Maroon Venture Partners Fund

Maroon Venture Partners Fund is a university-linked venture capital fund based in Amherst, Massachusetts, investing exclusively in early-stage companies connected to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Founded in January 2017 as the first venture capital fund at UMass Amherst, it was anchored by alumnus Paul Manning (UMass class of 1977, founder of PBM Capital Group, a healthcare-focused private equity firm) alongside UMass Amherst as institutional co-investor. Fund Manager Charlie Johnson, a faculty member at the Isenberg School of Management, oversees day-to-day operations, supported by an investment committee including John Brooks, Nancy Confrey, Mike Masterson, Ameeta Soni, and Steve Willis. Fund I was a $6 million vehicle that deployed approximately $5 million across 13 companies led by UMass faculty, students, and alumni, completing its investment period in 2023. Typical check sizes are $100,000 to $300,000, often representing a company's first outside equity capital. Fund II launched in January 2024 with $3.2 million in commitments against a $5 million target, backed by Manning, UMass Amherst, and additional alumni LPs. The fund operates on a ten-year harvest horizon. Sectors served include biotech, diagnostics, advanced materials, and food and beverage. Portfolio companies include Myrias Optics (wafer-level metaoptics, which raised a $2.1 million Seed 1 round in January 2026), 88 Acres (allergen-friendly foods, founded by Nicole Ledoux, UMass class of 2001), florrent, Latde Diagnostics, and HasenTech. The fund's narrow mandate — backing only ventures with genuine UMass Amherst roots — gives it privileged early access to the university's research pipeline and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Portfolio companies benefit from faculty expertise, the university's laboratory infrastructure, and a growing alumni investor network that has grown with each successive fund.