25-Year Impact Report
Twenty-five years ago, Rhode Island made a simple but important bet: that providing disciplined early-stage capital to promising technology companies could help build a stronger innovation economy here at home.
That experiment became the Slater Technology Fund. Since then, we’ve had the privilege of working with founders, researchers, and investors across the state to help launch and grow new companies.
Along the way we’ve seen first-time entrepreneurs become experienced operators, advisors, and investors — the kind of community that ultimately sustains an innovation ecosystem. This report reflects what that long-term work has produced.
Thorne Sparkman
Managing Director
25 Years of Impact
Over the past twenty-five years, the Slater Technology Fund has helped seed a generation of Rhode Island technology companies.
What began as a small, state-supported seed fund has grown into an evergreen platform connecting research, entrepreneurs, and private capital.
The results over 25 years:
- 144 Rhode Island startups funded
- $44 million invested by Slater
- $1.15 billion in follow-on private capital raised
- 26:1 leverage of private investment
- 10,000+ person-years of employment created
- More than $900 million in wages generated
Beyond the numbers, the most important outcome has been the people and experience that now exist in Rhode Island’s startup ecosystem — founders, engineers, operators, and investors who continue to build the next generation of companies.
Read the Full 25-Year Impact Report
The full report explores how early-stage investment helped translate university research into companies, attract private capital to the state, and build a durable innovation ecosystem.
— The Slater Technology Fund