Join us for a Syracuse LaunchPad virtual meetup with our new Dorm Room Fund team, Thursday, December 10 at 7 p.m. Built by students and powered by First Round, Dorm Room Fund provides founders with a strong network of investors, world-class mentors, and a $20,000 check. To learn more and attend this free speed networking event, join us at https://bit.ly/DRF-Syracuse-LaunchPad-meetup.
The event will feature three components:
- Meet the Dorm Room Fund team and learn how it works, funding criteria, knowing when you’re ready to apply, and getting investment ready
- Digital demo alley with lighting pitches by Syracuse teams
- Open Q&A
Joining us from the Dorm Room Fund team will be Chris Seitz, Jason Brooke and Jarrod Barnes, who will be working with the LaunchPad this spring on an engagement strategy for Syracuse University student startups.
Chris Seitz is a Managing Partner at Dorm Fund and co-leads the Philadelphia team. He is a 2nd MBA student at Wharton in the Healthcare Management Program and interned at Nantahala Capital Mgmt. this summer, a $1.5B hedge fund, where he invested in private and public healthcare companies. Prior to Wharton, Chris was an Associate at Excel Venture Management, a $250MM life sciences and healthcare fund in Boston investing in healthcare technology, biotech, diagnostics, and healthcare services. Chris graduated from Williams College in 2015 with a major in Biology and a focus on Pre-Medicine and played on the varsity soccer team. Most importantly, Chris is the proud oldest brother to 5 siblings and enjoys all things mountains—skiing in the winter and climbing in the summer.
Jason Brooke is an Investment Partner at Dorm Room Fund and MBA Candidate at Chicago Booth, specializing in Entrepreneurship and Finance. Jason previously worked in corporate strategy as a Principal for Kaiser Associates’ Financial Services & Payments practice. At Kaiser, Jason specialized in growth strategy assessments such as bringing new products to market, improving competitiveness, and customer segmentation. This past summer, Jason supported the Product Marketing team at Kong, a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for full cycle API management. At Booth, he is a member of several professional clubs, including the Entrepreneurship & VC Club and the Fintech Club. Jason has a BA from Middlebury College (’13) and is passionate about ‘all things Fintech,’ soccer and skiing.
Jarrod Barnes is an Investment Partner at Dorm Room Fund and a doctoral student at the University of Illinois with a research focus in Learning Design and Technology. A native of Columbus, Ohio, he is a former student-athlete and college football coach at the Ohio State University. From launching his own startup to working as an NFL front office employee, Jarrod has continually looked to challenge the status quo. In addition to his role as an Investment Partner with the Dorm Room Fund, he is a Venture Fellow with Unshackled Ventures. His interests in tech and venture capital consist of educational technology, the future of work, and sports tech.
The Dorm Room Fund will provide mentoring this spring to the most promising student startups at the Syracuse LaunchPad, as well as consider seed funding as part of the Dorm Room Fund’s Campus Organization Network (DRFCON), backed by First Round Capital. First Round provides seed-stage funding and focuses on portfolio companies’ growth during their first 18 months and Fortune Magazine dubbed First Round as the most connected venture network in the Silicon Valley. In 2012, the firm launched and funded Dorm Room Fund for college startups. Dorm Room Fund companies are built by over 300 founders from 40 universities.
Among them have been Syracuse founders & startups: AJ Damiano and Michael Paris, PowerSpike; Attila Melegh, Indulo and Julia Haber WAYV / Home from College.