The Husker Venture Fund (HVF) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln captured first place and $5,000 at the undergraduate global Venture Capital Investment Competition in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, marking the program’s first global championship and highest finish in the student organization's history. The competition featured teams from universities across North America, including University of California, Berkeley, University of Southern California, Boston University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis.
“This win puts Nebraska on the map,” said Elizeh Tarkian, sophomore economics and finance major from Lincoln who competed on the Husker team. “We are globally recognized as knowledgeable and competitive in venture capital. Taking home first place is a testament to the efforts of our fund, not just this year, but in years prior, to build a sustainable organization that provides a unique, valuable experience.”
The Husker championship team included Tarkian along with Shahd Khourshed, senior software engineering major from Lincoln; Samuel Lockhart, junior finance and accounting major from Papillion, Nebraska; Adam Messman, senior actuarial science major from Rensselaer, Indiana; Maddock Oberzan, junior finance major from Lawrence, Kansas; Sebastian Pucher, senior finance and economics major from Hickman, Nebraska.
The win comes during a milestone year for the HVF, which celebrated its fifth year during the 2025-26 academic year. The student-led organization gives Nebraska students hands-on experience sourcing startup deals, conducting due diligence, negotiating term sheets and managing investments across the Midwest startup ecosystem.
The Venture Capital Investment Competition places students in the role of venture capital investors, requiring teams to analyze startups, conduct due diligence, question founders, evaluate deals and defend investment recommendations before judges. Teams work through an intensive, multi-day process that simulates real venture capital decision-making.
“The competition is structured so that you are pressure-tested by judges and constantly forced to back up assumptions and adapt to changing information,” said Tarkian, who serves as director of new member education for the fund. “Each member had areas of expertise on our deal, and communication was incredibly important.”
Samuel Lockhart, one of the fund's managing directors, said the organization’s growth over the past five years helped position the team for success on the global stage.
“Being a part of the first team to win globals will forever be my favorite memory at UNL,” Lockhart said. “This competition is very difficult with highly talented competitors, and winning this cements the hard work and dedication our team put in this year.”
Unlike many universities that prepare for the competition through formal courses or faculty-led programs, Nebraska students rely heavily on peer-to-peer learning and real-world fund operations as preparation.
“Husker Venture Fund has worked hard to improve each year and learn from each competition,” Lockhart said. “We run the pieces of the competition each week through actual fund operations, which gives us real-world experience evaluating startups and negotiating deals.”
Tarkian said the fund’s student-led structure continues to drive its long-term success. New members begin with a bootcamp with a curriculum developed by students that introduces venture capital fundamentals, followed by weekly meetings where they learn investment analysis and mentorship from alumni and returning members.
“Over the years, this educational program has continued to develop, serving a broader audience of Huskers,” Tarkian said. “We learn the basics as incoming members and continue learning through fund meetings and trial-and-error, which creates a flywheel of knowledge and expertise for future incoming classes.”
The global championship builds on Nebraska’s growing success in the competition. A previous HVF team placed third globally in 2022, helping establish the organization as an emerging national competitor in venture capital education.
"Not only is the Nebraska College of Business an exceptional place to learn and grow as a college student interested in entrepreneurship and venture capital, but we are able to boast a globally competitive program that demonstrates the true quality of the work that we are doing," said Oberzan. "We also owe a huge thank you to Amir Tarkian, who served as student adviser for the team and former VCIC competitors Maria Heyen, '23, Colby Marsden, '24, and Samuel DeZube, '23, and our advisory team of Dr. Sam Nelson, Charlie Cuddy and Ben Williamson for their coaching and support throughout the process."
The global title underscores the fund's collaborative culture and the program's continued success.
“What keeps HVF going strong is the dedication the members bring to improving the fund and increasing its impact on the startup community,” Lockhart said. “We hope this continues to showcase the talent at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln while building greater awareness of HVF's impact.”
