One of the biggest obstacles to a startup's advancement is lack of funding. Early-stage startups that emerge from universities often face two problems in this regard: 1) the overwhelming majority of funding for startups is not for early-stage companies, and 2) startup funding is largely concentrated in only a few metro areas. This has made it difficult for universities, and particularly those not located in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Boston and New York City, to advance their startups to a stage where they are ready for follow-on investment and the commercial market. To overcome these obstacles, in 2018 the University of Notre Dame established the Notre Dame Pit Road Fund, a separate $22 million investment fund, with a University subsidiary acting as general partner with private limited partners, to derisk and accelerate its promising early-stage technologies and startup ideas toward commercial viability.  In this four part podcast, we will discuss the reasons behind the creation of the Notre Dame Pit Road Fund, how it is structured, learnings from its two years of existence, and how other institutions of higher education may be able to build something like it.  This podcasts feature Bryan Ritchie, the Vice President and Cathy and John Martin Associate Provost for Innovation at Notre Dame and a member of the Pit Road Fund's investment committee, and Tom Crotty, a senior advisor at Battery Ventures and Notre Dame alumnus.

Ideas at ND

Creating a University ROI Investment Fund to Derisk Early Stage Technologies: Part 4

Creating a University ROI Investment Fund to Derisk Early Stage Technologies: Part 3

Creating a University ROI Investment Fund to Derisk Early Stage Technologies: Part 2

Creating a University ROI Investment Fund to Derisk Early Stage Technologies: Part 1

In part 4 of this special episode, Tim Connors, founder of PivotNorth Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, discusses what startups can do to survive the current recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, what mistakes they should avoid, and how to prepare their businesses for future growth. This episode is moderated by Bryan Ritchie, Cathy and John Martin associate provost for innovation at the University of Notre Dame.

Leading Startups in Times of Crisis: Part 4

Rob McColgan graduated from Notre Dame in 2002 and majored in Finance and Film. Rob is currently the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Modern Market.  

McCloskey Series - Rob McColgan

In part 3 of this special episode, Tim Connors, founder of PivotNorth Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, discusses what startups can do to survive the current recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, what mistakes they should avoid, and how to prepare their businesses for future growth. This episode if moderated by Bryan Ritchie, Cathy and John Martin associate provost for innovation at the University of Notre Dame.

Leading Startups in Times of Crisis: Part 3

Will McLeod graduated from Notre Dame in 2009 with a degree in Product Design and from the Notre Dame ESTEEM program in 2010. Will is the Founder of SmarterShade, a smart glass technology company. Since 2013, Will has served as the Chief of Product for Keen Home, a startup dedicated to creating connected devices for the home in the smart HVAC space. In 2015, Keen Home was featured on the popular TV show 'Shark Tank.' This podcast was recorded on February 24, 2020.  

McCloskey Series - Will McLeod

Brett Belock received his BA in Design from Notre Dame in 2008 and his MBA from Notre Dame in 2014. Brett is now a Product Manager at AC3. This episode was recorded on February 23, 2020.  

McCloskey Series - Brett Belock

In part 2 of this special episode, Tim Connors, founder of PivotNorth Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, discusses what startups can do to survive the current recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, what mistakes they should avoid, and how to prepare their businesses for future growth. This episode if moderated by Bryan Ritchie, Cathy and John Martin associate provost for innovation at the University of Notre Dame.

Leading Startups in Times of Crisis: Part 2

Caile Coughlan is a senior Science-Business major and Bioengineering minor from Massapequa, NY. This episode was recorded on April 11, 2020. 

Class of 2020 Series - Caile Coughlin

In this special episode, Tim Connors, founder of PivotNorth Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, discusses what startups can do to survive the current recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, what mistakes they should avoid, and how to prepare their businesses for future growth. This episode is moderated by Bryan Ritchie, Cathy and John Martin associate provost for innovation at the University of Notre Dame.

Leading Startups in Times of Crisis: Part 1

Tyler Hulett graduated from Notre Dame in 2010  and majored in Biochemistry and Anthropology. During his time at ND, Tyler competed in the McCloskey New Venture Competition and later served as a McCloskey judge. Tyler currently works for a startup called CDI Laboratories where he focuses on Immuno-Oncology and Biomarker Development.  

McCloskey Series - Tyler Hulett

This episode features guest host Bryan Ritchie, vice president and Cathy and John Martin associate provost for innovation at the University of Notre Dame, interviewing Matt Leevy, Director of the IDEA Center Innovation Lab.  Matt Leevy previously appeared on IDEAs at ND on November 14, 2019.  

Matt Leevy 2 - Bryan Ritchie Guest Hosts!

Ashley Kalinauskas is the Founder and CEO of Torigen Inc, a company focused on veterinary cancer care.  To learn more about Torigen or to reach out to Ashley, visit https://www.torigen.com/ 

McCloskey Series - Ashley Kalinauskas

Conversations with some of Notre Dame's most creative entrepreneurs and inventors. We'll dive into the stories, ideas, and people driving innovation at ND. The host of Ideas at ND is Pat Hollander, a senior at The University of Notre Dame studying finance and economics.

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Ideas at ND

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