My guest on this episode is Juan Ruiz. Juan is the founder of CommunEtA, the first-ever student-led search investment fund. The goal of the fund is multifold: provide exposure and training for students wanting to build a career in search, provide a grassroots investment option for searchers, and spread the word about search across the country.

We start off the episode discussing a few student-run funds on the venture capital side that inspired CommunEtA and round out the conversation with topics like building a team of students that are constantly joining and graduating, the power of search to transform someone's career, and how search might evolve in the future. Enjoy.

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Links:

Juan Ruiz on LinkedIn

Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Student Club

Blue Road Capital

Severance on Apple+

Topics:

(3:32) - What models did you study for this dorm room-style fund for the VC world?

(6:52) - What kind of oversight is there from the University staff?

(8:15) - What’s the process for creating systems around the fund given the high turnover of graduating students?

(10:07) - What was the inspiration for the fund and the mission, vision, and value behind it?

(13:36) - What was your background prior to your MBA at Harvard?

(18:40) - What’s the interest level you’re seeing from students toward Search Fund Investing?

(21:50) - What do you view as the main goal of the fund?

(26:53) - What’s the involvement of students in the fundraising process?

(27:46) - What will your role be for Commune ETA going forward?

(29:06) - What are some roles and jobs for students in the Club?

(30:24) - Is there any conflict of interest with students helping to run a Fund while also pursuing Search?

(32:08) - Do you plan to expand this club to other MBA programs?

(33:22) - If this club was in 5 schools, what would the investment committee look like?

(35:08) - Do students get paid?

(35:25) - What are some of the different compensation models you look at?

(35:55) - What challenges do you foresee with growing this club across other universities?

(36:55) - How many students do you need to have quality output?

(37:59) - Evangelizing Search

(42:26) - What college class would you teach if it could be on anything?

(44:43) - What strongly held belief have you changed your mind on?

(46:52) - What’s the best business you’ve ever seen?