Webinar
Masterclass Live! The Art of Evaluating a Deal
Join Mark Edwards, Chief Investment Officer at Alumni Ventures, and Andy Ervin for a behind-the-scenes look at four Foundation Fund portfolio companies — the reasons they earned capital, what the team saw early, and what each one reveals about how Alumni Ventures actually builds a venture portfolio.
In this session, Mark Edwards, Chief Investment Officer at Alumni Ventures, and Andy Ervin will go deep on four portfolio companies the Foundation Fund has backed — using each as a window into how the team actually evaluates, underwrites, and builds conviction around an investment. Mark and Andy will walk through what stood out about each founder, the diligence that shaped the decision, and the early signals that flagged these companies as worth the team’s commitment.
The conversation will move beyond high-level frameworks and into the specifics of real investment decisions — what the team saw before consensus formed, where they pushed back during diligence, and what each company reveals about the broader categories Alumni Ventures is leaning into across its portfolio. Mark and Andy will draw on AV’s vantage point as one of the most active venture investors in the country to ground each example in real-world decision-making.
Whether you’re a current Foundation Fund investor curious about how your capital is being deployed, or an accredited investor evaluating the fund for the first time, this session will give you a clearer, more concrete view of how the Foundation Fund builds its portfolio — one company at a time. Register to walk away with a sharper sense of what Alumni Ventures looks for, how the team makes decisions, and where conviction actually comes from in venture.
Want to access our AV Syndicate startup deals to see, evaluate, and optionally invest? No cost, no commitment.
Why Attend?
- HomeSee behind the scenes of four real Foundation Fund portfolio investments and how each one earned the team's conviction
- HomeUnderstand what Alumni Ventures looks for in a founder, a market, and a business model — and how those filters get applied in practice
- HomeHear directly from Mark and Andy on what these companies reveal about the categories driving the Foundation Fund's portfolio today
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 presenters
Andy is Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Alumni Ventures, where he supports investment operations, analytics, and portfolio management. Previously, Andy held several executive roles at a VC-backed start-up in Boston called MiniLuxe, where he led finance and operations during a period of significant growth. Andy was also a consultant at The Parthenon Group and began his career as an actuary at the Liberty Mutual Group. Andy holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Mark Edwards is the Chief Investment Officer at Alumni Ventures. A seasoned private equity executive who was an early investor in AV, Mark has served on the investment committees of Green D Ventures and Spike Ventures since inception. Mark has over 20 years of direct investing experience, having served in leadership roles at Five Peaks Capital Management, JLL Partners (~$4B of capital under management), and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (~$10B of capital under management). He holds an AB with honors from Stanford University and an MBA with distinction from Tuck (Tuck Scholar).