Meridian Ventures has launched a $35 million fund to support pre-seed and seed-stage companies started by those who have deferred their MBAs. Founders Devon Gethers and Karlton Haney met in Harvard’s MBA program after Gethers grew up in poverty, studied behavioural science, entered private equity, and later founded his own company before exiting it.

Haney, also from a humble background, raised chickens among other farm-related ventures. The pair’s firm challenges the Silicon Valley narrative that MBAs aren’t suitable for startup life, aiming instead to support ambitious founders with enterprise technology in the US.

After raising $2.5 million as a proof-of-concept fund, they graduated from Harvard Business School and then successfully raised an oversubscribed $35 million. The firm plans to invest in companies across fintech, logistics, healthcare, AI, and more, with an average seed check of $750,000.

With this investment, Gethers sees the opportunity to fill a gap between visionary founders and the capital needed for their ventures. Meridian is committed to supporting these ambitious entrepreneurs in building frontier technologies that could change the world.