Renaissance Venture Capital

Renaissance Venture Capital Fund (RVCF) is a first-of-its-kind Michigan-focused venture capital fund of funds headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan and established in 2008. The firm was built on the thesis that Michigan — despite ranking in the top 10 US states for R&D capacity per the Milken Institute's 2022 index — is chronically underserved by venture capital relative to its innovation output. RVCF closes that gap by investing as a limited partner in national venture capital firms committed to deploying capital into Michigan or Michigan-connected companies, while simultaneously bridging those funds to the regional startup community and Michigan's established corporate LP base. The fund is led by Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner Chris Rizik alongside Partner Jeff Rinvelt. Across five vintages — Fund I (2008), Fund II, Fund III ($81 million), Fund IV ($77.5 million, closed July 2021), and Fund V (active, with a Michigan Department of Treasury commitment in February 2025) — Renaissance has raised more than $280 million of LP capital and facilitated over $3 billion of venture investment into Michigan. The current portfolio comprises LP positions in 60-plus top-tier venture capital funds across all sectors and stages — IT, SaaS, healthtech, life sciences, industrial technology, mobility, and clean tech — with more than 800 active underlying portfolio companies. By design, Renaissance does not make direct startup investments. Its function is fund-of-funds allocation, founder connectivity, and ecosystem-building at the regional level. The model has successfully attracted top-tier coastal managers to commit dedicated capital to Michigan, creating a more durable and distributed talent and capital infrastructure than any single direct-investment vehicle could achieve.