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1789 Student Venture Fund
Also known as: 1789 Fund
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The 1789 Student Venture Fund provides seed funding for UNC-Chapel Hill students to build commercial and social startups. Founded by Jim Kitchen, professor at Kenan-Flagler Business School and active angel investor. The fund is part of the 1789 Hub, UNC's student innovation incubator community.
Quick fit check
- No equity required
- Currently active
- Verified by research
Key numbers
Funding range
—
Equity
None
Application
Semiannual
Institution Wide
Last activity
2026-06-26
High confidence
Key Details
- Founded: 2021 (by Jim Kitchen)
- Total awarded: $174,834 to 137 teams (as of FY2025)
- Follow-on funding: $2M+ raised by funded teams
- Cycles: Two per year (fall: Aug 15-Oct 1, spring: Jan 1-Feb 15)
- Eligibility: Current UNC undergrad and graduate students
- Average cycle: 18 winners, ~$27K total per cycle
- Use of funds: Prototyping, product development, app/website, customer discovery, licensing, marketing, supplies
- 1789 Hub: Virtual student innovation community with ~20 mentors
News & articles
News articles and official sources documenting 1789 Student Venture Fund at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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1789 Student Venture Fund
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1789 Student Venture Fund
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