Venture Forward and Sparkpr are partnering to produce a new, virtual educational program – Comms 201: Media Training for Emerging Voices in VC. (Deadline to apply: Jan. 15.)

Comms 201 will provide training to 10 underrepresented mid-career VCs, on media strategy and best practices for public speaking. As the program will cover more advanced communications topics, it is intended to serve VCs who already have some degree of industry expertise. The program will consist of three 1-hour sessions, hosted virtually in March (see the program schedule below).

Speakers will include:

PR professionals, in-house VC communications leaders, experienced VCs with strong public brands, and members of the media. Confirmed speakers (with more to come):

• • Becky Buckman, VP of Marketing Communications, Battery Ventures
  • Charles Hudson, Managing Director and Founder, Precursor Ventures
  • Meredith Kendall Maines, Marketing Partner, Lightspeed
  • Angela Pontarolo, VP of VC and Emerging Tech Practice, Sparkpr
  • Mark Suster, Managing Partner, Upfront
  • Tim Turpin, EVP, Sparkpr

This program is intended for VCs who:

• • Are somewhat established in their careers and have developed a track record and expertise (e.g. 4+ years of investing experience; role as micro/seed VC fund manager, principal or partner an established VC firm.)
  • Represent a demographic group that is historically underrepresented in venture capital (e.g. by gender, race/ethnicity, geography, etc.)
  • Want to sharpen their communications skills, uncover opportunities, and gain confidence to expand upon their brand via media speaking engagements.
  • Can commit to attending all 3 sessions: Session #1(A) or #1(B), Session #2, and Session #3.

Please Note: This program is limited to investment professionals, as the training content is curated specifically to VC investors. To create a safe environment for participants to actively engage in the training, any recordings of the program will NOT be shared (which is also a reason applicants must be able to attend all 3 sessions as scheduled).

Program Timeline:

All sessions will be hosted virtually, from 10:00 – 11:00 am PT.

• • Fri. Jan. 15– Deadline to apply (11:59 pm PT)
  • Mon. Feb. 8 – Applicants notified about acceptance
  • Tues. Mar. 2 – Session #1(A) – 5/10 participants attend Session A
  • Wed. Mar. 3 – Session #1(B) – 5/10 participants attend Session B
  • Thurs. Mar. 4 – Session #2 – All participants
  • Fri. Mar. 5 – Session #3: Meet the Press – All participants (Combined Comms 101 + 201 session)

How to Apply:

Apply by completing a Comms 201 application by 11:59 pm PT, Friday, Jan. 15.

Please Note: If you are earlier in your career or interested in a more foundational media training, you may want to consider our introductory offering: Comms 101: Building Your Brand as a VC Investor.