Rice University · Founded 2023

Investing in the
future, at Rice.

A student-run venture fund writing first checks into founders inside and beyond the Rice network. We screen thousands of companies a year to find the few that change the shape of a market.

See the portfolio Pitch us
“We choose to go to the moon.”
John F. Kennedy · Rice University · 1962
$1.9M Deployed annually
8,000+ Startups researched
4 Sector pods
2023 Year founded

Backed by RSVF

Stage 01 · The fund

We do not exist to facilitate innovation.
We are here to drive it.

RSVF is run entirely by Rice students, organized into four sector pods and backed by a network of alumni, founders, and operators across Houston. We are the first money in, and we do the work that earns the second.

01

First checks, real conviction

We underwrite pre-seed and seed rounds where the team is early and the thesis is not yet obvious. RSVF backing is meant to read as a signal, not a formality.

02

Diligence that survives scrutiny

Every deal is screened by a sector pod, pressure tested by the full fund, and vetted against our Rice network and board of advisors before a check moves.

03

Partners after the wire

We open doors inside the Texas Medical Center, the Ion District, the Baker Institute, and Lilie. Founders get a team, not a line item on a cap table.

Fostering an unparalleled learning opportunity for Rice students by providing early stage funding while supporting founders within and beyond the Rice network.
RSVF mission statement

Stage 02 · Current investments

The portfolio

Companies RSVF has backed, one in each of the four sectors we cover. Every one of them was sourced, screened, and underwritten by students.

Stage 03 · Meet the team

Who runs the fund

Two managing partners and four sector directors. Each director owns sourcing, diligence, and founder relationships inside their sector.

Stage 04 · Our story

Definitely optimistic.

How a podcast conversation in the summer of 2023 became a student-run venture fund.

01

The shift

Half a century ago mankind took a giant leap onto the moon, and infinite libraries of knowledge came to sit in our laps. Innovation knew no limits. In recent decades we pivoted from invention toward reconfiguring what already exists. The future still holds bright promises. We have lost sight of the path there.

02

The origin

In the summer of 2023, RSVF came out of two students and a podcast. Jacob Straube hosted “The Data Room.” Pranai Reddy came on to talk venture capital. What followed was a fund built to give Rice students a real education in the asset class and Rice founders their first capital. They pitched the Houston ecosystem and learned to stand one up from nothing.

03

The advantage

Rice’s business culture funnels students toward consulting and banking. RSVF is the hub that sends a few of them the other way. The Texas Medical Center is visible from the dorms. The Baker Institute is on campus. Lilie has topped the Princeton Review’s entrepreneurship list five years running. Most of all, the most capable minds of our generation sit next to us in class.

We are not telling you we are coming. We are already here, we are hungry, and we are going to claw our way to the peak of venture capital. We hope to see you at the summit.
Definitely optimistic, Rice Student Venture Fund

Value creation

Create lasting opportunities and build long term value.

One of a kind experience

Provide unique learning and career opportunities for Rice students.

Perpetual growth

Expand the Rice entrepreneurship and venture ecosystem.

Empowered innovation

Support creative problem-solving and transformative ideas.

Collaborative leadership

Build partnerships and develop leadership through teamwork.

Stage 05 · Work with us

We are not just investors.
We are partners.

Building something and looking for a first check, a second opinion, or a room full of people who will actually read your deck? Tell us what you are working on. We read everything that comes in.

  • FoundersPre-seed and seed across energy, healthcare, consumer, and enterprise.
  • StudentsRecruiting opens each fall for associates and venture fellows.
  • Alumni and operatorsAdvise a pod, judge reverse demo day, or open a door.

Prefer email? riceventurefund@gmail.com

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