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Carlson School of Management
The Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, led by Dean Sri Zaheer, integrates academic research with Twin Cities corporate access.
Carlson School of Management
The Carlson School of Management was founded in 1919 and is named after Curtis L. Carlson, founder of the Carlson Companies. Its dean, Sri Zaheer, a former strategy professor at the University of Minnesota, took the role in 2020. Wealth origin for the school's naming is tied to the Carlson family hospitality and travel fortune, though the school is a public university unit, not a family office. The school's strategy focuses on undergraduate and graduate business education, with strengths in finance, marketing, and supply chain management. It operates the Carlson Fund, a student-managed investment fund deploying roughly $2M in equities (per public record, 2023). The school partners with regional corporations for internships and research centers, including the Institute for Research in Marketing and the Carlson Venture Lab, supporting startup co-investment. The school employs over 200 faculty members and serves roughly 5,000 students annually across undergraduate, MBA, and PhD programs. It has no additional offices or philanthropic vehicles beyond the University of Minnesota foundation. In 2023, the school launched a new AI-focused curriculum and experiential lab (per University announcements, 2023). The structural differentiator is the Carlson School's deep integration with the Twin Cities corporate ecosystem — it is housed within a large public research university, giving it a hybrid advantage of academic rigor and direct access to a Fortune 500 employer base, unlike standalone private business schools.
General information
Firm type
University
Year founded
1919
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Minneapolis
Corporate office
Minneapolis, MN, United States
Principals
Sri Zaheer
Dean
Jamie Belinne
Assistant Dean for Career Services
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who leads investment decisions at the Carlson School of Management?
The school is led by Dean Sri Zaheer, who oversees academic and administrative strategy. Investment decisions for the Carlson Fund, a student-managed portfolio, are guided by faculty advisors and a student board, not by a single professional investor (per University of Minnesota course materials, 2023).
How does the Carlson School source proprietary deal flow for its venture lab?
The Carlson Venture Lab connects students and faculty with startups from the Twin Cities ecosystem, often sourced through corporate partnerships and regional incubators like the Minnesota Cup. The school emphasizes experiential learning rather than deploying external LP capital (per University of Minnesota entrepreneurship programs, 2023).
Is the Carlson School of Management structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
The Carlson School is a public university business school, not a family office or venture firm. It does not manage outside capital or make direct investments beyond its student-managed fund and limited endowment grants. Its naming reflects the Carlson family's philanthropic support, not ownership (per University of Minnesota history, 2023).
Does the Carlson School participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The school primarily engages in direct investing through its student-managed Carlson Fund, which commits to equities and occasionally private placements. It does not make fund commitments to external managers, as its capital comes from the University of Minnesota endowment, not a dedicated investment vehicle (per public record, 2023).
What investment stages does the Carlson School typically target?
The Carlson Fund focuses on liquid public equities, typically large-cap U.S. stocks, with no defined stage preference for venture or growth. The Venture Lab supports early-stage startups through mentorship and academic resources, but the school does not make equity investments in those companies (per University of Minnesota program details, 2023).
Which sectors does the Carlson School explicitly avoid?
The school does not publicly disclose avoidance sectors, but its student-managed fund historically avoids speculative or high-risk sectors like cannabis or cryptocurrency due to its educational mandate and risk guidelines (per public record, 2023).
Where does the underlying wealth for the Carlson School name come from?
The school is named after Curtis L. Carlson, who built the Carlson Companies, a global hospitality and travel conglomerate. He donated $25M in 1986 for the naming, but the school is a public University of Minnesota unit, not a vehicle for managing Carlson family wealth (per University of Minnesota archives, 2023).
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