Yale Ventures

Meet Crew Dog—the Yale-born brand rethinking collegiate apparel. Founded in 2023 by rower Constantine Polychronopoulos ’25 and co-owner Coby Wagonfeld ’26, Crew Dog’s gone from a “side project” to 40+ bookstores, 12 full-time team members, and a leap from 12,000 units sold in 2024 to a projected 37,000 this year. “College apparel is so concentrated between a few huge companies that have kind of forgotten about the consumer, whether that’s students or alumni, and focused more on profit,” Wagonfeld said. We feel like there’s a way to do both and make really cool stuff.” Read the story in Yale Daily News: https://lnkd.in/ekPR63NP

Congratulations to Yale spinout Normunity and scientific founder Lieping Chen, a pioneer of cancer immunotherapy and an immunologist at Yale School of Medicine, on this milestone!

Creating complex nanomaterials just got faster, simpler, and more affordable. A team led by Yale Engineering's Liangbing Hu has developed a new method called electrified vapor deposition (EVD) that enables rapid, low-cost production of high-purity nanomaterials under atmospheric pressure. The technique – published in Nature Synthesis – uses an electrified carbon paper heater to generate atomic vapor that cools and reforms into uniform, high-quality coatings and thin films. The breakthrough could accelerate innovation across electronics, aerospace, energy, and semiconductor industries. 🔗 Read more: https://loom.ly/iUJRWis #Nanotechnology #MaterialsScience #Nanomaterials #Innovation #WhatsNext

💡 Got a climate solution brewing? CBEY is seeding up to $20,000 for student-led ventures that drive real environmental impact. 🌱⚡♻️ Focus areas: ecosystems and biodiversity, food and land use, energy access and efficiency, materials and waste. Deadline: November 16, 2025 at 11:59 PM Apply: https://lnkd.in/g7wEPm25 Questions: david.meduga@yale.edu #Yale #CBEY #Sustainability #ClimateAction #StudentStartups #Entrepreneurship

Yale University will continue to serve as a key partner in the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA), which has been awarded $125 million in renewed funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to advance #quantum information science research over the next five years.

Yale Ventures was delighted to host this event at our HQ, welcoming colleagues from across Yale University for an evening exploring quantum technology with QuantumCT and J.P. Morgan, Innovation Economy.

📣 Upcoming at Yale School of Management: Fireside Chat with Katy Nelson (ex-a16z, Techstars, Gartner, Accenture) Join us for an illuminating fireside chat with Katy Nelson — formerly Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Mentor at Techstars, Managing Director at Gartner, and Strategy Consultant at Accenture — as she unpacks what it takes to scale startups, navigate industries, and invest with conviction at the frontier of technology and venture capital. 💡About Katy At Andreessen Horowitz, Katy served as Partner and GTM Team Lead, heading one of the firm’s largest go-to-market organizations across regulated industries (financial services, government, healthcare/life sciences, transportation/logistics, energy/utilities, automotive, manufacturing). She helped portfolio companies land and scale with real buyers — shaping GTM strategy, building executive relationships, and driving repeatable global revenue. At Gartner, she supported Fortune 500 and Global 2000 organizations in navigating the intersection of business strategy and emerging technology — guiding leaders in leveraging AI, blockchain, cloud infrastructure, mobile applications, cybersecurity, and data & analytics. Now, she joins us at Yale to talk about: 👩💼Women in venture capital and leadership  🚀 How students can break into startups and VC  💡 The current investing landscape  🧠 The founder journey & advice for student founders 💪 The role of megafunds Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of venture’s most strategic minds and connect with peers passionate about innovation, investing, and entrepreneurship. 🗓️ Date & Time: Friday, November 14, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 🔗 Register here: https://luma.com/22c4rivc About the host: H*QUOTIENT is the world's leading deep tech & hardware community for students, recent grads, and GenZ technologists. HQ is built by your very own fellow Yalie Roxana Grunenwald.  Roxana is a Partner at Dorm Room Fund, a generalist pre-seed fund investing in student & recent grad builders at the earliest stages. #yalesom #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #StartupLeadership #a16z #Techstars #YaleVentures #Innovation #WomenInVC

🚨 Yale students — last chance! Round 1 applications for the Rothberg Build Fund are due tomorrow (Nov 5)! The Rothberg Build Fund, founded by visionary innovator Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, offers up to $3,000 to help you transform your healthcare idea into a real-world solution. Use the funding to: 🔹 Build an MVP or prototype 🔹 Validate your idea through user discovery 🔹 Hit critical milestones to move forward Open to early-stage Yale student innovators ready to take action — solo or in teams. 💡 Empowering the next generation of healthtech breakthroughs. 🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ecVZVQAA #YaleVentures #RothbergCatalyzer #JonathanRothberg #HealthInnovation #StudentStartups #HealthcareTech #FundingOpportunity #YaleCBIT

🚀 Last week, Yale CBIT (Center for Biomedical Innovation and Technology) hosted the first Innovator Meetup: Rothberg Build Fund Awardees, bringing together Yale’s innovation and healthcare community for an inspiring evening of conversation and creativity. The event featured founders from three student-led ventures supported by the Rothberg Build Fund, founded by Dr. Jonathan Rothberg: 💡 Yassin Mudawi (MakeDeathsCount) – advancing global mortality surveillance 💊 Anjal Jain (@AdheRx) – improving medication adherence 🦷 Laurie Jimenez (FulcrumCare) – bridging the dental-medical divide Moderated by Dr. Shawn Ong, Medical Director of IT at Yale New Haven Health, the discussion centered on the power of validation, teamwork, and persistence in early-stage innovation. Each founder shared candid reflections on testing, pivoting, and building ventures grounded in accessibility, innovation, and equity. 🔍 Key takeaway: “You have to test your idea early—try it, break it, rebuild it, and then test it again.” — Yassin Mudawi, MakeDeathsCount The evening concluded with a guided tour of the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design (CEID), Yale’s interdisciplinary hub for hands-on prototyping and collaboration—reminding attendees that great ideas come to life when innovation meets community. ✨ Thank you to all who joined for an evening celebrating student-led ventures shaping the future of healthcare! Read More: https://lnkd.in/g5YNHihw #YaleVentures #YaleCBIT #RothbergBuildFund #Innovation #HealthcareInnovation #YaleCEID #StudentFounders

🚀 🎨 🌏 This week's Innovation & Entrepreneurship events: TODAY, Nov. 3 Collective CT: How Kindness and Match Can Change the World with James C. Rhee https://luma.com/nr5zp944 Nov 4: Entrepreneurial Women at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs: https://lnkd.in/epUEsZbz Nov 4: Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science Dean's Invited Speaker Series featuring Gus Fuldner '04, Senior VP, Safety & Core Services, Uber Nov. 4: The High School Dropout Who Built a Unicorn, Samir Vasavada, CEO of Vise https://luma.com/ic09thh7 Nov. 5: Forge Fall Startup Showcase https://lnkd.in/e5Y-S2_Y Nov 5: Final Showcase: Pitching for The Planet https://luma.com/pbtpy725 Nov 6 & 7: Yale Clean Energy Conference hosted by Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) (stop by the Yale Ventures) table on Friday! https://lnkd.in/eEcnt475 Nov 7: The Fundraising Roadmap: From First Pitch to Lasting Partnerships https://lnkd.in/egxTuBb4 Nov 12: Dean's Invited Speaker Series featuring Greg Peters '93, co-ceo, Netflix https://lnkd.in/eKm_Kni5 Nov 12: INSPIRE Series: Rhea See, co-founder and CEO of She Loves Tech https://luma.com/b6j9rz81 Nov 13: Ask Yale Ventures with Frances Pollock: What Does Innovation Look Like in the Creative and Cultural Space? https://luma.com/397exq26 Nov 17: Collective CT - Creative Entrepreneurs Financial Empowerment Program https://luma.com/w6ouibgy Nov 17: Alumni Leaders in Art Innovation https://luma.com/2l5cv9b9 Nov 18: Meng Impact Investment Fund at Yale SOM Pitch Night https://luma.com/9rt6h5wf Nov 20: Collaborative CT https://luma.com/gf79ep3x Nov. 21: Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (Tsai CITY) Ventures Showcase & Mixer https://luma.com/5fs0t592 For a full list of events, visit: https://lnkd.in/eUriWtTC)