Who We Are
We back Hopkins founders with non-dilutive grants and train the next generation of student investors.
Founded in 2022 with a clear conviction.
HopStone Capital was built on a simple premise: Johns Hopkins produces world-class researchers, engineers, scientists, and founders. We believe that they deserve access to capital at the earliest stage.
What we believe
Most investors want traction before they write a check. We write the check so founders can get there.
The Hopkins startup ecosystem is growing rapidly. Equity-free capital at the earliest stage keeps it moving.
By graduation, our student analysts have worked more deals than most people see in their first year on the job.
What We Look For
At least one JHU founder
At least one founder must be a current Johns Hopkins student or alum. This ranges from Undergraduate, Graduate, Faculty, and even staff. HopStone exists to serve the Hopkins community, and that's where our capital stays.
Big vision, bold disruption
We don't care what sector you're in. Healthcare, deep tech, software, climate, all are within our scope. We back founders with the conviction to fundamentally change how things are done. If you believe you can disrupt an industry and have the early proof to back it up, we want to hear from you.
Early enough that $10K is catalytic
We write first checks. Our grants are designed to move the needle enough to validate a key assumption, hit your next milestone, or unlock your next round. If you're early enough that our funding genuinely changes what's possible, you're exactly who we're looking for.
We back founders. We build investors.
A student-run venture fund at Johns Hopkins University, investing in the next generation of founders and the investors who'll back them.