Our Mission
The Lunch Pail Venture Community (Lunch Pail) is a private, global network started by a group of committed alumni-entrepreneurs from Virginia Tech. From early iterations in 2015 to the present-day, Lunch Pail’s mission has remained constant: to democratize access to high quality entrepreneurship resources among alumni, former students and others with an affinity for Blacksburg by creating a vibrant and inclusive Community.
To this end, we foster community by telling the stories of Tech entrepreneurs, providing access to resources and facilitating networking among founders, funders and Tech professionals. Lunch Pail creates a space for interactions through various digital platforms such as Slack, our newsletter and social media, as well as events in major cities around the globe: including network happy hours, startup pitch events, speaker panels, investment opportunities and more. View our upcoming events.
Our Namesake
In 2005, Virginia Tech’s newly minted co-defensive coordinator, Bud Foster, had a blue-collar work ethic in mind when brainstorming ideas for a tangible object to represent the defense he wanted to build. The famed lunch pail became the unit’s trademark, launching an unprecedented 25-season run as one of the nation’s most successful defenses in college football.
Today the lunch pail legacy continues, representing the same work ethic, tenacity and commitment on a different playing field: the field of entrepreneurship.
The Lunch Pail Venture Community is a proud partner and financial supporter of Bud Foster’s Lunch Pail Defense Foundation, a registered 501(c)3, which funds academic scholarships for eligible high school students from the New River Valley area.