31 Aug Neil Powell, experienced financial leader, to helm new venture finance programming for IU students
CONTACT INFORMATION:
IU Ventures
ventures@iu.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 31, 2021
Neil Powell, experienced financial leader, to helm new venture finance programming for IU students
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — With college students increasingly seeking opportunities to expand their knowledge of and exposure to venture capital finance, IU Ventures has appointed a seasoned financial leader and venture capital expert from the Indiana University ranks to helm its new student engagement and experiential learning programming.
Neil Powell, director of the MBA Strategic Finance Academy and lecturer in the Masters in Finance Program at IU’s globally renowned Kelley School of Business, will oversee the new IU Ventures Fellows program as executive director of student experiential learning. The two-year pilot initiative will expose IU graduate students to the fundamentals of early-stage business investment through a combination of in-class, internship and real market experience. Powell will also direct additional programming for a broad cross-section of graduate and undergraduate students that involves successful IU alumni and industry partners interested in providing students with practical experience in the venture capital world.
“Neil brings to IU Ventures deep experience in venture finance and a longstanding commitment to ensuring students receive the kind of practical education and experience that prepares them to become successful early-stage investors and entrepreneurs,” said IU Ventures Vice President Jon Barada. “We are extremely excited to have him join the team overseeing our new fellows program that will attract entrepreneurial-minded students to IU and deepen the university’s footprint in the venture sector.”
Before joining the Kelley School, Powell spent nearly 30 years in corporate finance leadership roles, spanning the financial, technology and educational sectors. For nearly two decades, he held various finance leadership positions at Intel Corp., where he spent time as head of finance for Intel’s business in Japan and Korea as well as six years as the director of Intel’s Capital Venture Capital arm, one of the world’s largest corporate venture capital funds. His additional experience includes product development, enterprise IT, global supply chain management, treasury functions, team-building and international head of finance assignments. Before joining the Kelley School of Business, his previous role was as vice president of finance and corporate controller at Lattice Semiconductor. He earned his MBA at the Kelley School in 1998.
Powell began directing the Strategic Finance Academy at the Kelley School in 2019. The academy helps students explore business development and analysis, sales and marketing finance, investment analysis, planning and forecasting, and treasury options to prepare for a career as a finance professional in any industry.
“I’m extremely excited to be adding IU Ventures to my Kelley School of Business role,” Powell said. “The vision for the program — to expand IU students’ career options and their ability to explore venture capital — is an exciting opportunity to be a part of.”
IU Ventures assists IU students, faculty, staff and alumni with advancing high potential new venture opportunities. Its mission is to serve as a catalyst for the IU entrepreneurial community, investing to generate significant and long-lasting social and economic impact for IU, Indiana and the world. As such, it works collaboratively across all of IU’s campuses and with multiple IU departments and units to develop the resources necessary to build a pervasive entrepreneurial culture throughout the IU ecosystem.
Modeled after leading student venture programs across the nation, the IU Ventures Fellows program, which will require a 12-month commitment, will provide graduate students with various learning opportunities — including course work, internships, exposure to the processes of deal sourcing and due diligence, and other projects — to gain experience identifying, evaluating, structuring and investing in new ventures.
Several of these opportunities will be made possible by the IU Angel Network, which facilitates connections between IU-affiliated startup companies and prospective investors from among IU’s community of alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends. Additional support will come from the IU Philanthropic Venture Fund, which introduces donors to IU startups, innovations and initiatives.
Powell will oversee the growth and development of the IU Ventures Fellows program as well additional educational programming for undergraduates, including mentoring and one-on-one career development coaching, complimentary conference registrations, community memberships, and education seminars and fireside chats led by the IU Angel Network.