Nelnet Ventures

Profile and portfolio

Parent NelnetHQ Lincoln, United StatesFounded 2006

Nelnet Ventures is the corporate venture arm of Nelnet, a financial services company. It was founded in 2006 and is based in Lincoln, United States. It invests from pre-seed to seed. Sectors it names: education, fintech, enterprise software.

Companies backedS4: 100+

Every figure links to its source

Snapshot

Investment stage: Pre-seed to Seed

Data behind this graphic

Data behind this graphic
Item	Value
Stage range	Pre-seed to Seed
Sectors	Education, Fintech, Enterprise software
Geography	North America
Offices	Lincoln, United States

Sources: S1 Nelnet: The Evolution of Nelnet Ventures.

Scale and capital allocated

Data behind this graphic

Data behind this graphic
Measure	Value	Unit	Kind	Source
Companies backed	100+	companies	Stated by the firm	S4
Companies on the firm's portfolio page	7	companies	Counted from the firm's own list	S4

Sources: S4 Nelnet: Venture Capital Investments.

Where it invests and who leads it

Geography

Headquarters: Lincoln, United States
Offices: Lincoln, United States

Investment regionsS1

North America

LeadersS1

Chuck NorrisManaging Director, Nelnet VenturesFind on LinkedIn Firm page
Brian ArdingerDirector of InnovationFind on LinkedIn Firm page
Emily KistVenture and Innovation AssociateFind on LinkedIn Firm page

Nelnet Ventures on LinkedIn

Key facts

Fact	Value	Status	Source
Parent company	Nelnet (NYSE: NNI)	Single source	S1
Parent industry	Banking and financial services	Single source	S1
Founded	2006	Single source	S1
Headquarters	Lincoln, United States	Single source	S1
Status	Active	Single source	S1
Capital source	Parent company only	Single source	S1
Companies backed	100+	Single source	S4
People on the team page	4	Single source	S1
Stages	Pre-seed, Seed	Single source	S1

About Nelnet

Item	Detail	Source
Listed as	NYSE: NNI	S1
Headquarters	United States	S1

For founders

Item	What the firm says	Source
Stages	Pre-seed, Seed	S1
Check size, Seed	USD 100,000 to USD 250,000	S1
Leads rounds	Sometimes	S2

Recent rounds

Date	Company	Round	Amount	Led by the firm	Source
2026-04-03	Grapple	Pre-seed	USD 1M	Yes	S3
2025-04-07	Alpaca	Seed	USD 1.8M	Yes	S2

History

2006Nelnet participated in the Nebraska Angels organizational meeting and began angel-sized investing.S1
2007First investment in Hudl.S1
2017Investment in CompanyCam.S1

Portfolio

The firm's portfolio page lists 7 companies.S4

The firm also states 100+ companies backed. The page list and the stated total measure different things.S4

Shared portfolio with other corporate VCs

1 companies on the Nelnet Ventures portfolio page also appear on the portfolio page of at least one other firm in this directory. Matched by company website, or by name where no website is published.

Firm	Shared	Companies in common
DRW Venture Capital	1	Alpaca
Portage Ventures	1	Alpaca

Companies backed by the most corporate VCs

Every company on the Nelnet Ventures list

7 companies, as listed on the firm's own website: 6 active, 1 listed.S4 Read the firm's list.

Active 6

Allo Fiber
Alpaca
CompanyCam
Grapple
Hudl
Maptician

Listed 1

EyeVerify

Official pages

Read the firm's own pages for current information.

Website nelnet.com/insights/the-evolution-of-nelnet-ventures/
Portfolio nelnet.com/capabilities/investing/venture-capital-investments/

Sources

Disclaimer and corrections

Not affiliated. This page is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Nelnet Ventures or any company named on it. Names and trademarks belong to their owners. Informational only. This is a public-source reference. It is not investment, legal or tax advice and not an offer or solicitation. Sources. Each figure names its source. Figures may have changed. Please read the firm's official pages, linked above. Corrections and takedown. To report an error or ask for a change or removal, use the correction form or email Richard@CorporateVentureCapital.com.

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