A Project of Patrick Horsman

Building the schools, and backing the founders, that change a life's trajectory.

Patrick Horsman is a serial entrepreneur and investor who believes the most durable returns come from building what should exist. Through Patrick Horsman Giving he funds two convictions: a tuition-free college-preparatory school network in Puerto Rico, and a scholarship for the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Apply for the Scholarship Explore Paradiso Prep →
PH
Patrick B. Horsman San Juan, PR
$17M Founding capital raised
for Paradiso Prep
$2,500 Scholarship awarded
twice annually
5–10 Grades served today,
building to grade twelve
3 Universities supporting
the scholarship
01 · About

A serial entrepreneur with a conviction about education.

Patrick B. Horsman is a successful entrepreneur and investor who has spent more than two decades building businesses across hedge funds, private equity, real estate, and digital assets. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Octopus Investments, a Puerto Rico-based investment management platform, and co-founded Blue Sand Securities in 2002, a placement agent that has raised over $15 billion from institutional investors.

He attended the University of Arizona, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2002 with a triple major in finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship. He credits much of his success to a strong early education and the support of his parents, a belief that now anchors everything he does through Patrick Horsman Giving.

Patrick's philanthropy follows the same instinct as his investing: real value is created in the places conventional capital and conventional thinking have not yet reached. That means funding institutions that change the trajectory of a child's life, and backing students with the drive to build something of consequence.

02 · Flagship Initiative

Paradiso College Preparatory: the schools Puerto Rico needs.

Co-Founder · CMO Board Member

Paradiso College Preparatory

A college-preparatory charter school network created to give Puerto Rico's families the kind of education that has been the privilege of the few.

Patrick is one of three co-founders of Paradiso College Preparatory, alongside Joshua Kruger and Brenton Nevarez. The school is a network of tuition-free charter schools in Puerto Rico designed to deliver a rigorous, college-preparatory education to students of every background. In a U.S. territory where access to quality K-12 education has been uneven for generations, the most consequential thing a person can do is help build institutions that change a child's life.

Paradiso currently serves grades five through ten, adding one new upper-school grade each year as the founding cohort matures. This deliberate build-up lets the school get every grade right before adding the next. Patrick raised $17 million of founding capital to launch the school, of which he contributed more than $2 million personally, and he serves on the board of its Charter Management Organization (CMO).

NetworkParadiso College Preparatory
LocationSan Juan, Puerto Rico
03 · The Scholarship

Funding America's future leaders.

i.

The Patrick Horsman Entrepreneurship Scholarship

$2,500 · Awarded Twice Annually

The Patrick Horsman Entrepreneurship Scholarship supports academically talented and motivated undergraduates with the drive to become entrepreneurs and build impactful businesses. It reflects Patrick's belief that a serious education is the foundation of any successful career.

Open to students enrolled in an accredited four-year college or university in the United States, studying business, finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, or a related field.

See criteria & how to apply →
ii.

What Patrick is looking for

The Essay Matters Most

While grades are a strong consideration, the essay is most important. It gives applicants the chance to communicate their genuine desire to become entrepreneurs. Applicants write a 1–2 page essay addressing:

Why do you want to become an entrepreneur? Why do you believe you will be successful? What is your edge? And what is your business idea?

Meet past winners →
04 · Apply

Three steps to apply.

01

Write your essay

A 1–2 page essay (12pt, double-spaced) on why you want to become an entrepreneur and why you'll succeed.

02

Add your details

Include your name, contact information, university, .edu email, expected graduation date, and current GPA.

03

Submit by email

Send your application as a Word document to the scholarship inbox. Winners are notified by email.

Full application instructions scholarship@patrickhorsmangiving.com
05 · Resources

For the students who want to build.

iii.

Universities supporting the scholarship

Participating Institutions

A growing list of colleges and universities promote the Patrick Horsman scholarship to their students, including Carroll College, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of Arizona.

View the full list →
iv.

Successful skills for entrepreneurship

Read Before You Apply

Curiosity, perseverance, the ability to listen, networking, and maintaining your health. Patrick Horsman shares the traits and skills he believes every aspiring entrepreneur should cultivate.

Read the essay →