Research Resources
Conducting and sharing meaningful research on VC trends and impact
Venture Forward is the go-to resource for research and data on the venture capital industry. Research produced by Venture Forward, as well as from third-parties, offers insights into the role and impact of venture capital on our economy and innovation.
Our Research
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.)
Community Resources
We’ve created this list of organizations, programs, and resources that provide valuable research on the venture capital industry, its trends, impacts, and best practices.
Click the links below to learn more about these organizations and what research services or resources they provide, and how you or your firm can access them.
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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| #OpenLP | X | X | X | |||||
| Catalyst | X | X | X | |||||
| Paradigm | X | X | X | |||||
| PitchBook | 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 research resources we feature to prioritize those that are free or low-cost. This is not an exhaustive list of the community research resources available within this industry, but rather, one focused on broadly expanding knowledge, accessibility and inclusion.
If you believe that your organization (or specific research 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 research materials that support industry knowledge and understanding. Click the links below to access the full materials:
The research readings listed here revolve around one of Venture Forward’s four mission pillars: Research – conducting and sharing meaningful research on VC trends and impact. In curating these materials, we prioritize readings that provide industry insights with data and analysis or durable information, as opposed to opinion pieces or non-data-driven commentary.
This is not an exhaustive list of readings or research resources available, but rather, one focused on providing meaningful, long-term value.
If you have a suggestion for reading material or research resources that meets our criteria, please reach out to Rhianon Anderson at rhianon@ventureforward.org.
Our Research
- NVCA-Deloitte Human Capital Survey
The NVCA-Deloitte Human Capital Survey was designed 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 and inclusion (D&I) 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.About the NVCA-Deloitte Human Capital Survey, Second Edition…
The NVCA-Deloitte Human Capital Survey, second edition, is the latest installment of an ongoing survey series that assesses the state of talent management, with a special focus on D&I, in the U.S. VC industry. Results from the second edition were benchmarked against baseline findings from the first edition, which was originally conducted in 2016. The survey, conducted in 2018, requested firm demographic information (e.g., investment stage focus) and demographic information for each employee (e.g., gender and race). Additionally, the survey asked firms to provide information regarding firm talent management practices and diversity and inclusion programs.Although there have been other assessments of diversity in the VC industry, this survey provides a unique perspective. Unlike other research efforts in this area, it gathers data from VC firms of all types and sizes, examines diversity for a variety of groups across all types of positions, and assesses firm talent management strategies.
The second edition of the survey collected information from 203 VC firms, representing an aggregate total of $149.4 billion in assets, on their talent management practices and on the demographics of more than 2,700 employees.
[Launch button] Our findings indicate that firms have the power to change the diversity story. Click the launch button to see the dashboard and begin exploring.
[Download button] In addition to the dashboard, NVCA and the Deloitte University Leadership Center for Inclusion developed a written report to dive deeper into the numbers and draw out key insights on what steps can be taken to create a more inclusive venture capital industry.
Readings
We’ve created this list of readings and research materials that support industry knowledge and understanding. Click the links below to access the full materials:
- List of Readings
The research readings listed here revolve around one of Venture Forward’s four mission pillars: Research – conducting and sharing meaningful research on VC trends and impact. In curating these materials, we prioritize readings that provide industry insights with data and analysis or durable information, as opposed to opinion pieces or non-data-driven commentary.
This is not an exhaustive list of readings or research resources available, but rather, one focused on providing meaningful, long-term value.
If you have a suggestion for reading material or research 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 research on the venture capital industry, its trends, impacts, and best practices. Click the links below to learn more about these organizations and what research services or resources they provide, and how you or your firm can access:
- Spreadsheet of 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 research resources we feature to prioritize those that are free or low-cost.
This is not an exhaustive list of the community research resources available within this industry, but rather, one focused on broadly expanding knowledge, accessibility and inclusion.
If you believe that your organization (or specific research 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.