Rebel Venture Fund

Rebel Venture Fund (RVF) is UNLV’s student-led venture capital fund, founded in 2013 with a $500,000 gift from a UNLV finance professor, that makes equity investments in private high-growth companies in Las Vegas, Southern Nevada, and the greater Southwest. Students run screening, due diligence, negotiations, and closings, overseen by a management board of local investors and executives. It typically invests $25,000 to $50,000 for equity positions, with larger amounts considered, and invests at every stage, from seed funding to co-investing alongside institutional investors in later-stage opportunities. Portfolio companies include Walls360, JobHive, KeyIn, ECHO Payment Systems, Connected Signals, Loupe, PPEDM, and Zencentiv. RVF prioritizes companies with the greatest impact on the Southern Nevada economy, such as hospitality and hospitality tech, gaming and gaming tech, renewable energy, healthcare innovation, and logistics, while considering other industries. It prefers Southern Nevada companies, though not exclusively. It looks for experienced management teams, unique value propositions with first-mover advantages and barriers to entry, solid financial data, and high returns within five to seven years. Portfolio companies get continuous support from UNLV and the Las Vegas startup community, plus access to UNLV’s campus resources and student body.