(Courtesy of Yeshiva University) MAC Ventures, LLC announced today the launch of a $10 million fund that will invest in early-stage tech companies based in North America and Israel. The fund, which is associated with, but separate from Yeshiva University, will be run professionally by seasoned venture capitalists and administered by students of the Sy Syms School of Business Honors Program.

Two managing members lead MAC Ventures: Bruce Taragin, managing director of Blumberg Capital, and Moshe Bellows, a prominent Midwest angel investor. Both are alumni of Yeshiva University. Bruce and Moshe co-teach Angel and Venture Capital Investing and Fund Formation, Administration and Management at the Sy Syms School of Business Honors Program at Yeshiva University, and it is this experience that led to the birth of MAC Ventures.

“We are thrilled to be working with the wider YU community on building MAC Ventures into a category-leading venture fund that delivers value to our portfolio companies, YU alumni and, of course, the students who will be participating in the program,” Bellows said.

MAC Ventures will focus on the verticals in which its managing members have decades of successful investment experience, including, but not limited to SaaS, B2B, Fintech, cybersecurity, PropTech, digital health and SilverTech™.

“As alumni, we feel a deep responsibility to give back by creating a dynamic, real-world learning environment for our students,” said Taragin. “We believe that MAC Ventures provides more than just capital to our portfolio companies. A MAC Ventures investment leverages the deep and diverse intellectual assets of YU’s undergraduate and graduate programs and its vibrant, global alumni ecosystem to support and accelerate MAC Ventures-related companies.”

The goal of MAC Ventures is to operate a top quartile early-stage venture fund by leveraging the global Yeshiva University alumni network, while simultaneously providing an unparalleled learning experience for Yeshiva University students. MAC Ventures aims to harness and amplify the academic and alumni strengths of Yeshiva University, while also giving students a hands-on venture capital experience through assisting in the growth of startups in North America and Israel. YU students will have the opportunity to work hands-on with investment opportunities, from origination through execution, essentially acting as analysts for MAC Ventures.

With more than 60,000 alumni, many of whom live in Israel, YU’s alumni ecosystem represents a diverse range of vocations and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) at the highest level of every industry. MAC Ventures represents a triple bottom line by generating attractive, top quartile financial returns, providing students with real-world experience and opportunities and engaging alumni as investors, SMEs and advisors in order to foster a deeper, more meaningful connection to the university.

“Bruce and Moshe are model alumni of Yeshiva University, returning to campus to develop our next generation of entrepreneurial leaders, while helping strengthen our culture of entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Noam Wasserman, Dean of the Sy Syms School of Business and author of “The Founder’s Dilemmas.”

“MAC Ventures allows Yeshiva University to join elite and select universities in the country with a complementary investment fund,” he continued. “The addition of MAC Ventures within the orbit of our entrepreneurship courses, clubs and other startup activities gives YU a full range of opportunities for students to get real-life experiences while on campus, helping them develop their career goals, and distinguishing them when they hit the job market or when they decide to found their own ventures. The relationship with MAC Ventures also creates an opportunity for YU alumni and allies to help current students participate in and create the companies of tomorrow.”

Learn more about MAC Ventures at www.macventures.vc.