As we enter our second decade, there are several things we want people to know about us. First, the Dakota Foundation focuses on ways to combine business discipline and charitable intentions to solve social problems.

We foster organizations and activities that are sustainable in an economic and environmental sense. We help people invest in themselves to improve their economic condition and that of their families and communities. All of this ties to our values: self-reliance, human dignity, equal opportunity, and preservation of life and beauty on our earth.
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Dakota Foundation backs student entrepreneur programs in angel and venture capital.

The Dakota Foundation supports initiatives with the UND Center for Innovation Foundation to provide educational opportunities for UND students interested in angel and venture capital investments in entrepreneur ventures. The Valley Angel Investor Internship and the Dakota Venture Group are funded through two grants to the Center for Innovation Foundation at UND.

Bart Holaday, chair of the Dakota Foundation said, "My wife Lynn and I enjoy seeing students learn hands-on from investing in startup ventures. We are training both aspiring venture capitalists and emerging entrepreneurs who need to know what it takes to attract equity investment." He added, "The real world of venture investing is identifying deals, hearing pitches, determining the valuation of a venture, negotiating terms, helping grow profitable ventures and monitoring the investments in the portfolio. Graduates from UND who have this practical venture investment experience will have a competitive advantage if they want to be entrepreneurs or venture capitalists."
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