College Works Painting Launches Venture Fund

IRVINE, Calif. - Oct. 7, 2015 - PRLog -- College Works Painting announced their first investment through their venture fund, the College Works Entrepreneur Accelerator.

As one of the nation’s leading college entrepreneurial programs, CWP has been empowering university students to run their own local businesses while in college since 1993.

In 2014, CWP launched their venture fund, CWEA. CWEA will invest in start-ups founded by alumni and current District Managers of their program.

Earlier this year, CWEA invested $122,500 in Rentalutions, a Chicago-based  provider of landlord software and tenant screening services. College Works Painting alum Ryan Coon and his business partner, Laurence Jankelow, co-founded Rentalutions in 2012 to bring landlords into the digital age.

Of his experience in the CWP internship, Coon states, “entrepreneurship, like most skills, is best learned from hands-on experience. Getting out in the world, talking with customers, employees and negotiating with vendors is invaluable and CWP exposed me to all of these things. Hearing ‘no’ and getting knocked down is important too. Regardless of the industry, entrepreneurs must be able to work hard and persevere through the low points. The CWP experience, for me, was all about learning these skills and gaining the confidence needed to succeed. The CWP internship was an integral part of my entrepreneurial journey and has certainly helped us succeed with Rentalutions. Given their experience helping entrepreneurs, Laurence and I are thrilled to have CWEA on our team.”

Operated from their corporate headquarters in Irvine, CA, CWEA is designed to assist with all phases of business plan development as well as the joining of relevant groups and associations, including industry specific contacts and referrals. College Works Entrepreneur Accelerator will make available, on a consulting basis only, all of its internal expert staff, including Financial Management, Information Technology, Marketing, Legal, and General Management.

College Works Painting COO, Helmut Biemann, added “We’re not merely investors.  We are entrepreneurs.  We live and breathe business innovation and fresh ideas. Deep roots and strong relationships are important. That’s why we welcome continued business ties with our current and former District Managers. We don’t just write a check for early-stage investments, we offer a great product – a highly engaged seed investment.”

An independent study conducted by Career Analytics in 2012 showed CWP alumni achieve four times the success of the average college graduate, five years after graduation. The CWP program offers unique leadership and management training for young aspiring entrepreneurs. University students gain invaluable experience from the program, resulting in higher success rates upon graduating to other jobs and entrepreneurial ventures.

CWEA invests in opportunities on a case by case basis, with investments ranging up to one million in seed financings.  Visit www.collegeworks.com for more information.