The Wildcat Philanthropic Seed Fund

• The Goal: A $5M pre-seed/seed investment fund for startups formed around UArizona intellectual property and limited other UArizona-related startups

• The Target: Individual investment contributions ranging from $50,000 to $250,000

• The Recipients: University-affiliated companies preparing for their next seed or first institutional (Series A) round

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Our goal with the Wildcat Philanthropic Seed Fund is to create a $5M pre-seed/seed investment fund for startups formed around UArizona intellectual property and limited other UArizona-related startups (eg: student). Our target individual investment contributions will range from $50,000 to $250,000. Funds will be distributed to help those companies prepare for their next seed or first institutional (Series A) round.

Preference will be given to those startups that show a great market fit and can connect the dots between the investment and how it will support the growth of the technology and help the team prepare for its next round.

A second goal of this fund is to provide learning opportunities to UArizona students. Two primary teams will be designed to include students along with leadership from both Tech Launch Arizona and FORGE. Due diligence teams will vet any company applying for funds and all investment decisions will be made by an Investment Committee. Students will be essential participants on these teams, giving them experiential learning opportunities to foster the next generation of entrepreneurs and investors.

When a company goes through a liquidity event such as a merger or an acquisition – or they go public – any proceeds will be re-invested back into the Fund, creating an evergreen source of funding for UArizona startups, an ongoing experiential student learning program, and a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem for Tucson and Arizona.

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Donors will be supporting student experiential learning and the growth of the Tucson entrepreneurial ecosystem. This unique program provides the opportunity to support UArizona in multiple ways, and in line with our land-grant mission, seeing the impacts of university research and innovation in our communities grow.

• Funds from liquidity events will be re-invested, creating an evergreen source for UArizona startups

• The fund will supply talent to fuel the entrepreneurial ecosystem for Tucson and Arizona.

• Support for student experiential learning

• Invest in a growing Tucson and Arizona entrepreneurial ecosystem