Getting to Know the Newest Addition to RedHawk Ventures

RedHawk Ventures is excited to announce the newest addition to our team, Theresa Sedlack, who assumed the position of Faculty Advisor, at the beginning of the year. Sedlack serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship, at the Miami University Farmer School of Business. She has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, including supporting ventures with their business plans and creating an alumni angel network for the University of Notre Dame.

“I've done a lot of investment facilitation. Although I'm not an investor, I have been able to help people understand that mindset, and I really value being able to help facilitate investment-related connections. Whether it's on the educational front or on a founder mentoring front, I find it really interesting and enjoy being of help,” Sedlack said.

After most recently serving as Director for the Hamilton County Development Corporation (HCDC) Business Center, an incubator serving early-stage ventures across Southwest Ohio, Sedlack accepted her position at Miami in 2020. Sedlack was drawn to Miami’s entrepreneurship department due to its campus-wide approach, systematic course structure and the dedication of both students and faculty.

“I found it really compelling how over a period of years, they [entrepreneurship department] created a logical approach to covering the depth of entrepreneurship multiple times, helping create pattern recognition rather than trying to always introduce new topics and new tools. I appreciate the program’s pathway towards having students come back and revisit topics in-detail and practice more abiding themes,” mentioned Theresa.

Theresa was interested in becoming involved with RedHawk Ventures once she saw the tenacity of the fund members and how much entrepreneurial initiative was involved. She admired the camaraderie of the organization and appreciated the level of commitment the fund has towards professional development, inspiring her to want to help in any way she can.

“I am really excited to help create their future and further define the things that they would like to learn about. I find it compelling to see a group of students work together and find ways to amplify their collective opportunity and collective understanding, and I would like to especially encourage that aspect as the faculty advisor,” expressed Theresa.

In addition to propelling RedHawk Ventures’ own success as a venture capital fund, Sedlack is excited to contribute to the growth of its partnership with 1809 Capital, a Miami University alumni-funded venture firm. She believes that these types of partnerships will lead to rewarding new insights and open more doors that will benefit not just RedHawk Ventures, but the entire Miami community.

“While there absolutely is an exciting role for RedHawk Ventures to make their own investments, I also think that their capability to be engines inside of other funds that are also evaluating opportunities and looking at different investments from a later stage is an amazing learning experience that can lead to more well-rounded investments and young professionals,” noted Theresa.

RedHawk Ventures is extremely honored to have her expertise as we continue to strengthen our investment strategies and foster a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem within the Miami community. We are excited to elevate our fund to new heights alongside Theresa’s guidance.