Media
Patrick Chung, New Enterprise Associates, and Hugo Van Vuuren, The Experiment Fund, discuss a new experiment taking shape at Harvard.
Read more at CNBC
Technology entrepreneurs of past eras took two years to build a product, hire a staff and figure out whether there was any real market for their service. But today all that typically takes only a few months as founders cycle quickly through different ideas until they find one that sticks.
Read more at Wall Street Journal
A few days ago, I interviewed Patrick Chung, founding partner of Xfund (podcast below). Xfund is a relatively new VC fund that raised its second fund of $100 million just a few months ago, and is partnered with the likes of NEA, Accel, Breyer Capital and Polaris Ventures. They invest in what they call the “hacker meet humanist” — that special mix of the critical thinker and coder. Prior to founding Xfund, Patrick started ZEFER, a website-building company for enterprises during the first dot-com boom, which later got acquired, and worked as a partner at NEA, making investments in companies like 23andMe, IFTTT, Pulse, Loopt and Xoom.
Read more at The Stanford Daily
What’s the ideal background for a tech start-up founder? Some venture capitalists insist on engineering or computer-science degrees, but that’s not how Patrick Chung views the world. He helps run Xfund, a $100 million fund with offices in Cambridge, Mass., and Menlo Park, Calif. — and he welcomes founders with liberal-arts backgrounds, too.
Read more at Forbes
Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful, New York Angels board member, Alicia Syrett, and XFund’s founding partner, Patrick Chung, offer insider tips on how to pitch your big idea.
Read more at CNBC
Being an angel investor is pretty amazing. You’re constantly learning about new businesses and meeting driven entrepreneurs willing to risk everything to follow their dreams. You’re pulling for them, and you hope to be part of their journey in reaching success. That’s why it’s also heartbreaking when you see an entrepreneur make a misstep because you know how much is at stake!
Read more at CNBC
Patrick Chung, Xfund co-founder, discusses the relationship between universities and startups. He speaks with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang on “Bloomberg West.”
Read more at Bloomberg.com
Jeff Selingo, “Life AFter College” author, and Patrick Chung, Xfund Partner, debate the merits of students taking a gap year before college, or even going to college at all.
Continue reading at CNBC
Xfund celebrates launch of new fund
This week, the Cambridge- and Palo Alto, Calif.-based firm announced that it has raised its third fund. Led by founding VC firms New Enterprise Associates and Breyer Capital, Xfund 3 surpassed its $100 million target with $120 million in funding from a range of university, institutional, and individual investors.
During its almost 10-year run, Xfund has stimulated entrepreneurship through outreach events and programs and kickstarted an impressive list of ventures spawned in Harvard labs and dorm rooms.
Continue reading at Harvard.edu
Xfund 3 Raises Oversubscribed Fund to Back University-Based Innovation
Xfund was launched in 2012 as an unparalleled collaboration between Harvard University and New Enterprise Associates and Breyer Capital, which house some of the world’s most successful venture capitalists. Its vision is to combine the raw talent, intellectual rigor, and free-thinking of academia with the hard-nosed investment acumen of venture capital. The firm looks beyond the stereotypical technical pedigrees to seek out extraordinary people who are often systemically ignored by traditional venture capital — founders who have pursued liberal arts degrees.
Continue Reading at Xfund.com
Xfund 3 Raises Oversubscribed Fund to Back University-Based Innovation
"Xfund is a first-of-its-kind collaboration and has evolved into a remarkable resource and community for Harvard and its students," said Harry R. Lewis, Xfund's Senior Faculty Advisor and former Dean of Harvard College. "Xfund has helped countless groups here take the plunge into entrepreneurial endeavors; the first few results have been wildly successful for everyone involved. My colleagues and I are thrilled with the partnership."
Continue reading at PRNewswire.com
Xfund raises $120 million for third fund
Xfund, a seed-stage investment firm focused on university research-based startups, tells Axios that it raised $120 million for its third fund.
Why it matters: This illustrates how the pandemic hasn't really slowed down venture capital fundraising or deal-making, even for a firm focused on sparsely-populated university campuses.
Continue Reading at Axios.com
Aiming to Spawn ‘the Next Gates or Zuckerberg,’ Harvard-Connected Venture Capital Firm Xfund Closes Latest Fund
Xfund — a venture capital firm born out of a collaboration between Harvard University, New Enterprise Associates, and Breyer Capital — closed its most recent oversubscribed fund, Xfund 3, at $120 million.
The firm is unusual in its deep, years-long partnership with the University and its School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Since Xfund’s founding, every SEAS Dean and Harvard Innovation Labs Executive Director has served on the firm’s board. The student president of Harvard Student Agencies acts as an advisor to Xfund; in turn, the firm sits on the board of HSA.
Continue Reading at TheCrimson.com
Xfund excels with $120m fund
Xfund, a US-based venture capital firm aligned to Harvard University, debuted a third investment fund yesterday with $120m in contributions from undisclosed limited partners.
Xfund aims to leverage innovation from top-tier universities globally in a partnership helmed by Harvard together with New Enterprise Associates, Breyer Capital, Accel Partners and Polaris Partners.
Continue Reading at GlobalUniversityVenturing.com
Investors Globe - Patrick Chung of Xfund
Patrick Chung is currently managing general partner of venture capital firm, Xfund. Previously he served as partner at NEA, leading the firm’s consumer and seed investment practices.
Continue Reading at Investorsglobe.com
Xfund Founder Spotlight: Lisa Skeete Tatum of Landit
Lisa Skeete Tatum is the founder and CEO of Landit, a personalized career pathing platform designed to increase the success of women, people of color, and other diverse groups in the workplace. Landit’s “one size fits one” solution helps companies attract, retain, and develop diverse talent.
Continue Reading at XFund.com
Harvard alum’s start-up’s shorts ‘not dad’s jock strap’
Learn More at CNBC
LGBT Techies Take Part in White House Pride Reception
Though perhaps not as numerous as the legions of politicians and community activists, there were plenty of techies in the audience as Obama delivered a passionate call to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are more fully included in the American dream.
Among those who heard the president were Lesbians Who Tech founder Leanne Pittsford, Xfund general partner Patrick Chung, Twillio software engineer Dom DeGuzman, Hackbright Academy instructor Rachel Walker, Amazon Prime Now general manager Stephenie Landry and T-Mobile’s Alison Billings.
Continue Reading at Vox
Where Patrick Chung’s Investing Now
NEA partner Patrick Chung talks to CNBC’s Julia Boorstin about his current investments such as social commerce company Curalate and Ed-Tech company Coursera.
Continue Reading at CNBC
Harvard-collaborating seed investment firm Xfund seals $120m Fund III close
Xfund – the early-stage firm launched by a clutch of the biggest venture capital firms in the US – has sealed a successful $120m fund close for its third flagship investment vehicle.
The firm was founded in 2011 as a first-of-its-kind partnership between VC firms NEA, Breyer Capital, Accel Partners and Polaris Partners alongside Harvard University.
Continue Reading at AltAssets.net
Xfund 3 Raises Fund to Support University-Based Startups
Xfund, a Palo Alto, CA-based Cambridge, MA-based early-stage venture capital firm designed to back lateral thinkers, closed its newest investment vehicle, Xfund 3.
Launched in 2012 as a collaboration between Harvard University and New Enterprise Associates and Breyer Capital, the fund combines academia with venture capital to seek out founders who have pursued liberal arts degrees.
Continue Reading at Finsmes.com
QuantumScape in Reverse Merger with Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp
Xfund, a US-based venture capital firm aligned to Harvard University, debuted a third investment fund with $120m in contributions from undisclosed limited partners. Xfund aims to leverage innovation from top-tier universities globally in a partnership helmed by Harvard together with New Enterprise Associates, Breyer Capital, Accel Partners and Polaris Partners. The fund was set up to combine investment rigour with business models based on free-thinking and intellectual awareness from academic founders with unconventional backgrounds such as liberal arts graduates.
Continue Reading at GlobalVenturingReview.com
How To Win Big Investing In The Space 2.0 Boom
Space 2.0 is upon us! But how should we think about operating and investing in it?
Back in January 2016, space research institution, The Tauri Group, illustrated the recent surge of funding into Space 2.0 ventures. “Venture capital investment totals $2.9 billion with 80% being invested in the last five years.” Some of the largest venture rounds occurred in 2015: SpaceX’s $1.0 billion Series E and OneWeb’s $500 million Series A.
Continue Reading at Forbes.com
Virtual Reality Learns How to Get Into the Classroom
Virtual-reality technology is ready for the classroom. Whether teachers are ready for virtual reality is less clear.
Nearpod Inc., a startup that makes education software used in 10,000 schools across the U.S., is launching virtual-reality lessons on Thursday. Here's their pitch: instead of requiring schools to invest heavily in headsets and other hardware, Nearpod's approach relies on students using their own devices or district-supplied electronics.
Continue Reading at WSJ.com
Xfund Founder Spotlight: Tom Lemberg of Curebase
Tom Lemberg is the founder and CEO of Curebase, a software platform that powers decentralized clinical trials. The company’s solution allows for patient recruitment and clinical data collection nearly anywhere, including at home, at pharmacies, community health clinics, or even drive-through test sites.
Continue reading at XFund
Xfund Founder Spotlight: Lisa Skeete Tatum of Landit
Lisa Skeete Tatum is the founder and CEO of Landit, a personalized career pathing platform designed to increase the success of women, people of color, and other diverse groups in the workplace. Landit’s “one size fits one” solution helps companies attract, retain, and develop diverse talent.
Continue Reading at XFund
Xfund Founder Spotlight: Kevin Busque of Guideline
Kevin Busque is the CEO and co-founder of Guideline, a modern and affordable 401(k) for small businesses that launched in 2016. More than 20,000 businesses use Guideline to provide 401(k)s to their employees. With more than $4 billion in assets under management, Guideline is one of the fastest-growing 401(k) providers in the country.
Continue Reading at XFund
Xfund Founder Spotlight: Halle Tecco of Natalist
Halle Tecco is the founder, president, and chief women’s health officer of Natalist. Natalist makes beautiful, evidence-backed fertility and pregnancy essentials with a net-zero plastic footprint. Tecco founded the company after her own experiences with in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Continue Reading at XFund
2015 30 Under 30: Venture Capital
Brandon Farwell, 28
Partner, Rothenberg Ventures
Rothenberg Ventures’ enterprise expert is a former Stanford varsity rower who cut his teeth at DFJ, working on investments like Box, Yammer and SugarCRM. Farwell’s currently an investor in companies like ZenPayroll, Revel Systems, CodeShip and AuditFile.
Continue Reading at Forbes.com
How Reddit's Plan to Share the Wealth Is Doubly Unusual (And Potentially Brilliant)
Few Websites have a larger--and more loyal--following than Reddit. Now its members have even more reason to love it.
On Tuesday, Reddit chief executive Yishan Wong took to his blog to announce a $50 million round of financing led by Sam Altman of Y Combinator and an unusual investment plan, as first reported by Mashable.
Continue Reading at Inc.com