Educational Resources
Educating a new generation of VC investors to equip them with the tools to succeed, and informing the general public about the role of VC on the US economy
Educating the next generation of venture capital leaders and equipping them with the tools to succeed is one of Venture Forward’s four areas of focus supporting our mission to shape the future of venture capital. Our educational programs and several industry resources are catered to those who are looking to enter venture capital or who have already begun their careers in this industry. For those who want to give back and share their lessons learned, we also invite you to engage in these educational resources.
Programs & Services
- VC University: VC University is a foundational certificate course on venture finance, created in 2019 through the partnership of NVCA, Venture Forward, and Startup@BerkeleyLaw at the UC Berkeley School of Law.
VC University democratizes access to quality venture capital education for early career investors, entrepreneurs, attorneys, and anyone else who’s interested in emerging company finance. The program provides a structured introduction and practical training on the nuts and bolts of venture finance.VC University has two distinct components: VC University ONLINE, an online certificate course, and VC University LIVE, three-day, in-person course held in partnership with universities across the country. Venture Forward is proud to offer a limited number of full scholarships for each program. (Learn more.)
- LP Office Hours: LP Office Hours (LPOH) are half-day events that connect emerging managers from historically underrepresented groups with Limited Partners (LPs), experienced General Partners (GPs), and each other.
Each LPOH event begins with an educational component, and then breaks out into several rounds of “office hours” – curated small-group and one-on-one conversations between the emerging managers and the experienced GPs and LPs. The event wraps up with informal networking over food and drink. Please note: this is not a pitching event.If you are an emerging manager from a historically underrepresented group interested in participating in LPOH, please email hello@ventureforward.org. If you’re an experienced GP or LP interested in holding office hours, please email Maryam Haque at maryam@ventureforward.org. (Learn more.)
Community Resources
We’ve created this list of organizations, programs, and resources that provide valuable educational opportunities for anyone interested in succeeding as a VC.
Click the links below to learn more about these organizations, what services they provide, and how you or your firm can actively engage.
For more details about each category of services, mouse over the question marks at the top of the grid.
| Community Resources |
Deal Flow Opportunities
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Opportunity for VCs and founders to connect
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Education & Best Practices
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VC PD events, opportunities, and materials, best practice guides
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Hiring & Pipeline
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Opportunities for those seeking or offering VC jobs
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Mentorship Opportunities
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Opportunities to connect with or volunteer as a mentor
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Reporting Misconduct
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Resource to report misconduct
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Research & Data
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Studies, research, data, white papers
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Resource Collection
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Collections of VC-related resources that may cover a variety of topics
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Specialized Networks
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Opportunity to connect with specific demographic group
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #MovingForward | X | X | ||||||
| #OpenLP | X | X | X | |||||
| BLCK VC | X | X | ||||||
| Emerging Venture Capitalists Association (EVCA) | X | X | ||||||
| Girls Who Invest | X | X | X | X | ||||
| HBCU.vc | X | X | X | X | ||||
| LatinX VC | X | X | X | |||||
| NextGen Partners | X | X | X | |||||
| Paradigm | X | X | X | |||||
| Toigo | X | X | X | |||||
| VC OpenDoor | X | |||||||
| VentureNext | X | X | X | X | ||||
| Women Who Launch (WWL) | X | X | X | X |
One of Venture Forward’s primary goals is to break down barriers to entry, participation, and success within the VC ecosystem. To that end, we curate the community resources we feature to prioritize those that are structured as nonprofits, B corporations, or that offer free or low-cost programs and services. We also particularly focus on organizations that support the participation and success of newcomers, or groups that are historically underrepresented within VC.
This is not an exhaustive list of the organizations or opportunities available within this industry, but rather, one focused on broadly expanding knowledge, accessibility and inclusion.
If you believe that your organization (or specific programs and services you offer) meets these criteria, please apply to be featured as a community resource and submit your information, here. If you have any questions about this process, please email Rhianon Anderson at rhianon@ventureforward.org.
Readings
We’ve created this list of readings and educational materials that support your educational and professional development goals. Click the links below to access the full materials:
The readings and educational resources listed here revolve around one of Venture Forward’s four mission pillars: Education – educating the next generation of VCs and equipping them with the skills to succeed. In curating these materials, we prioritize resources that provide actionable guidance and strategies, rigorous data and analysis, or durable information, as opposed to opinion pieces or commentary on contemporaneous events.
This is not an exhaustive list of readings, commentary, or educational resources available on this topic, but rather, one focused on providing meaningful, long-term value.
If you have a suggestion for reading material or educational resources that meets our criteria, please reach out to Rhianon Anderson at rhianon@ventureforward.org.
Programs & Services
- VC University:
- Venture Capital Symposium:
- LP Office Hours: LP Office Hours (LPOH) are half-day, in-person events that connect emerging managers from historically underrepresented groups with LPs, experienced GPs, and each other.
Each LPOH event starts off with an educational component, and then breaks out into several rounds of “office hours” – curated roundtables and 1:1 conversations, followed by informal networking over food and drink. Through these intimate conversations, emerging managers get to learn from LPs about the fundraising process, GP-LP relationship management, and other guidance for success as a VC from the LP’s perspective.
The event fosters open and collaborative dialogue, and provides a safe space for questions. Please note, this is not a pitching event. So far, we’ve held LPOH in Palo Alto, Boston, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, serving []. In 2020, LPOH will be held in Chicago and Austin, with more details to come soon.
If you’re interested in participating in LPOH as an emerging manager, email hello@ventureforward.org. If you’re an experienced GP or LP interested in holding office hours, please email Maryam Haque at maryam@ventureforward.org.
Readings
We’ve created this list of readings and educational materials that support your educational and professional development goals. Click the links below to access the full materials:
- List of Readings
The readings and educational resources listed here revolve around one of Venture Forward’s four mission pillars: Education – educating the next generation of VCs and equipping them with the skills to succeed. In curating these materials, we prioritize resources that provide actionable guidance and strategies, rigorous data and analysis, or durable information, as opposed to opinion pieces or commentary on contemporaneous events.
This is not an exhaustive list of readings, commentary, or educational resources available on this topic, but rather, one focused on providing meaningful, long-term value.
If you have a suggestion for reading material or educational resources that meets our criteria, please reach out to Rhianon Anderson at rhianon@ventureforward.org.
Community Resources
We’ve created this list of organizations, programs, and resources that provide valuable educational opportunities for anyone interested in succeeding as a VC. Click the links below to learn more about these organizations, what services they provide, and how you or your firm can actively engage:
- Spreadsheet of community resources
One of Venture Forward’s primary goals is to break down barriers to entry, participation, and success within the VC ecosystem. To that end, we curate the community resources we feature to prioritize those that are structured as nonprofits, B corporations, or that offer free or low-cost programs and services. We also particularly focus on organizations that support the participation and success of newcomers, or groups that are historically underrepresented within VC.
This is not an exhaustive list of the organizations or opportunities available within this industry, but rather, one focused on broadly expanding knowledge, accessibility and inclusion.
If you believe that your organization (or specific programs and services you offer) meets these criteria, please apply to be featured as a community resource and submit your information, here. If you have any questions about this process, please email Rhianon Anderson at rhianon@ventureforward.org.