Upon spending time at a university, it is inevitable that one will encounter individuals with ambitious plans to make a positive impact on the world, whether it be on a small or large scale. While this enthusiasm may be attributed to the optimism of youth, it is also possible that they are onto something truly innovative.

Critical Venture Partners, a firm founded by three recent University of Pennsylvania graduates, is placing its bets on young founders from universities to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, including climate change, healthcare, and economic opportunities. This approach is rooted in the idea that fresh perspectives and new ideas are essential in addressing these complex problems.

According to Sam Strickberger, co-founder and general partner at Critical Venture Partners, “We are the type of founders that we would invest in – being young people investing in other young people.” This statement highlights the firm’s focus on supporting young entrepreneurs who share their vision and passion for creating positive change.

Strickberger, along with his co-founders Seungkwon Son and Max Strickberger, his brother, have secured a $5 million inaugural fund to invest in promising founders, with check sizes ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. A quarter of the fund is allocated for follow-on investments, demonstrating the firm’s commitment to supporting its portfolio companies in the long term. The firm’s limited partners include notable investors such as Aarti Chandna, partner at Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund; Seth Goldman, board chair of Beyond Meat; and Andrew Kaplan, partner at Bain Capital.

To attract talented young founders, Critical Venture Partners has partnered with Yope, an accelerator formerly known as Founder.org, founded by Michael Baum, co-founder and CEO of Splunk. Together, they are launching a $100,000 startup competition to identify and support innovative startups.

So far, the firm has invested in three startups: General Galactic, which specializes in transforming CO₂ into methane; Mobius Industries, which focuses on metal recovery from waste; and Stratagen Bio, which enhances MRI scans with quantitative data.

Strickberger expressed his admiration for the history of young founders building successful, category-defining companies, stating, “We’re really inspired by the history of young founders building really large category-defining companies.”

In this sense, Critical Venture Partners is part of a larger trend in the venture capital industry, which often places a high value on young founders and their potential to disrupt traditional markets. While some may view this as an obsession, it is also possible that fresh perspectives and new ideas are essential in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. The optimism at Critical Venture Partners may be attributed to the youth of its founders, but they are certainly in good company, and their approach may ultimately lead to innovative solutions to some of the world’s most intractable problems.