Orange & Blue Ventures
Putting the future in the hands of those who’ll lead it
Orange & Blue Ventures is a venture capital investing initiative that gives learners a chance to call the shots. We’re widening perspectives in the investing world and scaling big ideas into successful enterprises – and we’re doing it by leveraging the vast network of research and innovation across the University of Illinois system.
Cultivating talent in venture capital
Orange & Blue Ventures is not a simulation – all activity is led and managed by Gies Business students. In collaboration with faculty and industry professionals, students get the chance to:
- Seek and identify promising startups to invest in
- Meet and work with founders from a variety of industries
- Evaluate the risks and growth potential for new businesses
- Support innovators working solve the world's biggest challenges
Delivering Illinois expertise to innovators across the nation
By tapping into the massive well of knowledge among Illinois faculty and alumni, we deliver a world-class experience to learners – and add value to our portfolio companies.
Want to help shape the future?
Together, we can expand access to investing careers and empower entrepreneurs working to make a difference in the world.
Students
Gain direct experience that will help you launch a successful career as an investment pro or entrepreneur.
Prospective partners
We’re eager to invest alongside other funds who share our vision for the future. If you’re interested in working with us, we’d love to hear from you.
Donors and alumni
Turn your interests into actionable change by mentoring students, collaborating with our team, or donating to the capital fund.
Our commitment to purposeful innovation
Orange and Blue Ventures is one of many Gies Business programs that empowers strategic and creative thinking and expands access to life-changing opportunities. Learn about our other initiatives below.
Origin Ventures Office of Entrepreneurship
Origin Ventures Office of Entrepreneurship supports Illinois students and faculty with programming that helps them to turn big ideas into sustainable progress.
iVenture Accelerator
Open to all Illinois students, iVenture Accelerator provides mentorship, resources, and funding support to student-led startups.
Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship major
The Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship major leverages the first-rate business research at Gies Business to create actionable tools and methodologies that students learn in the classroom and apply to real-world client projects.
Investment Banking Academy
The Investment Banking Academy provides hands-on learning experiences to accelerate students’ investing knowledge and experience, yielding graduates who have launched successful careers at industry-leading organizations.
Investment Management Academy
Learners in the Investment Management Academy receive mentorship and faculty guidance as they manage a $1.5 million long-only small-cap equity portfolio.
Faculty Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (FELP)
Through a series of immersive workshops led by distinguished faculty and industry experts, FELP provides foundational business knowledge, essential skills, and a collaborative community of entrepreneurial-minded faculty.
Rob Metzger is a clinical professor of finance and the leader of Orange & Blue Ventures, the first student-led venture capital investing initiative at Illinois. He teaches classes in early-stage investing, corporate finance and private equity, and previously led the Investment Banking Academy and the Honors Programs.
A former partner at William Blair & Company, L.L.C., Rob brings more than three decades of investment banking, finance, and technology experience to Orange & Blue Ventures. He is also currently an operating partner at MissionOG, a Philadelphia-based investment firm.
Rob earned a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Gies Business and a Master of Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Strategy from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.