NJIT Venture Fund

Program Type

venture-fund

Institutional Scope

NJIT faculty, students, and alumni. Sector-agnostic but tech-focused given NJIT profile.

Description

$500,000 early-stage venture fund launched in 2021 via NJII and VentureLink. Makes one-time $75,000 investments in early-stage startups (including concept stage) affiliated with NJIT. Funded from NJIT endowment. Takes equity stakes. Designed to be self-sustaining via exits. Rolling investments (not cohort-based). Helps portfolio companies connect to later-stage investors (Newark Venture Partners, HAX). Led by NJII CEO Simon Nynens, GM Will Lutz, and Director Chelsea Samuelson.

Key Details

Detail	Value
Fund size	$500,000
Check size	$75,000 (one-time)
Equity	Yes (equity stake)
Eligibility	NJIT faculty, students, alumni (full-time on concept)
Sector	Agnostic
Follow-on	No direct follow-on; connects to external investors
Deployment	Rolling, not cohort-based
Source	NJIT endowment

Resources Provided

$75K equity investment
Access to NJII/VentureLink network
Connections to Newark Venture Partners, HAX
NJII management support

Funding Details

$75K equity investment per company. Self-sustaining model.

Curriculum / Structure

Rolling deal-by-deal investments. No formal application cycle.

Eligibility

NJIT faculty, students, and alumni. Must be able to work full-time on venture.

NJIT Venture Fund

Key numbers