Y Startup Index Fund

One hundred percent of the index fund's carry proceeds are donated back to Yale-affiliated nonprofits. The donations are directed to organizations that support innovation, fund new ventures, and aid future generations of founders within the Yale ecosystem. This creates a non-profit reinvestment loop from the fund's venture profits into campus entrepreneurship programs.

The company must have a Yale-affiliated founder who is a major shareholder and dedicated full-time to the business. It must have raised a minimum of $450,000, with at least 50% coming from non-family investors. The startup must also have at least 12 months of operating runway remaining after the financing closes.

The Y Startup Index Fund operates as an affiliate of the Yale Angels angel investing network. Yale Angels itself is an affiliate of Accelerate Yale, an alumni-led professional network for Yale entrepreneurs. Together they form a layered alumni infrastructure that sources deals, pools capital, and provides mentorship for startups emerging from the university.

By design, the fund aims to invest in every high-potential Yale-affiliated startup that meets its qualification criteria. The approach is systematic and index-like, screening for the required ownership, funding, and runway benchmarks rather than selecting deals on a discretionary basis. However, the fund applies a minimum quality and viability threshold through its operating-runway and non-family-capital requirements.

The fund is run by its founders: Sean Glass, Sam Hendel, and Paul Singer. Each has an operating background as a serial entrepreneur — Glass founded Advantia Health, Hendel co-founded Dataminr and Chord Music Partners, and Singer is CEO of FleetWorks. Co-investors in the fund include Kevin Ryan, founder of Gilt and MongoDB, and Noah Glass, founder of Olo.