What stage does Big Red Ventures invest at?

Big Red Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.

What is Big Red Ventures's typical check size?

Big Red Ventures typically writes checks of $25K.

Where is Big Red Ventures located?

Big Red Ventures is headquartered in Ithaca, US.

Does Big Red Ventures lead rounds?

Big Red Ventures typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.

Big Red Ventures

Venture capital

Ithaca · Pre-Seed–Series A · 18 people tracked

★ Follow + Add to CRM ⤳ Find an introduction

✨ Fox Verdict

Investment thesis

BR Venture Fund invests in U.S.-based early-stage companies across all industries. As a student-managed fund tied to Cornell, it offers portfolio companies access to Cornell's academic departments in engineering, technology, and medicine, along with a network of subject-matter experts. Its team of full-time MBA students brings business expertise spanning consulting, investment banking, venture capital, medicine, and law, while Cornell Tech connects companies to computer scientists, data scientists, and hardware specialists.

Invests inBiotech Consumer Data & Infrastructure EdTech Medical Devices Retail Tech SaaS Sector AgnosticUnited States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Pre-Seed–Series A

Check

$25K

Ithaca, New York, US

Leads rounds

Follows

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2001

Tracked investments

Team · 18 people

from the firm's website & public directories

Achint Agarwal· Fund Manager· Ithacain

MBA candidate graduating 2026 from India with consulting background. Passionate about technology, AI, strategy, and venture capital; also served on MBA student council and founded the Hindu Business Society.

Anirvan Bordoloi· Fund Manager· Ithacain

MBA candidate at Johnson Cornell Tech graduating in May 2026 with a background in equity research at JP Morgan and early-stage venture capital. Has operating experience in B2B SaaS companies; focuses on Enterprise SaaS, Fintech, and AI/ML infrastructure investments.

Brendan McGreenery· Fund Manager· Ithacain

STEM-MBA candidate at Johnson graduating 2026 with deep operational experience in enterprise software. Leverages background from Account Executive roles at Salesforce and WordPress VIP managing enterprise client sales.

Christopher Archer· Fund Manager· Ithaca

MBA candidate at Johnson School focused on food and beverage, consumer products, ecommerce, and defense investments. Former Army officer with entrepreneurial experience as CEO of GO2 Beverage Inc., a sustainable beverage and hardware business.

Grant Rowlands· Fund Manager· Ithaca

PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering with professional expertise in biotechnology and medical devices. Worked as R&D engineer at Abbott on artificial heart pump development; also co-founded telemedicine venture in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hongji Zhang· Fund Manager· Ithacain

MBA candidate at Johnson School with experience as Financial Analyst at WestEd supporting large-scale education initiatives. Passionate about impact-driven investing and supporting mission-driven founders.

Ian Akisoglu· Fund Manager· Ithacain

JD/MBA candidate at Cornell graduating May 2026. Former U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer; attended Cornell Law School and worked as corporate lawyer in Silicon Valley before pursuing venture capital.

Khizar Jaffry· Fund Manager· Ithacain

MBA candidate graduating 2026 with experience spanning clinical research, product strategy, corporate development, and company building. Focuses on healthcare technology, enterprise software, and AI investments.

Lukas Wendt· Fund Manager· Ithacain

MBA candidate at Johnson School graduating May 2026 focused on consumer health, agentic AI, and B2B SaaS. Previously worked in strategy consulting and business development at medical technology firms.

Madison Gamma· Fund Manager· Ithacain

MBA candidate at Johnson Cornell Tech with operations experience at healthcare technology startups and primary care practices. Economics graduate from Cornell interested in venture capital or operating roles.

Mariana Ferreira· Fund Manager· Ithaca

STEM-MBA candidate at Johnson Cornell Tech graduating May 2026, with a concentration in Finance and AI. Co-founder of multiple consumer and foodtech ventures that raised $3.8M; brings founder-operator lens to investment decisions.

Marshall Quian· Fund Manager· Ithaca

MBA candidate at Johnson Cornell Tech focusing on deep tech and physical AI in traditional industries. Prior engineering experience at Tesla leading factory operations and international programs.

Nghi Tran· Fund Manager· Ithaca

MBA candidate at Johnson Cornell Tech graduating May 2026 and Class Representative. Started career in real estate at Zillow; later worked as product manager at high-growth real estate startups, which sparked interest in venture capital.

Rafid Patel· Fund Manager· Ithacain

MBA candidate at Johnson with background in digital transformation consulting at Ernst & Young. Holds dual degree in biology and economics; focused on evaluating early-stage tech and healthcare companies.

Sarah Carr· Fund Manager· Ithacain

JD/MBA candidate graduating May 2026. Serves as Publishing Editor for Cornell Law Review and Student Attorney advising startup entrepreneurs. Won Cantwell Prize for research; interned at FTC on merger investigations.

Umer Faizan· Fund Manager· Ithacain

MBA candidate at Johnson Cornell Tech with product strategy and growth expertise from telecom and technology sectors. Interested in AI-driven digital products and platform businesses.

Tom Schryver· Advisor

Kurt Fass· Associate· Boston, Massachusettsin

Kurt Fass holds a BA in Government and Applied Economics & Management from Cornell University. He has worked in wealth management, growth equity, and venture capital, and holds the SIE certification and CFA Investment Foundations credential.

Investments · 1 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

SightSpeed

Company BRV worked with since its inception and invested in (referenced via testimonial from its CEO).

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Big Red Ventures invest at?: Big Red Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What is Big Red Ventures's typical check size?: Big Red Ventures typically writes checks of $25K.
What sectors does Big Red Ventures focus on?: Big Red Ventures focuses on Biotech, Consumer, Data & Infrastructure, EdTech, Medical Devices, Retail Tech, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
Where is Big Red Ventures located?: Big Red Ventures is headquartered in Ithaca, US.
Does Big Red Ventures lead rounds?: Big Red Ventures typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

from their channel

Interview with Aakash Jain, Associate Partner at VU Venture Partners

Big Red Ventures

BRV Interview with Mac Conwell, Partner at RareBreed Ventures

Big Red Ventures

BRV Interview with Jonathan Kroll, Venture Partner at RareBreed Ventures

Big Red Ventures

BRV Interview with Amit Sridharan, Founding GP @ First Rays Venture Partners

Big Red Ventures

BRV Interview with Sophie Liao from Oyster Ventures

Big Red Ventures

BRV Interview with Jeremy Harper from ERA

Big Red Ventures

Similar investors

Everywhere Ventures

Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders globally, supported by a community of founders and operators as LPs.

$250K

Norwest Venture Partners

Norwest Venture Partners' portfolio page listing active companies across venture and growth equity investments in sectors including AI, healthcare, enterprise software, fintech, and consumer.

$10M – $30M

Liebenthal Ventures

Liebenthal Ventures is the venture capital arm of a family office with roots in real estate and public-market hedge fund investing. It began investing in startups in 2013 to diversify its portfolio.

$25K – $500K

HOF Capital

HOF Capital is a New York-based venture capital firm investing in companies transforming foundational industries through advanced software and AI.

$25K – $15M

b2venture

b2venture is an early-stage investment firm that backs innovative startups and founding teams from the earliest stages, building trust-based partnerships and supporting portfolio companies through their challenges.

$270K – $5.4M

Featured in lists

Seed Investors & VC Firms Series A Investors & VC Firms Pre-Seed Investors & VC Firms Investors & VC Firms in United States Seed Investors & VC Firms in United States SaaS Investors & VC Firms Series A Investors & VC Firms in United States SaaS Seed Investors & VC Firms SaaS Series A Investors & VC Firms Consumer Investors & VC Firms Pre-Seed Investors & VC Firms in United States Biotech Investors & VC Firms