UTEC Ventures

UTEC Ventures is the dedicated venture capital arm of the university. It was founded alongside the university to commercialize technology, support student and faculty startups, and attract external entrepreneurs into the university's ecosystem. The firm operates as a separate investment entity but draws heavily on UTEC's engineering faculty and research infrastructure for technical due diligence and deal flow.

Investment decisions are run by Managing Director Jose Deustua. He leads the firm's deal evaluation, portfolio management, and corporate partnership activities. The team also includes Evelyn Gómez as Program Manager, who oversees the accelerator program and day-to-day startup support operations.

UTEC Ventures focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage startups, occasionally participating in follow-on rounds up to the early-growth stage. The firm typically writes the first or second institutional check into a company and is known for its accelerator model, which combines small amounts of capital with intensive mentoring and university-resource access.

Deal flow originates predominantly through the university's engineering and computer-science departments, faculty referrals, and the firm's accelerator cohorts. Corporate open-innovation programs — such as the 'Food of the Future' initiative with Alicorp — have also generated sourced deals in agri-food tech. The firm's GAN membership provides additional cross-border pipeline exposure.

Yes. UTEC Ventures has co-developed open-innovation programs that connect its portfolio with established corporations for pilot projects, market access, and potential acquisition. Alicorp has been the most publicly visible partner through the 'Food of the Future' program, which sources and tests food-tech startups in the Peruvian market.

UTEC Ventures acts as a direct investor rather than a fund-of-funds. It invests directly into startup equity and uses an accelerator structure rather than committing capital to external venture funds.

The most notable disclosed exit is the acquisition of portfolio company Wally, a fintech startup, by Credicorp, Peru's largest financial holding company. The firm has not published comprehensive exit metrics, but this transaction demonstrated a viable path to acquisition by dominant regional corporate buyers.