Opell Start-Up FundCommittee
What is it
The HWS Start Up Fund Committee (SFC) is a program that is meant to resemble a venture capital (VC) investment model for early-stage entrepreneurial ventures. It resembles the VC model in that a student team with a new venture idea (for-profit or non-profit) can pitch to the committee, and the SFC decides whether the team is ready for investment. Upon receiving investment, teams are required to communicate detailed budgets to the committee who will then follow-up with teams two months after distributing the funds to ensure that the businesses are developing their ideas. The activities of the SFC are mainly student-run, with advisement from the Centennial Center. The SFC is funded by the Michael ’59 and Ellen ’60 Opell IdeaLab Endowment.
Email leadership@hws.edu to learn more about joining or pitching to the committee.