Education
Maverick Venture Fund educates students in venture capital and angel investing. Under 1% of college grads get direct VC experience, which is often required for entry-level VC positions.
nebraska impact
Maverick Venture Fund was created to invest and grow student, alumni, and Nebraska startups through venture capital education, investment, and engagement, with over $200,000 deployed.
network
Maverick Venture Fund holds networking socials connecting students, entrepreneurs, investors, and the community.
opportunity
Maverick Venture Fund gives students the opportunity to listen to pitches, create due diligence reports, raise funds, make investment decisions, and a chance at Nebraska VC internships.
Maverick Venture Fund Portfolio
A Right Investment Can Make All The Difference
ABOUT US:
Established as the first university-level venture fund in Nebraska, the Maverick Venture Fund invests seed capital into startups, especially those founded by UNO students and alumni.
Maverick Venture Fund Testimonials
“The Maverick Venture Fund has allowed me to create meaningful connections with both classmates, portfolio companies, entrepreneurs from companies pitching and others in the Omaha community and beyond.”
Madeline Allen
BIS, Management Information Systems, UNO 2020, MBA 2022
“The best part, that at least I’ve gotten from the Maverick Venture Fund, is the network that you get. You get to meet hundreds of people from the startup community, as well as everyone in your class. You really get to understand what venture capital is like.”
Isaiah Jacobsen
Managing Director
BS Computer Science, BS Artificial Intelligence, UNO 2026
“The Maverick Venture Fund has been an eye opening experience that has allowed me to take a hands on approach to analyzing startups. Not only have I learned about Nebraska’s startup ecosystem, I have also forged invaluable connections.”
Makayla Leiting
BSBA Logistics, Material & Supply Chain Management, UNO 2021
“[MVF] support[s] Nebraska-based companies and graduates of the University of Nebraska System. We see opportunities to provide people the opportunity to start up a business that benefits the company, and we reinvest in the community.”
Terry Boer
MBA, Dordt 1984, MBA 2026
“Every employer I’ve told about the MVF experience is very impressed, because it’s such a unique opportunity. It helped me get a job as a credit analyst and gave me a head start because I already had valuable experience.”
Clarence “Ben” Smith
BSBA, Economics, UNO 2019
“Through the Managing Director position, MVF has allowed me the opportunity to get direct experience with managing amounts of money that a college student would not normally have access to.”
Kirk Bramwell
Managing Director
MS Economics, Econometrics and Data Analytics & Public Policy Economics, UNO 2025, MS 2026
“One way MVF has helped me is through networking and really learning a lot about different people… The main thing that I learned is how to do really good due diligence to figure out if a venture is a good investment.”
Shona Juliana
MBA, Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law, UNO 2024, MBA 2026
“MVF has been a great learning experience on how venture funds function and how to make informed decisions regarding investments.”
Stefan Varga
MBA, Investment Science, TCU 2024, MBA 2026
“What I’ve enjoyed most and found most valuable about being part of the Maverick Venture Fund is the people. Not only dealing with founders, who are… very inspirational for coming up and giving their pitch on their idea, but also the students I’ve been able to work with. I think we’ve been able to leverage… our diversity of experience to make really good investment decisions.”
Martha Fister
Managing Director
MBA, Investment Science, UNO 2017, MBA 2026
Maverick Venture Fund Sponsors
