About This Fund
Harper Court Ventures Fund I is a $25 million early-stage venture capital fund launched in May 2025 and managed by MFV Partners, a Silicon Valley-based deep tech investor. The fund operates under an exclusive cooperation agreement with the University of Chicago and its Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, focusing on backing pre-seed and seed-stage startups that emerge from UChicago's research laboratories, faculty-led ventures, and alumni network. Founded by Karthee Madasamy — a Chicago Booth MBA alumnus and long-standing deep tech investor — Harper Court Ventures Fund I represents the first institutionalized vehicle dedicated to commercializing University of Chicago research at scale.
Harper Court Ventures Fund I targets transformative deep tech companies across four high-impact sectors: quantum computing, life sciences, energy, and artificial intelligence. The fund applies MFV Partners' proven Silicon Valley framework for early-stage deep tech investment — a track record that includes backing category-defining companies such as PsiQuantum, Agility Robotics, and Waze — directly to UChicago's rich pipeline of commercializable research. Ticket sizes are concentrated at the pre-seed and seed stages, enabling the fund to act as a first institutional investor in breakthrough technologies before they reach broader venture markets. The fund intends to deploy capital into approximately 40 companies over a five-year investment period, positioning Chicago as a globally recognized hub for deep tech innovation.
Since its launch, Harper Court Ventures Fund I has built an active portfolio from the UChicago ecosystem. Initial investments include Flow Medical (a catheter-based pulmonary embolism therapy), SimCare AI (an AI-powered clinical skills training platform), and Beacon (airborne pathogen elimination technology). In April 2026, the fund co-invested in CavilinQ's $8.8 million seed round alongside QVT, Safar Partners, and Serendipity Capital — backing a Cambridge-based quantum hardware startup developing modular quantum interconnects from UChicago research. MFV Partners' broader portfolio and Silicon Valley network provide Harper Court Ventures Fund I companies with access to follow-on capital and strategic partnerships beyond the Midwest.