Human Capital Resources
Advancing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive ecosystem
This is your go-to source for resources that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the venture capital ecosystem. Explore what’s being done to move the industry forward, how you can contribute, and best practices to achieve your goals.
Programs & Services
- 2020 VC Human Capital Survey: Venture Forward, NVCA’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting organization, conducts on-going research on diversity, equity and inclusion in the venture ecosystem through the VC Human Capital Survey.
The VC Human Capital Survey—powered by NVCA, Venture Forward, and Deloitte—aims to capture critical data on the workforce at venture capital (VC) firms, develop a baseline understanding of demographics within the VC industry, and uncover the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) across the industry. The survey is intended to be an educational resource for VC firms to understand how to expand the diversity of their teams and portfolio.
NVCA, Venture Forward, and Deloitte will be surveying active U.S.-based VC firms for the third edition of the Survey in August and September 2020. (Learn more.)
NVCA and Venture Forward are also asking VC firms to sign the #VCHumanCapital Pledge to commit their participation to the 2020 VC Human Capital Survey. (Learn more.)
- LP Office Hours: LP Office Hours (LPOH) are half-day events that connect emerging managers from historically underrepresented groups with LPs, experienced 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 1:1 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. (Learn more.)
Sample Policies
NVCA’s Model Legal Documents include the following Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I)-related policies:
- Model Investor’s Rights Agreement Language (Includes a DE&I Provision)
- Sample H.R. Best Practices for Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment
- Sample H.R. Policies for Addressing Harassment & Discrimination
- Sample Code of Conduct Policy
- Sample H.R. Policies for Attracting & Retaining Diverse Talent
- Sample Diversity & Inclusion Policies — SF Family Friendly Workplace Policy
- Sample Diversity & Inclusion Policies — SF Paid Parental Leave Policy
- Sample Diversity Policies — NY Paid Family Leave Policy
Programs & Services
- 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. 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.
- NVCA-Deloitte Human Capital Survey: Through Venture Forward, NVCA is committed to expanding opportunities for people of all backgrounds to thrive in the venture ecosystem in a welcoming and safe work environment. As part of this commitment, NVCA conducts ongoing research on diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the venture ecosystem through the NVCA-Deloitte Human Capital Survey.The NVCA-Deloitte Human Capital Survey was designed to capture critical data on the workforce at venture capital firms, develop a baseline understanding of demographics within the VC industry, and uncover the current state of diversity and inclusion across the industry. The survey is intended to be an educational resource for venture capital firms to understand how to expand the diversity of their teams and portfolio companies. The first two surveys were conducted in 2016 and 2018, and the 2020 edition will be released in September.
Commmunity Resources
We’ve created this list of organizations, programs, and resources that can help you reach your human capital goals.
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 | ||||||
| All Raise | X | X | X | X | ||||
| BLCK VC | X | X | ||||||
| Catalyst | X | X | X | |||||
| Girls Who Invest | X | X | X | X | ||||
| HBCU.vc | X | X | X | X | ||||
| LatinX VC | X | X | X | |||||
| Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) | X | X | X | X | ||||
| Paradigm | X | X | X | |||||
| PledgeLA | X | X | X | |||||
| Project Include | X | |||||||
| Startout | X | X | X | X | ||||
| The Vinetta Project | X | X | ||||||
| theBoardlist | X | X | ||||||
| Toigo | X | X | X | |||||
| UPWARD | 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.