Meridian Ventures has launched a new $35 million investment fund focused on supporting early-stage startups founded by entrepreneurs with deferred MBA backgrounds.
The venture capital firm was founded by Devon Gethers and Karlton Haney, who first connected through Harvard’s deferred MBA admission program in 2020.
The founders say the firm was created to challenge the common belief in Silicon Valley that MBA graduates are less suited for startup entrepreneurship compared to traditional tech founders.
Before launching the fund, both founders built professional experience in finance and investment sectors. Gethers previously worked in private equity and later launched and exited his own company, while Haney worked as an investor after studying industrial engineering.
The pair initially raised a smaller proof-of-concept fund of $2.5 million, which they used to invest in dozens of startups. Encouraged by early traction, they later pursued a larger institutional fund while studying at Harvard Business School.
Despite a difficult fundraising environment, Meridian Ventures successfully secured an oversubscribed $35 million fund backed by family offices, financial institutions, and senior executives from major companies.
The new fund will primarily invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups across the United States, with a strong focus on enterprise technology. The firm plans to support companies operating in industries such as fintech, healthcare, logistics, and artificial intelligence.
According to the founders, the goal is to help ambitious entrepreneurs building advanced technologies who may struggle to access early-stage capital.
Meridian Ventures plans to make investments over the next three years, with average investment sizes expected to range between $500,000 and $750,000 depending on the startup stage.
Industry experts say the launch reflects a growing trend of specialized venture funds targeting founder communities with shared backgrounds, networks, or educational experiences.
The new fund also highlights continued investor interest in early-stage AI and enterprise technology startups despite broader uncertainty in the venture capital market.
With increasing competition among startup investors, Meridian Ventures hopes its founder-focused approach and network-driven strategy will help identify promising companies at an early stage.
Source: International startup and venture capital reports
