MANCHESTER, N.H.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alumni Ventures, a financial firm making venture capital more accessible to individual accredited investors, was recently named by Fast Company as among the World’s Most Innovative Companies.
The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy. This year’s list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole. AV was listed as #9 in the Personal Finance sector.
As Michael Collins, Founder and CEO of Alumni Ventures, noted, “We’re very pleased by this recognition. Innovation has been part of our company’s DNA since we launched our first alumni fund in 2015. With that fund, Green D Ventures, we invited alumni and friends of Dartmouth College to invest in a portfolio of startups connected to fellow grads.
“Today, we continue to make it easy and simple to own a venture capital portfolio, offering two dozen diversified funds. Some have a minimum investment of as little as $25,000, which was pretty much unheard of when we started. Our model has resonated strongly with accredited investors, and we are fast approaching $1 billion raised and 1,000 portfolio companies.”
AV has also innovated with a model that leverages a large team of professional investors operating out of key venture hubs, co-investing alongside other well-established venture firms. The company has quickly assembled a portfolio of 900+ highly diverse companies, and was just listed by PitchBook as the third most active venture firm in the world. AV’s list of investments includes everything from promising early-stage startups to headline companies such as Rigetti, SonderMind, BlockFi, Wasabi, Lacework, Upstart, and Helium.
Collins sees the Fast Company award as both a confirmation and a catalyst. “Alumni Ventures is less than a decade old. We feel like we’ve moved the needle for both our investors and entrepreneurs in terms of making venture capital more accessible. But we’re even more motivated by what is ahead of us — we’re just getting started.”
About Alumni Ventures
Alumni Ventures offers accredited individuals access to network-powered venture capital — a key asset class missing from the portfolios of many sophisticated investors. Since launching its first venture fund in 2014, AV has raised more than $900 million across two dozen Alumni and Focused Funds, serving a growing network of 7,500 investors and 600,000 community members and subscribers. AV evaluates hundreds of opportunities every year and has invested in over 900 unique portfolio companies. In 2020, PitchBook ranked AV as the most active VC firm in the U.S. AV funds are private, for-profit, and not affiliated with or sanctioned by any school. For more information, visit av.vc.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with its sister publication Inc., and can be found online here.
