The ICAN Story
ICAN founder Tom Duening has experienced first-hand the power of small investments in student- and faculty-led ventures. He first experienced the challenges such startups face in 2006 when he led the Entrepreneurial Programs Office in the engineering school at Arizona State University.
At ASU Tom worked with a large number of promising student- and faculty-led technology startups. Access to vital seed capital was an ongoing challenge. With a small group of dedicated alums he developed the Arizona Technology Investor Forum (ATIF). It was one of the first angel groups affiliated with a university. ATIF grew rapidly, drawing in alumni and other supporters and within a year became the most active investor group in Arizona.
Today, only a handful of campuses have associated investor networks. ICAN has set out to change that. Its mission is to empower colleges and universities of all sizes to form their own investor networks, ensuring their student and faculty ventures have access to vital startup capital.
ICAN is the world’s premiere platform for connecting alumni, supporters, donors and others with student and faculty entrepreneurs. ICAN is built on Dealum, the most powerful deal management platform in the world. Dealum is preferred by venture capital firms, angel groups, and others worldwide. Through its exclusive partnership, ICAN brings this professional deal platform to campuses of any size.
