Our impact in the venture community

"The startup ecosystem is the engine of our economy, and SVB is proud to support Venture Forward in its mission to improve diversity in the venture community while paving the way for the next generation of industry leaders."

"The opportunity to raise a VC fund or become a VC investor has largely not been accessible to women, people of color, and other minorities. Venture Forward’s programs like VC University and LP Office Hours are transforming the future of the industry and how more newcomers from diverse backgrounds can learn and network to build a career in funding innovation."

"Venture Forward and Deloitte are doing incredible work to promote diversity, equity and inclusion by illuminating the challenges the VC industry faces and creating recommendations to assist in addressing them. I am proud to work alongside this impactful organization and use our research from the VC Human Capital Survey to help drive meaningful change."

"The venture capital industry is ripe with stories. Whether it's being able to articulate investment trends or helping portfolio companies nail a narrative, storytelling is a critical skill for venture capital newcomers. Knowing how to share these stories through press, podcasts, panels, blogs, videos, and presentations is important for building networks, for deal flow, and for helping founders. It's great to see Venture Forward prioritizing communications skills and providing hands-on lessons and support."

"Venture Forward’s goal of growing and supporting a new generation of GPs is essential to the evolution of venture investing: who funds and who is funded. Venture Forward—with the support of NVCA—is a platform with broad reach and a mandate to drive change."

"It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with Maryam and the team at Venture Forward. They have drawn awareness to the lack of representation in our industry, created programs to advance DEI in VC, democratized access to VC education through VC University, and provided a feedback loop on how we are doing through the VC Human Capital Survey. I’m excited to support their ongoing efforts."

"Venture Forward’s mission to bring diversity, equity and inclusion to our industry is not only long overdue but essential if we are to keep up with global innovation in technology. True innovation might begin with a single idea, but that idea will only reach its fullest potential when the convergence of diverse perspectives occurs to fully develop and execute it. Venture Forward is providing the foundation for that all-inclusive collaboration through exceptional educational offerings and mentorship programs that will ensure we bring the best possible next generation to the investment table. I am thrilled to be able to contribute and share my experiences as part of this important and essential initiative."

"Today’s leaders want VC to continue its positive impact on society, innovation, and our economy. The next generation of leadership is our future. Venture Forward is investing in the human capital of VC by making educational opportunities accessible to new entrants while helping firms with best practices from talent management to inclusivity."

"Over the years we have closely collaborated with NVCA on numerous significant legislative and regulatory initiatives. When we learned that NVCA had plans to expand its impact among the next generation of our industry and to advance a more inclusive ecosystem, we were excited to provide cornerstone funding to support these "next-gen" efforts. We are impressed with Venture Forward's progress during its inaugural year, and look forward to continuing to partner with both Venture Forward and NVCA as they influence the future of our industry."

"We are proud to support the initiatives at Venture Forward. Establishing a platform to grow strong mentorship is an important step in advancing the DEI principles that are core to Sofinnova’s values."