- Investor Accelerators
- Venture Capital Accelerator
- Real Estate Accelerator
- Professional Development
- Profit Sharing Agreement
- VC/PE Job Recruiting
- REVERSE DEMO DAY
- Education Programs
- Venture Capital
- Real Estate
- Team & Cohorts
- Venture Capital Team
- Private Equity Team
- VC Cohorts
- REPE Cohorts
- Speakers, Instructors, Advisors
- …
- Investor Accelerators
- Venture Capital Accelerator
- Real Estate Accelerator
- Professional Development
- Profit Sharing Agreement
- VC/PE Job Recruiting
- REVERSE DEMO DAY
- Education Programs
- Venture Capital
- Real Estate
- Team & Cohorts
- Venture Capital Team
- Private Equity Team
- VC Cohorts
- REPE Cohorts
- Speakers, Instructors, Advisors
- Investor Accelerators
- Venture Capital Accelerator
- Real Estate Accelerator
- Professional Development
- Profit Sharing Agreement
- VC/PE Job Recruiting
- REVERSE DEMO DAY
- Education Programs
- Venture Capital
- Real Estate
- Team & Cohorts
- Venture Capital Team
- Private Equity Team
- VC Cohorts
- REPE Cohorts
- Speakers, Instructors, Advisors
- …
- Investor Accelerators
- Venture Capital Accelerator
- Real Estate Accelerator
- Professional Development
- Profit Sharing Agreement
- VC/PE Job Recruiting
- REVERSE DEMO DAY
- Education Programs
- Venture Capital
- Real Estate
- Team & Cohorts
- Venture Capital Team
- Private Equity Team
- VC Cohorts
- REPE Cohorts
- Speakers, Instructors, Advisors
The World's Leading Investor Accelerator For Venture Capital,
Private Equity, & Angel Investing
Join In-Person From VU's HQ Locations: North America (San Francisco), Asia-Pacific (Hong Kong), Europe (Munich), LatAm (São Paulo), Or Virtually From Anywhere
West Cohort: North America, Europe, & LatAm
Summer 2024: Jun 17 - Aug 30
Fall 2024: Sep 30 - Dec 13
Winter 2025: Jan 13 - Mar 28
Spring 2025: Mar 31 - Jun 13
East Cohort: Asia-Pacific, Middle East, & Africa
Summer 2024: Jun 24 - Sep 6
Fall 2024: Oct 7 - Dec 20
Winter 2025: Jan 20 - Apr 4
Spring 2025: Apr 7 - Jun 20
View Venture University's Program Overview PDF
Venture University's Investor Accelerators Are Designed For Individuals Looking To Gain High Quality Investment Experience In Order To Break Into The VC/PE Industry, Launch Their Own Funds, & Advance Their Careers
VU By The Numbers
750+ VU Alumni
VU Is The Oldest, Largest, & Most Comprehensive Investor Accelerator In The World
~50% Get VC/PE Jobs
Within 12 Months Of Graduating
4 Cohorts per Year per Investor Accelerator
Join For 3-12 Months.
Learn, Gain Investment Experience, & Build A Track Record
2 Investor Accelerators
• The Venture Capital Investor Accelerator
• The Real Estate Private Equity & REIT Investor Accelerator
Each Investor Accelerator Includes:
• Three Executive Education Programs (Masterclass, Advanced Modules, & Fireside Chats)
• An Investment Apprenticeship
• A Triple Certificate Program
6 Executive Education Programs
• Masterclass: Venture Capital | Real Estate Private Equity & REITs
• Advanced Modules: Venture Capital | Real Estate
• Fireside Chats: Venture Capital | Real Estate PE (Coming Soon)
2 Investment Apprenticeships
6 Certificate Programs
2 Masterclasses: Venture Capital | Real Estate Private Equity & REITs
2 Advanced Modules: Venture Capital | Real Estate Private Equity & REITs
2 Investment Apprenticeships: Venture Capital | Real Estate Private Equity & REITs
Earn 3 Certificates (Masterclass, Advanced Modules, & Investment Apprenticeship) With Each Investor Accelerator: Venture Capital Investor Accelerator | Real Estate Private Equity & REIT Investor Accelerator
6 Vertical Venture Capital Investment Teams
Consumer
Enterprise
Fintech
Frontier
Healthcare
PropTech
Sourcing ~4,000-5,000 Companies per Quarter
4 Vertical Real Estate Investment Teams
Residential Real Estate
Commercial Real Estate
Industrial Real Estate
REITs
Make ~1-7 Venture Capital Investments per Quarter
Invest In New Portfolio Companies + Follow-On Rounds, Invest In Up To ~28 Companies Over 12 Months, Each Targeting A ~10x+ Return
Make 1-2 Real Estate Private Equity Investments per Quarter
Invest Real Estate Opportunities, Up To 4-6 Investments Over 12 Months, Each Targeting A ~1.5-4x Return.
The Masterclass
100+ Topics, 25+ Hrs Of Content, 250+ Slides & Resources
Learn More:
The Advanced Modules
200+ Fireside Chats Across Venture & Private Equity Funds, Angels, Founders, & Strategics
Top Performing VC Experience Over 50+ Yrs
$2B+ Invested, 20+ Unicorns, 4x+ Net Realized Return, Top Decile Performing Fund
Top Performance Real Estate Investment Experience Over 50+ Years
Senior Leadership Positions At The World's Largest Real Estate Investment Funds & Investing Over $7B
VU's Affinity Investor Syndicate Network: Bonded Capital
One Of The World's Largest Investor Syndicates With 3,500+ Angel Investors & Family Offices
VU's HQ Offices:
San Francisco (US), Hong Kong (China), & Munich (Germany)
Investment Team & Cohort Members Are Located Across North America, LatAm, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, & Africa
Reviews & Testimonials
VU's Investment Managers Have Been Some Of The Earliest & Largest Investors In 20+ Unicorns
Venture University's Investor Accelerators Have The Below Program Structure
Apply To One Of Venture University's Investor Accelerators Or Executive Education Programs
The Investor Accelerators
Learn, Gain High Quality VC/PE Investment Experience Over 3-12 Months, & Build A Track Record By Making Investments
VU Offers Two Investor Accelerators:
- The Venture Capital Investor Accelerator: Learn More
- The Real Estate Private Equity & REIT Investor Accelerator: Learn More
Each Investor Accelerator Is 11 Weeks & Includes:
Three Executive Education Programs:
- The Masterclass
- Advanced Modules
- Fireside Chats
An Investment Apprenticeship Program:
- A Profit Sharing Agreement On Investments
- Career Development & Networking
- VC/PE Job Recruiting
- REVERSE DEMO DAY
- Quarterly Alumni Event
- Napa Wine Trip
Triple Certificate Program:
- Certificate of Executive Education - Masterclass
- Certificate of Executive Education - Advanced Modules
- Certificate of Investment Experience - via VU's Investment Apprenticeship
Executive Education Programs
Enroll In One Or More Of The Executive Education Programs Below
Venture Capital: Learn More
- Venture Capital Masterclass: 1 Week Live or On-Demand Video Course
- Advanced VC Modules: 8 Weeks Live or On-Demand Video Course
- Fireside Chats: Live or On-Demand Video Library
- Dual VC Certificate Program
Real Estate: Learn More
- Real Estate Private Equity & REIT Masterclass: 2 Weeks Live or On-Demand Video Course
- Advanced Real Estate Modules: 8 Weeks Live or On-Demand Video Course
- Fireside Chats: Live or On-Demand Video Library
- Dual Real Estate Certificate Program
"Learning By Doing" At Venture University
"They've Read A Bunch of Words, I've Lived A Bunch Of Life."
Jay-Z
"At Its Core, Venture Capital & Private Equity Is Truly An Apprenticeship Business"
Mahendra Ramsinghani, Author of The Business of Venture Capital
The Benefits Of Joining Venture University
In-Depth & Hands-On Executive Education: Learn during an intensive Masterclass (1-2 Weels), with Advanced Modules over 8 weeks, and weekly Fireside Chats from top tier VC/PE investors, angels, founders, and strategics.
Gain High Quality Investment Experience For 3-12 Months Through An Investment Apprenticeship: Become an Analyst, Associate, Principal, Venture Partner / Partner-In-Residence, or Emerging Fund Manager at VU Venture Partners, a global venture capital fund and VU Capital Partners, a global private equity fund.
Earn Certificates: VU offers a Triple Certificate Program for Venture Capital and a Triple Certificate Program for Real Estate Private Equity & REITs, which can be authenticated by 3rd parties and easily shared.
Mentorship: Work alongside and learn from top performing investors with over 45+ years of venture capital experience and 50+ years of real estate investment experience. VU's senior investment partners have invested over $1.8+ Billion in venture capital and were some of the earliest and largest investors in 20+ "unicorns", companies valued at over $1 Billion. Additionally VU's senior real estate investment partners have invested over $7+ Billion in real estate and held senior leadehship positions within some of the largest real estate investment groups in the world.
Develop Critical Skills: Develop critical skills such as deal sourcing, conducting due diligence, investment evaluation, raising LP capital, and helping your portfolio succeed.
Develop Vertical Expertise Across Industries:
- Venture Capital Investor Accelerator - Join One Of 7 Vertical Investment Teams: Consumer, Enterprise, Fintech, Frontier, Healthcare, PropTech, & Web3
- Real Estate Private Equity & REITs - Join One Of 4 Vertical Investment Teams: Residential Real Estate, Commercial Real Estate, Industrial Real Estate, & REITs
Build A Track Record:
- In Venture Capital: Make ~2-5 new portfolio company investments and ~1-3 follow-on investments each quarter, each targeting a 10x+ return, and co-invest with other top tier investors. Over the course of 12 months you can build a track record of up to 28 investments. View VU's venture capital portfolio companies. VU has a 70%+ IRR and is benchmarked as a top decile performing venture capital fund.
- In Real Estate Private Equity & REITs: Make 1-2 real estate investments each quarter, 4-6 real estate investments over 12 months. View VU's real estate investments.
A Profit Sharing Agreement: Cohort member share in the financial upside on the investments made during the program via a Profit Sharing Agreement.
Advanced Career Experience: VU's Investment Apprenticeship program offers individuals a significantly more valuable opportunity for career development than an internship, a fellowship, or a scout program. Individuals within VU's Investment Apprenticeship program take on more senior roles within the investment team. Cohort members are given the ability to:
- Select the opportunities they want to present at the weekly Partner Meetings
- Choose what opportunities are brought to the Investment Committee
- Participate on the Investment Committee and vote on the proposed investment recommendations
Join For ~3-12 Months: VU's Investor Accelerators are 11 week programs and individuals can join for 1-4 quarters (~3-12 months) depending on the amount of investment experience they want to get and the size of the track record they want to build.
Career Development: Update your resume with actual investment experience, work with VU to develop your career strategy, and receive career coaching and interview prep prior to conducing job interviews. Based on your experience and track record within the Investment Apprenticeship VU can provide job reference and recommendations for future employers.
Networking: Build a deep network within the VC/PE industry and join a powerful tight-knit family of 600+ VU alumni investors. VU hosts quarterly VU Alumni events to network with alumni and current cohort members.
VC/PE Job Recruiting: Gain access to proprietary VC/PE job opportunities and interview with VC/PE funds. Each quarter VC/PE funds recruit from VU and VU matches the jobs to current cohort member and VU alumni. Greater than 50% of VU alumni get VC/PE job offers within 12 months of graduating.
REVERSE DEMO DAY: Each quarter the cohort presents the investment thesis on the opportunties that they selected to invest in to an audience of investors and founders. Attend an upcoming REVERSE DEMO DAY.
Time Commitment: Individuals can join VU's Investor Accelerators on a full-time and part-time basis.
Locations: Attend VU's programs in-person or virtually from anywhere in the world. VU has offices in San Francisco and Hong Kong.
"In financial terms, ROI on my MBA was nothing compared to VU. After 3 months, I made 5 investments that I have upside in, received 3 job offers, and now I'm an Associate Partner at a VC fund focusing on my passion of Internet of Things."
Ben Steven, Cohort 2 Member,
Associate Partner at Momenta Ventures
Meet VU's 2024 Cohorts
VU Has 750+ Global Alumni, Who Now Working At Other VC/PE Funds, Have Launched Their Own Funds, Angel Invest, & Have Become LPs In Funds
Bear Flag Robotics Acquired By John Deere For $250M
VU Cohort 8's portfolio company, Bear Flag Robotics, an autonomous driving farm tractor platform, returned ~10x in 14 months, yielding a ~700% IRR.
VU Celebrates Its 5th Year Anniversary!
Announcing New Funds, New Platforms, & New Initiatives
The Rise Of The Chimera: Eating Unicorns For Lunch
Understanding The Market Size Dynamics For Company’s Worth $1+ Billion (Unicorns) to $1+ Trillion (Chimeras)
Spyce Acquired By sweetgreen
Robotic Restaurant Technology Brand Acquired By Rapidly Expanding Salad Restaurant Chain Prior To IPO
Join VU In San Francisco (US), Hong Kong (China), Munich (Germany), São Paulo (Brazil), Or Virtually From Anywhere!
Apply To Join VU's Investor Accelerator & Executive Education Programs
Made In Space Acquired by Redwire / AE Industrial Partners
Investments
80+ Portfolio Companies Across Consumer, Enterprise, FinTech, Frontier, Healthcare, & PropTech
Venture University Receives "Startup Of The Year" Award
Awarded For Disrupting The Venture Capital And Education Industry, & Increasing The Quantity & Quality Of Diversity Within The VC/PE Ecosystem
Hire VU's Cohort Members & Alumni
Are you hiring Analysts, Associates, Principals, Partners to join your investment team?
Share the job opportunity with us and we'll curate the top 3-5 candidates for you to interview from VU's current cohort and VU alumni. Each quarter VU selects ~1% of the candidates that apply to be part of our Investor Accelerator.
Featured Articles
Check Out Innovator's Closet To Shop For Clothes For Innovators, Founders, & Investors
“Venture University gave me the opportunity, the skills, and the knowledge to get noticed by top-tier VC firms. The partners at VU have a sincere desire to help you achieve your career goals, and were incredibly supportive during my journey in landing two venture capital job offers, and one at a top accelerator.”
Alina Tioupikova, Cohort 2 Member,
Director at Techstars
VU Is Designed For Extraordinary & Exceptional Individuals Who Are:
• Looking to join or launch a VC/PE fund as an Analyst, Associate, Principal, or Partner
• Looking to join or launch a Startup Accelerator, Startup Studio, Family Office, Corporate Venture Fund, or Institutional Fund
• Emerging fund managers
• Angel investors and family offices looking to professionalize their direct investment strategies into startups and/or become LPs in funds
• Experienced professionals who are experts in their industry and are looking to make a career transition into venture capital or private equity
• Entrepreneurs who want to learn to think like investors prior to launching or joining a disruptive company
• Select undergraduate and graduate students
“I’ve gotten more hands on experience than I could ever have imagined. After 11 weeks, it felt like we’ve been here for 11 months! We were able to go through the entire investment process from deal sourcing, due diligence, to making investments, and we developed critical skills you can only get by doing the job of a VC.”
Yvonne Okafor, Cohort 2 Member,
Investment Analyst, Alitheia Capital
Build Equity In Your Education
Value Comparison: Undergrad vs. MBA vs. Venture University
“I had planned to spend the next 2-3 years slaving at an investment bank for a small shot at becoming a VC. Venture U provided me with an opportunity to leapfrog that pain and fast-track my career.”
Vitor Lima, Cohort 2 Member, Joined A Multi-Billion Dollar Family Office Doing Venture Capital
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.
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