Gen Z VCs

VC is *notorious* for the industry's abysmal statistics on diversity, but this is going to change in the next decade as more Gen Zers enter the industry. Firms have no excuses anymore for claiming they're "not seeing the resumes" ⬇️ Last week we launched applications for the first-ever Gen Z VCs Fellowship, giving 4 fellows the opportunity to work directly with a GP getting hands-on, paid experience for 1 week. And with 223 applications, it is an incredibly competitive program with a 1.8% acceptance rate. I'm a big believer that transparency helps move our industry forward, so thought I'd shed light on some interesting findings from our process narrowing down from 223 applications to 21 finalist candidates for the fellowship. 1⃣ We did a blind review of applications, meaning we hid any data on diversity/background while going through resumes, short answer responses, etc. to be as unbiased as possible while reviewing each profile. The best applications (and backgrounds/experience) were undoubtedly from those typically ignored by the VC industry. 👸 71% of finalists were women 📚 85% come from non-target schools 🤝 80% are BIPOC 🎒 62% are undergraduates 2⃣ Age is just a number, something that VCs often forget. Too often you see internships in VC or even full-time roles gated for experience (ie: only looking for MBA interns, or you need 1-3 years of experience for an Analyst role). In reality, more and more undergrads / younger candidates are not only qualified for the role, but have just as much VC-related experience. One of the top finalist candidates was a high school student who made it through as a finalist - she's currently the CEO/Founder of her own startup AND COO of a different startup org looking to break into platform/content roles. Age doesn't matter... experience, drive, and passion does. -- Just two learnings at the outset, but the point being that when you're creating OPEN opportunities for the next generation... you're naturally going to see a diverse cohort. Gen Z is the most diverse generation, and we're going to change things. And I can promise that each candidate, regardless of where they went to school or what their background looks like, has the potential to be exceptional. If you're a VC firm currently struggling to find candidates, always reach out to me & I can recommend some fantastic people. Excited to roll out this fellowship and see who the selected fellows will be 👀 #venturecapital #fellowship #fellowshipprogram #diversitymatters #diversity #diversityequityandinclusion #vc #genzinvestors #nextgen #nextgeneration #nextgenleaders #nextgenerationleaders #vcs