Webinar
The Yard Ventures Last Call
Laura Rippy, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures, alongside Senior Partner Stacey Tsai, Senior Principal Luca Giani, Senior Associate Charlotte Jenkins, and Drew Wandzilak, Managing Partner, led an introduction to Yard Ventures — Alumni Ventures’ Harvard alumni-affiliated venture fund — and how accredited investors can gain structured exposure to the founders emerging from one of the world’s most consequential innovation ecosystems.
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In this session, the Yard Ventures team walked through the fund’s investment thesis and how it leverages Alumni Ventures’ connection to the Harvard ecosystem to source, evaluate, and back exceptional founders. The conversation covered what sets Harvard apart as a consistent source of category-defining startups — from its world-class research depth and life sciences pipeline, to Harvard Business School’s operator-founders, to a global alumni network spanning finance, technology, healthcare, and beyond — and how the Yard team translates that access into a diversified portfolio for investors.
Whether you were a Harvard alum, a current Alumni Ventures investor, or evaluating university-connected venture for the first time, this session gave you a clear, current view of how Yard Ventures is constructed and where the fund is heading next. Watch the recording to hear directly from the team and their responses to investor questions from the live Q&A.
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Key Takeaway
- HomeDiscover how Yard Ventures translates privileged access to the Harvard ecosystem into a differentiated venture portfolio across technology, life sciences, and beyond
- HomeUnderstand how the Yard team sources and evaluates Harvard-connected deals — and what they look for before writing a check
- HomeLearn how to access this network through a single diversified fund, alongside fellow Harvard alumni and accredited investors
Rated a Top 20 VC Firm by both TIME and CB Insights.
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenters
Laura Rippy is a Managing Partner and Board Member at Alumni Ventures. She runs the Harvard-focused fund (The Yard Ventures), the Dartmouth-focused fund (Green D Ventures), the Women’s Fund at Alumni Ventures, and our US Strategic Tech fund. Alumni Ventures is “America’s Largest Venture Firm for Individuals” with $1.5B raised, and 1500 portfolio companies. AV is one of the top 3 most active venture capital firms globally, per Pitchbook 2018-24. Previously, Laura was a serial CEO, Chairman, Board Member, Advisor, and Executive in high-technology companies including Microsoft. Business Insider ranked Laura in the Best Early Stage Investors of 2024 and 2025. Laura Rippy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in Government from Dartmouth College.
Charlotte Jenkins is a Principal at Alumni Ventures, where she invests in early-stage companies across sectors, with a focus on AI and emerging technologies reshaping everyday life and work. Before joining Alumni Ventures, Charlotte helped build and scale startups spanning AI, consumer technology, and logistics, with operating experience from pre-seed through Series B. She brings an operator’s perspective to investing and is particularly drawn to the 0-to-1 stage, where creative problem-solving, rapid learning, and unconventional ideas can lay the foundation for transformative businesses.
Actively Works On:
- Green D Ventures
- Women’s Fund
- Next-Gen Consumer Syndicate
Investment Areas of FocusCharlotte focuses on AI and emerging technologies reshaping how people live, work, and interact with the world. Her investment interests span AI-native services, consumer technology, AI applications, and infrastructure, with a particular interest in products that move beyond enabling tasks to delivering outcomes. She approaches emerging technologies through a behavioral lens, exploring how new capabilities change what people expect from software, how they make decisions, and how businesses deliver value. She is particularly drawn to opportunities where technological shifts unlock entirely new products, services, and business models.
Drew has worked in high-growth industries as both an investor and operator, focusing on how people and technology interact within organizations. As a long-time investor with Alumni Ventures, he has worked across multiple funds and internal initiatives. He has worked on National and State level political campaigns, focusing on Small Business and Entrepreneurial policy. Drew holds a BS from Northwestern University in Education and Social Policy, specializing in Learning & Organizational Development. He also served as an Ambassador for Northwestern’s Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and was recognized in Chicago Inno’s 25 under 25.
Senior Principal
Luca Giani is a Senior Principal, investor, and serial entrepreneur with a track record across venture creation, M&A, and translational science. He specializes in bridging science, strategy, capital, and talent to help build mission-driven ventures.
Luca was the Founder & CEO of Ilios Therapeutics, a neuroscience company developing a novel chemistry platform to address ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease. Under his leadership, Ilios built a diversified preclinical pipeline, advanced lead optimization, filed foundational IP, and positioned the company for strategic partnerships.
Luca is a Termeer Fellow, part of a global network of emerging biotech CEOs mentored by industry leaders. He previously served as a Blavatnik Fellow in Life Science Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, and as a Technology and Public Purpose Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center, appointed by and working with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, where he authored policy work on accelerating treatments for neurodegenerative diseases under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Langer.
Earlier in his career, Luca co-founded Innbiotec Pharma; led international investments in MedTech and digital health at 5Lion Ventures; and co-founded and commercialized Somnifix, a patented sleep apnea and snoring therapy. He began his career in M&A at Credit Suisse, followed by strategy consulting at Bain & Company in London, advising clients on market expansion, transformation, and operational optimization.
Luca holds a Master with Distinction from Harvard, has completed programs at Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School, and MIT Sloan, and earned his B.S. magna cum laude from Georgetown University.
Stacey Tsai has over 15 years of experience in finance. Prior to joining Alumni Ventures, she advised global families and executives on asset allocation and investment strategies. Stacey is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She received her MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and her MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. She was also a U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Singapore.