Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has announced a university venture fund called Cactus Capital to run in conjunction with a VC investment course for its students.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is to put $1m into a university venture fund called Cactus Capital to back emerging projects led by university students, recent graduates and other academic entrepreneurs.
The fund will officially launch under BGU’s Center for Entrepreneurship and will invest across three tracks – with two of the strands offering up to $5,000 for nascent tech startups and social impact businesses respectively.
A third tier providing a maximum of $20,000 will be dedicated to more advanced tech projects that are ready to test specific market or product assumptions.
The idea for Cactus Capital came from Rivka Carmi, president of the university, together with Netta Cohen, director of tech transfer office BGN Technologies.
The fund’s investment committee will feature BGU students who have completed an investment course run in partnership with Fresh.Fund, a local university-focused vehicle backed by venture capital firm Pico.Partners.
Fresh.Fund provides pre-seed investments ranging from $20,000 to $100,000, primarily targeting businesses working with software applications across different vertical markets.
Dana Gavish-Fridman, vice-president of entrepreneurship at BGN Technologies, said: “Launching Cactus Capital, together with an investment course specifically designed for students and the partnership with Fresh.Fund will enable the university to offer students a groundbreaking way to learn about entrepreneurship through hands-on experience.”
