Network-Powered Venture Capital
Blue Ivy Venture Club
The Blue Ivy Venture Club is founded and curated by David Shapiro. The Club is organized around three pillars: Social, Investing, and Community. Members see and discuss compelling private company deals alongside David and their peers, build real investment judgment through direct access to deal sponsors, and deepen relationships with fellow Wildcats who take capital seriously.
How the Club Works
Three Pillars
- Social
Social
Learning by doing with well connected peers.
- Investing
Investing
Real AV deals. $100K+ annual deployment. Individual decisions.
- Community
Community
Come together with 20 other Yale alums interested in the same mission.
Who It’s For
- Home
Northwestern alumni
Undergrad, plus Graduate Schools Kellogg, Feinberg, Pritzker, Medill - Home
Established professionals:
Executives, doctors, attorneys, consultants, finance leaders - Home
Qualified investors with the liquidity and conviction
To deploy meaningfully into venture - Home
Those who want diversified voices in the room
And want to be one
Cadence & Format
- HomeOne 60-minute Zoom meeting per month
- HomeOne primary deal per session — real memos, real discussion
- HomeGuest speakers and deal sponsors join directly for Q&A
- HomeOrganic peer conversation led by David Beazley — not a lecture
- HomeAnnual in-person gathering at AV's Chicago offices
Deal Flow
Investing in Companies Like These
Access Curated Deals Led by Top VC Firms
These firms have co-invested in many deals with Alumni Ventures
These leading venture firms have backed some of the most successful companies in the world.
Co-investors are shown for illustrative purposes only, do not represent all co-investors with which Alumni Ventures has invested, and are not necessarily indicative of future co-investors. The identity of a co-investor does not guarantee investment quality or performance.
Inside the Club
How Members Show Up
Member Expectations
- HomeReview materials in advance
- HomeParticipate actively and consistently
- HomeMaintain strict confidentiality
- HomeBe direct, constructive, and respectful
- HomeRepeated non-attendance or disengagement will result in the seat being recycled
Investing Expectations
- HomeWhile all investment decisions are made individually, we typically see meaningful levels of participation in some of the opportunities considered by Club members over the course of a year
- HomeInvestments are made individually (not through pooled vehicles)
- HomeAllocations may be limited and are not guaranteed
- HomePassing on a deal is acceptable; thoughtful engagement is expected
Deal Focus
- We source from the entire AV deal engine:
- Top 20 U.S. VC Firm (TIME ’25), and the only one dedicated to individual investors
- Top 3 Most Active U.S. VC Firm (PitchBook ’18–’25)
- Co-invest alongside leading VCs like a16z, Sequoia, Accel, and more
- 40+ full-time AV venture investing professionals
- Sector-agnostic — high-quality opportunities across stages and industries
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
An invite-only venture investing club founded and curated by David Shapiro, organized around three pillars — Social, Investing, and Community. Members see and discuss compelling private company deals alongside David and their peers, build real investment judgment through direct access to deal sponsors, and deepen relationships with fellow members who take capital seriously. It’s a serious investing group — not a classroom, not a networking club, and not passive deal flow.
Established professionals — executives, doctors, attorneys, consultants, and finance leaders — who are qualified investors with the liquidity and conviction to deploy meaningfully into venture, and who want diversified voices in the room and want to be one.
One 60-minute Zoom meeting per month, with one primary deal per session — real memos, real discussion. Guest speakers and deal sponsors join directly for Q&A, plus an annual in-person gathering.
Members make their own decisions on real AV deals. Investments are made individually — not through pooled vehicles. Allocations may be limited and are not guaranteed, and passing on a deal is acceptable; thoughtful engagement is expected. While decisions are individual, the Club typically sees meaningful levels of participation in some opportunities over the course of a year.
Members see live venture deals across companies like Axiom Space, Bluesky, Circle, Cohere, Frore Systems, Groq, Impulse, Lambda, Oura, RapidSOS, Rigetti, and SonderMind, alongside established VC lead investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia, NEA, Kleiner Perkins, USV, Bessemer Venture Partners, Y Combinator, Founders Fund, and Khosla Ventures.
Review materials in advance, participate actively and consistently, maintain strict confidentiality, and be direct, constructive, and respectful. Repeated non-attendance or disengagement will result in the seat being recycled.
Membership is by invitation only. Share your interest to get started. All Club members must demonstrate accredited investor status prior to viewing any investment opportunities.
INVITE-ONLY • LIMITED CAPACITY
Membership by invitation only.
Please share your interest with:
Powered by Alumni Ventures
Alumni Ventures is one of the world’s most active venture firms, providing disciplined, diversified access to early-stage innovation across frontier sectors. Blue Ivy Venture Club members engage directly with live AV deal flow — building independent judgment with real stakes, not hypotheticals.