Webinar
VC 401: How Working With Us Works
Join Rob Adams, Executive Partner at Alumni Ventures, and Hilary Ncala, SVP Investor Relations, for the fourth session in the AV Academy series — a practical walkthrough of how to actually participate in venture through Alumni Ventures, including the three equity markets shaping modern portfolios, the two ways to invest with AV, and how to build a venture allocation that matches your goals.
In this session, Rob Adams and Hilary Ncala will walk through the operational mechanics of investing with Alumni Ventures — starting with why the old “equities equals public stocks” framing is outdated (there are really three equity markets now: public equities, late-stage private companies, and early-stage venture) and how AV fits into a modern portfolio as a diversification tool with low correlation to large-cap equity. Rob and Hilary will then break down the two ways to participate — investing in AV’s diversified funds (~20-30 companies each, $50K-$100K typical checks) or investing deal-by-deal through syndicates (no sign-up fee, $15K-$25K typical) — and walk through the AV portfolio pyramid (Core, Focused, and Syndications), three sample allocation programs (Foundation Builder, Balanced Program, High Conviction), and AV’s 27 vertical and focus communities spanning AI, Deep Tech, Healthtech, U.S. Strategic Tech, and more.
Whether you’re a current Alumni Ventures investor evaluating how to build a more deliberate program, or an accredited investor exploring how to actually work with AV for the first time, this session will give you a clear, practical view of how the platform is structured — and how to translate a venture allocation goal into an actual set of decisions. Register to hear directly from Rob and Hilary — and bring your questions to the live Q&A.
Want to access our Alumni Ventures startup deals to see, evaluate, and optionally invest? No cost, no commitment.
Why Attend?
- HomeUnderstand the three equity markets shaping modern portfolios — public equities, late-stage private companies, and early-stage venture — and how AV fits into a low-correlation diversification strategy
- HomeSee how the AV portfolio pyramid (Core → Focused → Syndications) works in practice, including three sample allocation programs and how to match one to your goals
- HomeLearn the two ways to invest with AV — funds and deal-by-deal — and how AV's 27 vertical and focus communities give you thematic exposure across AI, Deep Tech, Healthtech, U.S. Strategic Tech, and more
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
Hilary is a senior leader in financial services with more than 15 years of experience working with investors across market cycles. Since joining Alumni Ventures in 2016, she has been instrumental in building and scaling the firm’s investor relations function, leading high-performing teams and partnering closely with investment, finance, legal, and operations groups to support investors throughout the lifecycle of their venture portfolios with rigor and transparency. Her background in retirement investment planning, including earlier Series 7 and 63 licensure, informs a disciplined perspective on portfolio construction, risk management, liquidity considerations, and long-term capital allocation. Hilary is known for her ability to bring clarity to complex investment topics and for upholding a thoughtful, investor-first experience. She graduated summa cum laude from Fisher College and is currently pursuing her MBA at Boston University.
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.