools and one of the world's top research institutions. For More Information |
