The best time to find us is before the answer is obvious
We back founders still in school or just out while the idea is taking shape, then stay useful as the company does.
Apply for Funding
First check,
full conviction
Before the traction, polished deck, or outside validation, there is a founder who sees something others do not. We do not need the finished version to take you seriously.
MVPFirst customerSeries AWe invest here
Built for this stage
Since 2012, we have worked with founders still in school and just out, from first product through first hires and first rounds. We know where this stage gets stuck and what helps move it forward.
You may be doing this for the first time. We are not.
Is this a company, or a class project?
Who's my first customer, and will they pay?
Do I finish the degree, or the product?
Who do I hire first when I can't pay them?
Do I raise now, or build first?
What does traction even look like for this?
What happens after graduation?
A network that does not graduate
Your first conversations are with student investors close enough to campus to see what others miss. Once DRF invests, you also gain the support of the DRF team and a wider community of founders, operators, and investors.
They can help with hiring, customers, product questions, and the next round.
320direct advisors
1,800questions answered
640connections made
45first hires sourced
Will Manidis
CEO, ScienceIO
Toni Oloko
Co-founder, Dandy
Talia Goldberg
Partner, Bessemer
Shawn Xu
DRF Network
Sara Du
Co-founder, Alloy
Santiago Hernandez
DRF Network
Sam Broner
Partner, a16z
Nick Kim
DRF Network
Neal Khosla
Founder, Curai
Mike Annunziata
DRF Network
Matt Piccolella
DRF Network
Liu Jiang
Investor, Sublime
Lauren Reeder
Partner, Sequoia
Lan Jiang
DRF Network
Karina Hsu
DRF Network
Isabelle Phelps
DRF Network
Heston Berkman
DRF Network
David Mackanic
Founder, Anthro Energy
Claire Smilow
Partner, BoxGroup
Christine Esserman
Partner, Accel
Brent Willess
DRF Network
Anjney Mihda
GP, a16z
Amanda Bradford
Founder, The League
Alex Wendland
DRF Network
Alex Torrey
DRF Network
Alex Immerman
Partner, a16z
FAQs
We invest in current students and recent alumni, generally up to two years post-graduation. That includes undergraduates, graduate students, MBAs, and PhDs. We also back alumni of the Dorm Room Fund community, including former members of our student investment team and operators at our portfolio companies. If you are building something meaningful and you are close to campus, we want to hear from you.
We invest for 3% of your company, less than half of what most accelerators and early-stage programs take. Check sizes range from $90K to $500K, and we are often the first money in. Standard terms, no surprises. We will walk you through everything when we get there.
No. We invest at the earliest stages. Some founders come with a working product. Others come with a sharp thesis, a clear market, and the ability to build. We are evaluating the team and the opportunity, not checking boxes on a feature list. If you are pre-product, show us why you are the right person to solve this problem.
You will meet with two of our student investment partners first, then pitch your regional team. Our team leads diligence and drives the process, but they are never alone. Every deal is supported by our full-time leadership to ensure we bring both early conviction and long-term discipline to each check we write.
You meet our student partners during diligence. Once you are in the portfolio, our full-time team takes the lead and works side by side with you on hiring, product, customer intros, and fundraising strategy. Our goal? The most helpful investors on your cap table. Just ask our founders.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in credits from partners like Anthropic, OpenAI, and AWS, plus 50+ resources in our founder portal covering everything from compute to cap tables to hiring.
Yes. Founders grow, products evolve, and markets shift. If you have made meaningful progress since your last application, we want to hear about it.