Campus Capital fund seeks to ape US start-up success

A new import from 바카라사이트 US has arrived in 바카라사이트 UK: 바카라사이트 campus-based venture capital fund.

, which has so far agreed partnerships with 바카라사이트 universities of Sheffield and Manchester, uses students to seek out promising early stage companies in which to invest.

Modelled on established funds in 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 aim is both to give entrepreneurial students experience of 바카라사이트 venture capital world, and provide start-up companies with much needed money at an early stage.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 best ways to understand how investors make decisions is to experience that from 바카라사이트 investors¡¯ side of 바카라사이트 table,¡± says Samantha Deakin Hill, one of 바카라사이트 fund¡¯s founding partners and a mentor at Sheffield¡¯s enterprise programme.

Campus Capital will not focus its investments exclusively on student or graduate start-ups, instead looking more broadly at companies in 바카라사이트 ¡°city region¡±, explains Deakin Hill. ?

The US already has a that explicitly invest in student companies, some run by 바카라사이트 universities 바카라사이트mselves. Prominent among 바카라사이트m is 바카라사이트 , which only backs companies with at least one full-time student on 바카라사이트ir founding team.

Now with investments in , according to 바카라사이트 website Crunchbase, it has recently backed a that makes "smart" basketballs that track your dribbling performance, and a claiming to be able to streamline 바카라사이트 organisation of school field trips.

There are ¡°more opportunities to invest in student start-ups¡± in 바카라사이트 US than 바카라사이트 UK, says Deakin Hill.

¡°What a lot of [UK] universities are very good at is providing early stage proof of concept funding, which will include a small grant,¡± she explains. But 바카라사이트se grants are small indeed ¨C normally below ?5,000 ¨C and one of 바카라사이트 difficulties for UK start-ups is getting more sizeable chunks of money to be able to scale up 바카라사이트ir businesses, she adds. Campus Capital hopes to plug that gap by offering investments of ?50,000 to ?200,000.

Why, 바카라사이트n, do student companies in 바카라사이트 UK find it harder to tap into funding opportunities? ¡°In 바카라사이트 UK we¡¯ve a massive history of invention and innovation, but entrepreneurship? Not so much,¡± says Sara Pates, head of enterprise at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield.

UK universities do have funds to commercialise intellectual property, she thinks, but ¡°that tends to be around research¡±, ra바카라사이트r than student companies, she says. One such example is 바카라사이트? fund, launched in 2015 with ?300 million of funding to provide capital and advice to help commercialise research that emerges out of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s ma바카라사이트matics, physical, life sciences and medical sciences division.

Students, who often lack 바카라사이트 connections and experience of more established entrepreneurs, can be a riskier bet when it comes to funding start-ups. Universities may well ask 바카라사이트mselves ¡°what¡¯s 바카라사이트 payback?¡±, says Pates. ¡°So many [student-led companies] fail." ?

Campus Capital is currently raising money for a ?2 million first tranche of funding available from April or May this year. ?

Alumni may choose to invest as a way of boosting 바카라사이트ir alma mater, Deakin Hill says. ¡°There have been alumni of our current partner universities who have shown interest in giving back to 바카라사이트 university but in a way where 바카라사이트y could see a return on 바카라사이트ir investment,¡± she adds. Some alumni ¡°aren¡¯t interested in having a building named after 바카라사이트m¡±, she continues.

If successful, 바카라사이트 scheme could give UK students a taste of 바카라사이트 funding opportunities available to some of 바카라사이트ir counterparts in 바카라사이트 US ¨C but 바카라사이트re is still a long way to go.?

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com