VU was an immensely valuable experience… VU was an immensely valuable experience to help source and evaluate deals, just like a real VC! I wish I had more time to bring more deals to IC; I stayed for 3 months. Also, I think it might be great for future cohorts to get the syllabus ahead of time (in terms of the lecture topics covered during the Masterclass). Also, I think they'd benefit from more financial modeling/waterfall examples/scenarios/problem sets. Maybe walking them through an entire diligence process at the outset could be helpful. How do you analyze a data room? Also, maybe a mini-lecture on preparing for an IC could be helpful. Come prepared w/ questions during the Masterclass & Modules. Maybe submit them beforehand.

Review Overall, I had a really great experience at VU and have learned a tremendous amount from having taken part in it. Being a mere sophomore in college and a natural introvert, at times I felt intimidated by my fellow cohort members, given their substantial experience, but I used the time I spent in the office to really break out of my shell and let my opinions be heard. Doing that has been very beneficial for me in developing my social skills, which translated to my leadership position at college at well. However, there are a few things that could have been improved upon. I wish we had more time to dig deeper into each startup and discuss in depth at partners meetings. At times they felt rushed and sometimes companies were judged unfairly or too quickly based on previous assumptions. Also, I wish the partners were more accessible because at times they did not feel approachable due to their busy schedule. Additionally, I would've liked the program to be a bit longer, due to the sheer amount of startups we had to analyze, it was very difficult for me to get through all of them. Apart from those aspects, I did enjoy my time at VU and might join again in the future.

Excellent experience in Cohort 35! I was a member of Venture University’s 35th cohort in the Fall of 2023 and it was such an awesome experience! At the very start of the program one of the partners told us that ‘you get out what you put in’ and that couldn’t be truer. It’s intense and you learn A LOT very quickly, but it’s very structured which makes it easier and allowed me to plan around my consulting work. After our initial Masterclass week, we met with multiple startups and got to listen in on how the partners at VU approached the calls with founders. Each had a different style that complimented the others very well and it was really interesting to learn from them all. We were then ‘off to the races’ so to speak, deal sourcing and doing diligence on startups ourselves and I really enjoyed this because the cohort members began to naturally work together even more at this stage. Including each other on calls, sharing experiences and insight etc. I really got to know the other team members well during this stage and I hope to continue those relationships for a long time to come! The cohort was divided into five teams: Healthcare, Proptech/Fintech. Enterprise, Consumer & Frontier and each week the teams would present their best deals at partner meetings. Needless to say, we had to come into those partner meetings very well prepared and we never had all the answers but even though the questions were tough, honest, and to the point, all of the feedback that was given was constructive and as the weeks went on we all got better at fine tuning our sourcing and due diligence skills. By the end of the program I felt our cohort had become a tight knit group and we had the investment committees and an amazing trip to Nappa Valley to celebrate! One final observation. As you go through the program it becomes really clear that the Partners and the entire VU team just really loves venture capital and are building something great to give back to the community. I’m really glad that I joined the team and am a VU alum, highly recommend!

I am thankful to VU for opportunity to… I am thankful to VU for opportunity to get hands on experience in venture capital. Each week we sourced new investments and presented them at weekly partners' meeting. Partners shared their experience and challenged us with questions that helped us to learn and grow more. The program also provided learning sessions, fire site chats with other VCs, and lots of networking opportunities. It is hard to find such a comprehensive program that can teach so much in just a little over two months.

VU Venture Partners: Spreading VC Knowledge To All An amazing fund to get to be a part of and learn from with very high caliber members in the program to grow alongside of. It was a great real first taste for me to deep dive and learn more about the Venture Capital and Private Equity space, and I will definitely be looking for opportunities to join a fund down the road. Overall great experience, and grateful for the opportunity.