(Courtesy of Yeshiva University) On April 6, eight students from the Sy Syms School of Business, currently taking the fund formation and administration and management course taught by Maccabee Ventures general partners Moshe Bellows, 90YC, ’08W and Bruce Taragin ’89YC, presented their in-depth analysis and assessment of the fund’s performance and portfolio to the limited partners and stakeholders. Maccabee Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm associated with, but independent and separate from, Yeshiva University. The meeting was conducted through Zoom.
Gabrielle Posner ’23SB (finance, business strategy and entrepreneurship), Max Ash ’22 (finance, marketing), Julia Rose ’23SB (finance, business strategy and entrepreneurship), Celia Cohen ’22SB (accounting, strategy and entrepreneurship), Toviya Stager ’22YC (economics, psychology, REITS), Leah Schewitz ’23SB (finance, business strategy and entrepreneurship), Madlen Kavian ’22SB (finance, business strategy and entrepreneurship) and Sofia Jaffe ’22SB (finance, marketing) spoke in knowledgeable detail to an audience of 90 advisers and stakeholders, alumni and Syms faculty, all aspects of the fund as well as how their involvement gave them vital real-world experience as future participants in the venture capital industry.
The meeting began with an introduction by Bellows, followed by the students’ presentations of the fund’s mission and vision, economic macro and micro trends and portfolio updates. They also discussed deal flow, their research and analysis of candidates for funding, various prerequisites for funding (such as if the company possesses an experienced management team) and co-investors and portfolio companies’ performance metrics, as well as the cross-pollination that occurs among members of the advisory teams and alumni.
The students impressed investors and administrators alike. “I could not be more proud of them,” said Michael Strauss, associate dean, clinical professor of strategy and entrepreneurship and entrepreneur-in-residence at Syms. “If I closed my eyes, I would certainly have thought these were highly experienced industry professionals presenting in an LP meeting. They were knowledgeable and engaging and did a superb job!”
“Having this level of hands-on experience and responsibility for a college class is unparalleled and revolutionary,” said Ash, who will be working at Barclays after graduation. “As student interns, we’ve been given a real-world opportunity that we’re able to translate into unique talking points in interviews that I’ve experienced firsthand.” Added Posner, “Interning at Maccabee Ventures gave me the opportunity to source and analyze new companies, finesse my presentation skills and strengthen my knowledge in technology and start-ups.”
Yeshiva University hosts a dynamic ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation that not only includes these impressive students and Maccabee Ventures but also alumni, University faculty and industry experts, the YU Innovation Lab and computer science departments, the office of alumni affairs and a Syms curriculum revamped by Dr. Noam Wasserman and Dr. Sharon Poczter.
For more information about Maccabee Ventures, visit www.maccabee.vc.
