ABOUT US

The Venture Fellows (VF) was formed in the fall of 1999 by James Walbom, a 2001 MBA graduate of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. The program intended to connect the thriving Texas Venture Capital community with the most talented MBA students at the University of Texas.

With the help of many key sponsors and people along the way, the VF program has grown to what we believe is the only organization that offers entrepreneurial MBA students the opportunity to gain real-world experience through an internship program with local venture capital firms and a unique venture capital focused curriculum.

The Venture Fellows is not a student club, but rather an organization outside of the University of Texas MBA program founded and managed by UT MBA students and funded by outside sponsors. In essence, the VF program is its own start-up business. A start-up that continues to refine its business model and build on the momentum gained in the prior years.

The Advisory Board is made up of a number of area VC's and acclaimed academics:

• Jim Nolen - Faculty Advisor
• Rob Adams - Director, MOOT Corp Program
• Isaac Barchas - Director, Austin Technology Incubator
• Keith Brown - Director, Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst Center for Private Equity Finance
• Jay Campion - Managing Director, Access Venture Partners
• Charley Dean - Principal, Silverton Partners
• Chris Eckerman - Sr. Associate, Hunt Ventures
• Rudy Garza - Managing Director, G-51 Capital
• David Lee - Managing Director, Sentient Ventures

As a student-run organization, Student Directors play a critical role in the program’s success:

• 2008 - 2009 Ronald Zboril
• 2007 - 2008 Tim Killgoar
• 2006 - 2007 John Hardaway
• 2005 - 2006 Jeffrey Tusa
• 2004 - 2005 Justin Mabey
• 2003 - 2004 Todd Haskins
• 2002 - 2003 Marco Rimassa & Alan White
• 2001 - 2002 Anthony Browne
• 1999 - 2001 James Walbom (founding director)