RUG Ventures

Corina Prent, the Managing Director, leads investment decisions. She is supported by Investment Managers Arjan Koop and Deepak Veeregowda, who each bring entrepreneurial and industrial experience to deal evaluation and portfolio support. The firm’s board of commissioners, including Casper Frijns and Vidya Sagar Gannamani, advises on overall investment strategy and positioning.

RUG Ventures sources deal flow through its deep embeddedness within the University of Groningen. It accesses research groups, academic founders, and technology transfer offices before companies are widely marketed to external investors. This grants it a first look at innovations originating in the university's science, engineering, and medical faculties.

RUG Ventures primarily executes direct equity investments into University of Groningen spinouts, typically from pre-seed through early-stage rounds. There is no public evidence of the firm making commitments to external venture funds or operating as a fund-of-funds; its model is built around direct, hands-on engagement with portfolio companies.

RUG Ventures targets the earliest stages of company formation — ideation, pre-seed, seed, and start-up phases — occasionally extending into expansion or late-stage rounds for existing portfolio companies. Its sweet spot is the translational gap between academic research and a fundable startup, often co-occurring with non-dilutive grant applications like the NWO Take-Off program.

The firm’s portfolio reflects the strengths of the University of Groningen’s research clusters, so it is unlikely to pursue opportunities in sectors without a scientific research anchor at the university, such as consumer internet or pure-play fintech. Its deal flow is naturally bounded by the university's active labs and principal investigators.