VC News | Fuze Fund launches in Raleigh, NC
The University of Utah recently partnered with Salt Lake City-based venture capital company EPIC Ventures to create University of Utah Ventures.
From Raleigh, NC:
Fuze Fund has announced the launch of Fuze Venture Growth Fund I LP, a $30 million Reg-D 506(c) fund designed to bridge the equity gap in venture capital.
Recently approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the fund aims to raise and deploy capital to support minority, women, and veteran founders. Now in its subscription phase, Fuze Fund is inviting accredited investors to become part of this journey—not just by providing capital, but by contributing to an ecosystem that nurtures founders with resources, mentorship, and the strategic support they need for long-term success.
“At Fuze Fund, we’re driven by the belief that innovation knows no boundaries. Yet, we’ve seen far too many talented founders from underrepresented communities being sidelined due to a lack of access to funding,” says Dr. T.J. Breeden, Managing Partner of Fuze Fund. “Our goal is simple: to ignite potential. We’re not just backing startups—we’re investing in people, in communities, and in the next generation of game-changing ideas.”
His inspiration for launching Fuze Fund was deeply rooted in his experience leading Emerging Entrepreneurs Inc., a non-profit dedicated to providing start-up training to untapped communities, particularly veterans, and minority populations.
From Logan, UT:
The University of Utah recently partnered with Salt Lake City-based venture capital company EPIC Ventures to create University of Utah Ventures. This fund will pave the way for students and faculty to fund research and innovation in areas like life sciences, technology and business disciplines.
The expertise of EPIC Ventures in entrepreneurship and investing will give students more opportunities at the University of Utah. The partnership will give students access to internships, startup funding and more. With its $700 million in research funding, the university aims to create opportunities for students and faculty members in science, technology and business disciplines.
“I want to make it easier for faculty to innovate and start companies — students as well,” Jim Hotaling, Associate Vice President of Research, said. “But really what I see [University of Utah Ventures] doing for the university is making it easier for faculty, students and anyone else be able to spin out companies in life science, technology and business.”
He added that the university will also collaborate with the Utah Innovation Fund, a trust created by the state of Utah. It helps fund the commercialization of technologies born in institutions of higher education in Utah.
From New York City:
VanEck, a leading global investment management firm, has announced the launch of VanEck Ventures, a $30 million early stage fund dedicated to investing in visionary founders operating at the intersection of fintech, digital assets, and artificial intelligence. This launch marks VanEck’s strategic expansion into venture capital, building on its long-established record of identifying and supporting transformative markets.
“From pioneering an approach to gold investing in 1968 to recognizing the disruptive potential of Bitcoin in 2017, embracing a longterm view on transformative opportunities has always been part of our investment philosophy. This fund extends that vision into the early-stage venture space,” said Jan van Eck, Chief Executive Officer of VanEck. “We look forward to supporting founders of what we believe are some of the most disruptive companies in fintech—those building the future of finance.”
VanEck Ventures invests in category-defining founders pushing the boundaries of financial applications and markets leveraging emerging technologies like blockchain and large language models. The fund’s investment philosophy focuses on supporting exceptional teams building at the application layer while maintaining an infrastructure-agnostic approach. The fund’s core investment themes include tokenized assets, internet native financial marketplaces, and next-generation payments building on stablecoins and tokenized capital markets.
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