Recognizing 8 VC Trailblazers for Hispanic Heritage Month

News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: Every year, mid-September brings the start of Hispanic Heritage Month—a time to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic Americans whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central/South America. In 2022, Hispanic employees comprised just 7% of the overall workforce at VC firms and 5% […]
Meet the scholarship recipients of VC University Cohort 14

News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: ABOUT THE PROGRAM: VC University is the industry-leading certificate course on the fundamentals of venture capital. Produced by Venture Forward, Berkeley Law Executive Education, and NVCA, this program caters to professionals who are new to the venture ecosystem, and current practitioners seeking to reinforce their VC knowledge and skill […]
11 LGBTQ+ VC investors to watch

News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: In celebration of Pride Month, Venture Forward is excited to share our list of LGBTQ+ venture capital investors to watch. We’re highlighting both emerging and experienced investors who were nominated by their peers and chosen for their contributions to the industry and the LGBTQ+ community at-large. Join […]
11 takeaways from the VC Human Capital Survey

News & Insights | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: hello@ventureforward.org Phone: Email: Last month, Venture Forward, the National Venture Capital Association, and Deloitte released the findings of our latest VC Human Capital Survey. The survey, which collected data from 315 venture capital (VC) firms in the United States, provides a comprehensive look at the state of […]
Meet the scholarship recipients of VC University Cohort 13

News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: ABOUT THE PROGRAM: VC University is the industry-leading certificate course on the fundamentals of venture capital. Produced by Startup@BerkeleyLaw, NVCA and Venture Forward, this program caters to professionals who are new to the venture ecosystem, and current practitioners seeking to reinforce their VC knowledge and skill set. To date, […]
Words of wisdom from women in VC

March is Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the contributions of women throughout history and their impact on society. This month serves as a reminder to celebrate women’s achievements and reflect on their role in various industries, including venture capital (VC). According to the 2020 edition of our VC Human Capital Survey, only 16% […]
3 tips to make your VC University scholarship application stand out

Becoming a successful VC investor is incredibly challenging – especially for people from underrepresented and underestimated backgrounds – which is why VC University offers a robust scholarship program for those aspiring VCs. The scholarship covers the cost of course tuition, includes dedicated office hours, and provides access to a curated, three-month mentorship program. In this […]
Update on SVB
Spotlight on Black emerging managers: Shila Nieves Burney
This is the last installment in a four-part series. Read parts one, two, and three! According to Venture Forward’s latest VC Human Capital Survey, Black investors represented just 3% of VC partners in 2020. The survey found that newer firms (i.e., those founded within the past ten years) had a higher representation of Black partners. […]
Spotlight on Black emerging managers: Ivan Alo and LaDante McMillon
This is the third installment in a four-part series. Read part one and two. According to Venture Forward’s latest VC Human Capital Survey, Black investors represented just 3% of VC partners in 2020. The survey found that newer firms (i.e., those founded within the past ten years) had a higher representation of Black partners. In […]
Spotlight on Black emerging managers: Austin Clements
This is the second installment in a four-part series. Read part one. According to Venture Forward’s latest VC Human Capital Survey, Black investors represented just 3% of VC partners in 2020. The survey found that newer firms (i.e., those founded within the past ten years) had a higher representation of Black partners. In recent years, […]
Meet the scholarship recipients of VC University Cohort 12

News & Insights | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: hello@ventureforward.org Phone: Email: ABOUT THE PROGRAM: VC University is the industry-leading certificate course on the fundamentals of venture capital. Produced by Startup@BerkeleyLaw, NVCA, and Venture Forward, this program caters to professionals who are new to the venture ecosystem, and current practitioners seeking to reinforce their VC knowledge […]
Spotlight on Black emerging managers: Chandra Roxanne
According to Venture Forward’s latest VC Human Capital Survey, Black investors represented just 3% of VC partners in 2020. The survey also found that newer firms (i.e., those founded within the past ten years) had a higher representation of Black partners. In recent years, we’ve seen several talented Black investors launching their own funds and […]
What DEI progress has the VC industry made since the summer of 2020?

This is an important question to unpack for the venture capital (VC) industry. Venture Forward, NVCA, and Deloitte are currently fielding the fourth edition of the VC Human Capital Survey, to uncover the current state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in VC. Our goal is to better understand what progress the industry has made […]
What DEI progress has the VC industry made since the summer of 2020?
This is an important question to unpack for the venture capital (VC) industry. Venture Forward, NVCA, and Deloitte are currently fielding the fourth edition of the VC Human Capital Survey, to uncover the current state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in VC. Our goal is to better understand what progress the industry has made […]
Meet the Cohort 11 Scholarship Recipients of VC University

Meet VC University ONLINE’s Cohort 11 Scholarship Recipients! We’re thrilled to introduce the Cohort 11 scholarship recipients of VC University ONLINE – 40 talented, aspiring VCs from historically underrepresented and underestimated backgrounds. ABOUT THE PROGRAM: VC University ONLINE is a highly-reviewed certificate course on the fundamentals of venture capital, created by NVCA, Venture Forward, and […]
13 LGBTQ+ Investors Making a Big Impact
News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈 To celebrate, we’re highlighting 13 LGBTQ+ investors making a positive impact in the venture ecosystem. From rising stars to seasoned investors, these investors are making a big impact and show the strength and importance of the LGBTQ+ community in our industry. Advancing intersectional diversity […]
Meet the Cohort 10 Scholarship Recipients of VC University ONLINE

Meet VC University ONLINE’s Cohort 10 Scholarship Recipients! We’re thrilled to introduce Cohort 10 of VC University ONLINE scholarship recipients – 41 talented, aspiring VCs from historically underrepresented backgrounds. ABOUT THE PROGRAM: VC University ONLINE is a highly-reviewed certificate course on the fundamentals of venture capital, created by NVCA, Venture Forward, and Startup@BerkeleyLaw. The course […]
Women in VC: Rising Stars to Watch
News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: As of 2020, women in venture capital comprise: 16% of investment partner positions at VC firms 24% of investment professionals who originate deals 21% of those who represent the firm on the boards of portfolio companies 21% of firm investment committee members 18% of management company owners These […]
New Research Quantifies the Breadth, Growth, and Resilience of Jobs at VC-backed Companies
From coast to coast, the venture capital industry is fueling resilient American jobs, and we have new data to prove it. NVCA, Venture Forward, and the UNC Kenan-Flagler Institute of Private Enterprise embarked on a first-of-its-kind study to explore the employment dynamics of workers at VC-backed companies in the U.S. Using a list of over […]
Employment Dynamics at VC-Backed Companies in the United States: 1990 to 2020
News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: New research from NVCA, Venture Forward, and the University of North Carolina Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise estimates and geographically maps employment at VC-backed companies headquartered in the United States at the state and congressional district levels, and analyzes the employment dynamics at VC-backed companies from 1990 to […]
Black VCs Making a Big Impact
News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: Black investors remain underrepresented in VC. The latest VC Human Capital Survey tracked little progress in the representation of Black partners between 2018 and 2020, though there is some optimism to be found in the growing representation of Black junior investment professionals. Venture Forward’s mission to diversify and […]
Meet VC University ONLINE’s Cohort 9 Scholarship Recipients!

We’re thrilled to introduce Cohort 9 of VC University ONLINE scholarship recipients – 42 talented, aspiring VCs from historically underrepresented backgrounds. ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP: Thanks to the generous financial support of Foresite Capital, Longitude Capital, Johnson & Johnson Innovation | JJDC, Omega Funds, Salesforce Ventures, and Sofinnova Investments, we were proud to award full scholarships […]
Measuring Venture Capital’s Impact on the Economy

Producing new insights and sharing third-party or academic research on the impact of venture capital (VC) is a key focus for Venture Forward in its mission to drive the narrative of VC and inform the public about the critical role the VC industry plays in the U.S. economy. Venture capital as an investment vehicle is […]
Welcome to the September 2021 Scholarship Cohort of VC University ONLINE!

Click through the deck above to meet our new scholarship recipients. Today, we’re thrilled to welcome 45 aspiring and early-career investors to the September 2021 cohort of VC University ONLINE scholarship recipients! VC University ONLINE, a highly-reviewed certificate program led by Venture Forward, NVCA, and Startup@BerkeleyLaw, democratizes access to quality education on venture capital. Participants […]
Venture Capital’s Role in Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth

Producing new insights and sharing third-party or academic research on the impact of venture capital is a key focus for Venture Forward in its mission to drive the narrative of VC and inform the public about the critical role the VC industry plays in the U.S. economy. Venture capital as an investment vehicle with active […]
Diversifying the VC Industry, Venture Forward Celebrates One Year Anniversary
News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: Venture Forward turns one today! After several years in the making, we publicly launched on June 16, 2020 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting organization to NVCA, to meet the growing needs of the VC industry related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), education, research, and history preservation. In a year […]
VC University ONLINE: June 2021 Cohort Begins Today!

Launched in 2019, VC University ONLINE is an educational certificate course, jointly operated by NVCA,Venture Forward, and Startup@BerkeleyLaw. VC University ONLINE participants learn the nuts and bolts of venture finance through self-paced lectures, interactive assessments, virtual office hours, monthly webinars with faculty and industry experts, and interviews with leading venture capitalists. Serving more than 200 participants, the June cohort marks our seventh sold–out course. […]
Introducing the June 2021 Cohort of VC University Scholarship Recipients
News & Insights | Contact: Phone: Email: Launched in 2019, VC University ONLINE is an educational certificate course, jointly operated by NVCA, Venture Forward, and Startup@BerkeleyLaw. VC University ONLINE participants learn the nuts and bolts of venture finance through self-paced lectures, interactive assessments, virtual office hours, monthly webinars with faculty and industry experts, and interviews with leading venture capitalists. Serving more than 200 participants, the June cohort […]
See Bias | Block Bias
Research shows that stereotypes can introduce errors in managers’ decision making about talent throughout the employee life cycle. While most people agree that bias exists in the abstract, many cannot see their own role in enacting bias or how it functions in their organization. Further, resistance to the idea that bias exists at all is […]