MadCap Ventures makes it possible for university-incubated niche products to get the opportunity they need to advance to market.
There’s nothing new about the U2B (University-to-business) model, which features thousands of success stories for a wide range of products. The trouble is that historically, 60 to 70 percent of the potential successes never make it to market, just because they aren’t seen as multimillion-dollar products.
Most investors who come to universities to offer early funding are looking for big-ticket industrial developments in pharmaceuticals, new tech, and innovative engineering. That leaves the majority of niche ideas completely on the sidelines, even though about 10 to 15 percent of them are excellent market-viable products.
We believe that every good idea deserves a chance to change the world. That’s why we love to use our unique combination of academic and entrepreneurial experience to help innovative and niche business ideas gain the footing they need to take flight with early funding, even though other investors might pass them over. Through smart commercialization and marketing, we make it possible for more great university entrepreneurs to succeed!
The Team
CEO/ Part Owner
Jake can tell you a lot about the value of being quick on your feet when it comes to PR, because in addition to the work he does with us at MadCap Ventures, Jake is a member of the broadcast team for the Utah Jazz.
As a UVU graduate with a degree in Communication, Jake brings to MadCap Ventures his wide-ranging experience in Public Relations, Digital Marketing, Social Media Management, and Account Coordinating, born of years working with a variety of small businesses, including the non-profit KVM Foundation that aims at ending poverty in India.
Project Manager
As someone who has managed social media for one of the largest influencers in the USA, Kara brings to MadCap Ventures an unparalleled ability to get the right message across at the right moment.
Kara has managed branding and social media for companies such as Rachel Parcell Collection, a celebrity clothing line that has grown to over 140,000 followers and is now featured at Nordstrom. Her top-notch skills in Social Media rehab, design, and strategy are backed by additional experience in sales and customer experience, as well as her continuing study of Digital Marketing at UVU.
Investor
As both Chief Marketing Officer of Utah’s largest commercial constructor, and marketing professor at Utah Valley University, the largest in Utah, David provides MadCap Ventures with a rock-solid foundation based on a wealth of experience at scaling good ideas.
His resume includes driving organizational success via management and hiring manager roles at multiple industry-leading international organizations. He’s taken on multiple entrepreneurial ventures, including Perpetual Technology Group, which licensed the WebCAPE language placement exam from Brigham Young University and implemented it in over 650 other universities around the world.
As a professor, David teaches the marketing capstone courses at UVU, and has helped many of his students to go on to highly rewarding careers.
