Webinar
An Introduction to Waterman Ventures
Rob Adams, Executive Partner of Waterman Ventures, led an introduction to Alumni Ventures’ Brown alumni-affiliated venture fund — and a clear-eyed look at how accredited investors can gain structured exposure to the founders emerging from one of the country’s most distinctive innovation ecosystems.
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In this session, Rob walked through the fund’s investment thesis and how it leverages Alumni Ventures’ connection to the Brown alumni ecosystem to source, evaluate, and back exceptional founders. The conversation covered what sets Brown apart as a consistent founder-producing institution — from its open-curriculum philosophy that produces cross-disciplinary thinkers, to its School of Engineering and the Brown-RISD creative-technical collaboration, to a global alumni network spanning finance, technology, media, and life sciences — and how the Waterman team translates that access into a diversified portfolio for investors.
Whether you were a Brown alum, a current Alumni Ventures investor, or evaluating university-connected venture for the first time, this session gave you a clear, current view of how Waterman Ventures is constructed and where the fund is heading next. Watch the recording to hear directly from Rob and his responses to investor questions from the live Q&A.
Want to access our Waterman Ventures startup deals to see, evaluate, and optionally invest? No cost, no commitment.
Key Takeaway
- HomeDiscover how Waterman Ventures translates privileged access to the Brown alumni ecosystem into a differentiated venture portfolio
- HomeUnderstand how Rob and the team source and evaluate Brown-connected deals — and what they look for before writing a check
- HomeLearn how to access this network through a single diversified fund, alongside fellow Brown alumni and accredited investors
Rated a Top 20 VC Firm by both TIME and CB Insights.
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenter
Rob is a former entrepreneur, institutional fund manager, and software executive. He has served on many corporate boards and has founded or financed more than 40 companies, raising capital in both public and private markets. He is an internationally recognized expert and speaker on innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship. Most recently, Rob was on the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin, where he taught entrepreneurship in the MBA program and was the Founder and Director of Texas Venture Labs. He was CEO and Founder of Business Matters, a venture-backed developer of financial modeling products that was acquired. He was also an executive with Pervasive Software, a company he helped take public. Rob holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Purdue, an MBA from Babson’s Olin School of Management, and a PhD in Management from Capella University.