🚨 Join DRF's First Independent Fund !
A special edition of The Syllabus: Applications for investment partners are now open — apps are reviewed on a rolling basis until deadline, so apply ASAP!
🚀 we’ve closed our latest and newest $12.5 million fund !
Back to school means new classes, new notebooks, new friendships, and new... funds?! We've been sitting on this secret for quite some time now, but today we are thrilled to announce that DRF has gone independent after nine years under First Round Capital with our latest and greatest: Dorm Room Fund IV!
Our newest oversubscribed $12.5 million fund is backed by world-class LPs including Midas List winners, venture funds, founders, institutional capital, and even a university endowment.
With more capital and supporters, DRF is leveling up our game for our founders, student partners, and alumni. We are doubling our check size, bringing new VCs into the fold, and applying a decade’s worth of experience to help today’s student investors and founders master the venture landscape. And we know a little something about backing and supporting generational startups — our portfolio of companies have raised $4B+ in follow-on capital, and include the likes of Veho, Snackpass, Shield AI, Athelas, RapidSOS, and FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE). Our newest fund gives us the capital we need to execute on our evergreen investing strategy: backing the best student entrepreneurs.
And the best part of it all? We are looking for students to join our student investing teams! Staying true to our roots, DRF’s student partners are the decision-makers and magic behind DRF—a killer mix of VC nerds, future founders, startup obsessives, creatives, dreamers, and everyone in between. Unlike so many other programs, we actually let our student investors make investment decisions. The result? Top founders and investing talent. Over 250+ alumni have gone through our investing program and are now successful founders (Dandy, Alloy Automation, and Science.io to name a few), tech operators at top startups and FAANG giants, and investors at funds like Sequoia, a16z, First Round, Accel, Bessemer, Paradigm, Variant, and more.
Are you an aspiring student investor looking to join the #DRF4Life fam? Keep on reading below!
Are you a student founder looking for an investment from us? Founders can apply for funding here!
Want to learn more about our latest fund? We have all the details on our blog here!
💼 apps for investment partners are open now !
Applications to join the original student-run venture fund as investment partners have opened on our website!!
Here’s your chance to showcase your venture knowledge and passion for tech. We can’t wait to read your apps and welcome some of you as the newest members of the investment team family!
⏰ deadlines and more info to keep in mind !
We review applications on a rolling basis, so apply as soon as you are ready! SF & West Coast applications close Oct 14 at 11:59pm PT, while all other regions have until Sep 30 at 11:59pm ET.
Shoot us a note via recruiting@dormroomfund.com if you have any questions, or if you want to give a superstar in your network a shoutout (i.e. refer those talented humans).
💬 what our alumni have to say about their time in DRF !
☁️ Talia Goldberg, Partner @ Bessemer Venture Partners: “Hands down I would encourage any aspiring VC to join DRF— no brainer!”
📈 Angela Winegar, Senior Director of Growth @ Carta: “DRF is the place in grad school where I learned the most, grew the most personally and professionally, and had the most fun. The best part is, the community gets bigger and better every year.”
🚚 Alex Torrey, CEO & Co-Founder @ The Rounds: “I went to business school to start my second company—so being part of DRF was my obvious first choice. My time on the investing team definitely helped me supercharge my time on campus. The DRF mafia is real.”
🏦 Alex Immerman, Partner @ a16z: “Looking to build lifelong relationships and friends with the most entrepreneurial students out there? Dorm Room Fund is that community.”
🦷 Toni Oloko, Co-Founder @ Dandy: “Dorm Room Fund was the best thing I did in school. I still rely on this community as friends, advisors, and investors.”
🌲 Lauren Reeder, Partner @ Sequoia Capital: “As a student, the world is full of possibilities and people exploring in all directions. Dorm Room Fund was an incredible environment for dreaming about what the future could hold and how to bring it closer. The ability to dream about the future with a founder is something I still use every day at Sequoia.”
💥 come hang out with us IRL this fall !
Interested in meeting folks from Dorm Room Fund and learning more about venture capital? We’ve got the events for you! Be sure to register ASAP as they fill up quickly!
⭐ NATIONAL
Thursday Sep 29, 5:30pm ET on Zoom
VC 101 with Hunter Walk of Homebrew VC: Interested in learning the secrets behind early-stage investing? Hear from an early investor in companies including Plaid, Chime, and Gusto. RSVP here.
🔔 PHILLY
Monday Sep 19, 6pm ET @ Penn
VC 101 with Rob Hayes of First Round Capital: Come learn the basics from the guy who backed Uber. RSVP here.
🦞 BOSTON
Tuesday Sep 20, 6pm ET @ HBS
VC 101 with Meka Asonye, Partner @First Round Capital and Lily Lyman, Partner @ Underscore: Want to know what happens behind the curtain at some of the best funds? Come learn the ropes from the best. RSVP here.
🍎 NYC
FULL: Monday Sep 12, 6pm ET @ First Round Capital NYC
VC 101 with Josh Kopelman (the godfather of DRF): Come soak up the investing wisdom and learn a little about DRF’s history. RSVP here.
Wednesday Sep 14, 6pm ET @ Inspired Capital’s Rooftop
DRF Back to School Happy Hour: Come take in the views on NYC’s coolest rooftop and kick off the school year! RSVP here.
🌉 PALO ALTO
Tuesday Oct 11, 5pm PT @ Stanford
VC 101: Want to meet investors and learn the ins and outs of venture capital? RSVP here.
📖 tips and tricks for our investment partner app
Ready to drink some tea? We’re spilling some. If you want to apply to our DRF team, we recommend that you …
Be your authentic self. Tell us about your story and what makes you, you! We’d love to understand your interests, your experiences - good and bad - and what brought you to where you are now! When did you step off the beaten path? What makes you tick? Help us understand how DRF fits into your picture. We’re not only looking for teammates, but also life-long friends (ask any DRFer— one of the best parts of this whole experience is really our culture).
Show your interest in startups. We don’t expect you to be a Forbes 30 Under 30— yet. But we DO want to hear why you’re the best representative for your campus and that you’re plugged in to your university’s startup ecosystem. We also love deep thinkers who are endlessly fascinated by new inventions and problem-solving - you’ve got a topic (or many!) that you can’t stop talking about.
We love hot takes, but we adore deep thought. You can throw us all the opinions you want – blockchain is hot/not, X startup is cool, Y startup made a mistake. But we’d love to hear about the framework behind how you think about the problem. How did you form that blockchain opinion? Or that X startup is cool? How did you come up with your final decision? As DRF Godfather Josh Kopelman says, we know even the best investors get it wrong, a lot. So we want to see why you have a discerning eye to spot the unexpected – and how you think to form that opinion.
For more advice, check out our blog for some pieces by DRF alumni on putting your best foot forward— and good luck applying! #DRF4Life, - Team DRF
More DRF fun: Twitter + website + company application. Send job opportunities, feedback, requests, and hot takes to info@dormroomfund.com 🚀