Career Development & Networking
- Career Development
• Develop a customized career strategy and plan to break into the VC/PE industry
• Receive mentorship and support in executing your career goals
• Review and update your resume and LinkedIn profile
• Develop your personal brand via blog articles, social media posts, showcase investment theses, and speak at events
• Gain access to highly sought after VC/PE job opportunities
• Receive recommendations and job references. VU frequently gets requests from VC/PE funds, accelerators, and recruiters to recommend VU cohort members for roles that they are hiring for
• Job interview preparation
"I am extremely grateful for being part of the VU family and getting direct VC experience, which is something completely unheard of, especially for someone at my age (still in college) and others who recently graduated from undergrad or an MBA. The Investor Accelerator is not an "internship", it is so much more than that, because VU allows you to operate at a more senior level, gaining real experience sourcing your own deals, doing your own due diligence, and deciding which deals you want to bring to the Investment Committee. VU's team also dedicates so much more to your personal growth than what I would get from an internship."
Faizan Ahmed, Cohort 7
- Industry Networking
• Build A Broad Network: Individuals that join VU build a network with VC/PE funds, accelerators, angels, family offices, founders, and large innovative corporations
• Weekly Fireside Chats: VC/PE investors, corporate VCs, angels, family offices, founders, and strategics. Also, receive access to previous fireside chat videos.
• Investor-Only Networking Events: VU hosts a quarterly Investor-Only Networking Event in San Francisco and NYC, bringing together the investor ecosystem, including VC/PE investors, angels, and family offices
• VU Alumni Events: VU hosts a quarterly VU Alumni event in San Francisco and NYC, where VU alumni reconnect and meet with current cohort members
- Being part of VU makes you part of a tight-knit and powerful family of VU alumni investors working at VC/PE funds and accelerators, or are family offices and angels, who have access to proprietary deal flow, a large network, and provide additional access to highly sought-after career opportunities
• Startup / VC Industry Events: VU manages and shares a VC/Startup event calendar with each cohort, which includes: demo days at accelerators, VC panel discussions, VC/Startup networking events, industry focused events, pitch competitions, etc.
• Cohort Bonding Activities: VU plans a number of fun cohort bonding activities each quarter, such as: a welcome dinner, an escape room, game nights, startup / VC movie nights, billiards, bowling, ping-pong, weekly happy hours, and trips (a Napa wine trip, food tours, etc).
• REVERSE DEMO DAY: At the end of each quarter, the cohort presents their ~2-5 investments and shares the investment thesis on each company to an audience of investors, startups, and strategics
"Being able to tap into the VU Alumni network and broader VU network for life is the real long term value of the program!"
Gustavo Cepeda, Cohort 7
Disclaimer: *Foreign nationals participating in Venture University's program in the United States are not able to receive the profit sharing agreement as part of the Investor Accelerator unless they have a J1 Visa or other type of Visa allowing them to work in the United States. Individuals participating in Venture University's Investor Accelerator program outside of the United States are able to receive the profit sharing agreement. Individuals that participate in and complete the Investor Accelerator receive a profit sharing agreement that is tied to the future performance of the investments made during the program. Individuals that participate in Venture University's programs do not receive an equity stake in Venture University's investment funds or an equity stake in any of Venture University's portfolio companies. If an individual that participates in the Investor Accelerator is an accredited investor, then at Venture University's sole discretion, the individual may be allowed to, but is not required to, nor have any obligation to, invest in Venture University's investment fund or a portfolio company through Venture University's investment fund. There is no guarantee of any return of capital or profits from the investments made, as the risks of investing are high, the future outcomes from the investments are unknown, and could result in a 100% loss of invested capital in the portfolio companies, or result in a small or significant amount of profits for individuals in the Investor Accelerator which will be recognized as income and be taxable.