# Maria Heyen

> Maria Heyen is an early-stage investor at Lightbank in Chicago, previously the first hire at Redbud VC in Columbia, Missouri, where she helped deploy $5M+ across 35+ companies. A Pacific Northwest native who worked 80-100 hour weeks to fund her own education, she went on to co-found the Husker Venture Fund at UNL and build a reputation as one of the emerging voices in Midwest venture. She invests at the intersection of vertical SaaS, fintech, and infrastructure in overlooked industries, and writes the Soapbox newsletter on career, culture, and capital.

- **Role:** Investor at Lightbank
- **Organizations:** Lightbank, Redbud VC, Husker Venture Fund, Nebraska Angels, Soapbox Newsletter, Tutoring Chicago
- **From:** Astoria, Oregon, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS in International Business and Management (Clifton Builders Program), University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- **Known for:** First hire at Redbud VC and helped deploy $5M+ across 35+ companies, Co-founded Husker Venture Fund at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Named Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board Graduating Student of the Year (2022-23)

## Career timeline

- **2021** — Co-founded Husker Venture Fund at UNL with Emily Kist, Adam Folsom, and Keith Nordling
- **2021** — Joined Nebraska Angels as a member
- **2021-2022** — Interned at Nelnet as a Venture Capital and Innovation Intern
- **2022** — Named Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board Graduating Student of the Year
- **2022** — Joined Redbud VC as first hire / Associate in Columbia, MO
- **2022-2025** — Helped deploy $5M+ across 35+ companies at Redbud VC, serving as first institutional investor in 17
- **2024** — Named one of 4 emerging VCs to watch by Redbud VC blog
- **2024** — Served as judge at VCIC 2024 MBA Global Finals
- **2025** — Joined Lightbank in Chicago as investor

## Achievements

- First hire at Redbud VC and helped deploy $5M+ across 35+ companies
- Co-founded Husker Venture Fund at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Named Nebraska Business Student Advisory Board Graduating Student of the Year (2022-23)
- Named one of '4 Emerging VCs to Watch' by Redbud VC
- VCIC 2024 MBA Global Finals judge
- One of only two women among 25 founding members of the Husker Venture Fund
- Organizer of Missouri Startup Weekend
- Author of Soapbox newsletter for junior VCs

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Joined Lightbank in Chicago as early-stage investor after ~3 years at Redbud VC
- **2024-09** — Served as judge at VCIC 2024 MBA Global Finals
- **2024-08** — Featured in Redbud VC's '4 Emerging VCs to Watch' list
- **2024-01** — Continuing Soapbox newsletter on career, culture, and capital for junior VCs

## Links

- Website: https://www.mariaheyen.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-heyen
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mariaheyen_

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/maria-heyen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-06