Future VC was established to support talented individuals from backgrounds that are currently under-represented in venture capital, to help them learn about and work in VC, and in doing so improve the inclusiveness of the industry. Future VC was launched by Diversity VC in 2017. 

Due to Future VC’s successful expansion, there are now programmes live in The UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and on The East Coast of the US, which means Future VC can host participants from the world over. All programmes run simultaneously, and applications will open on 5th January for all locations. 

The organisation provides an eight-week, paid internship with leading Venture Capital funds in Europe and the US. Participants gain the key skills and practical experience necessary to kickstart their careers in VC, including deep-dive masterclasses from worldwide industry experts. 

Future VC is working

73 people have now completed the ‘in person’ Future VC internship, with a further 481 benefitting from masterclasses and mentoring remotely — an initiative that was undertaken in response to the global pandemic. Over 30 previous participants have now secured roles at some of the largest and best-known funds in the world, including Accel, Balderton, Cathay Innovation, Molten, Augmentum and Ascension. 

Future VC's international growth

Future VC started in the UK in 2017 and has since rolled out to France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and on the East Coast in the US. The application process was also more popular than ever for interns with over 2000 people applying and being assessed for the 73 available internships in 2021. 

In 2022 as well as expanding US-wide, Future VC will continue to grow in the UK, throughout Europe and there are ongoing discussions to expand into new geographies. Although numbers are not yet finalised, Future VC expects over 100 funds to participate in 2022.

Sarah Millar, along with her team, launched Future VC on the East Coast in the US in 2022 and Future VC now plans to roll out the programme US-wide next year: “We are thrilled with the success of Future VC in its inaugural year in the US, and are looking forward to expanding access to more funds and more candidates in the Summer of 2022!”

Costanza Carissimo from Sista, with whom Future VC partnered in 2021 to launch the programme in France experienced a brilliant inaugural year; “We received stellar feedback from fellows and VCs alike about the program: it is a unique opportunity for those candidates outside the ecosystem to get access to it and start building their network, and funds can work with talent that brings fresh and unique perspectives. SISTA is a collective that promotes diversity in the digital economy by encouraging more investment in women-led companies and our values are perfectly aligned with those of Future VC. We, therefore, look forward to partnering again next year to bring the program to even more candidates and funds in France’’ 

Fiona Sweny was part of the Future VC programme in 2021 and shared, “The Future VC programme gave me an excellent overview of all aspects of Venture Capital. The masterclasses were engaging and detailed with numerous takeaways that are both useful as a founder and also as someone who is considering a career in venture in the future. The VCs who contributed to the programme gave valuable insights based on their own experiences.”

Against the odds 2021 was a successful year for Future VC

Future VC saw both a record number of applications (nearly 2000) and also over 70 Venture Capital funds hiring interns in 2021. The team took the knowledge gained during 2020 to continue to use virtual masterclasses for our interns, but making them interactive sessions so interns also had the opportunity to ask their questions. 

Julia Rabin, Programme Lead for Europe outlining the Future VC application process; “Our application process is executed via Applied, a platform that removes work experience and personal information such as names, languages, and gender allowing us to assess candidates based on their ability and interest alone. Our focus is to select candidates on the basis of traits and potential based on what we’ve heard from those who work in Venture Capital. Traits such as empathy and determination are two examples and in the Future VC process these take precedence over where someone studied, where they live and at what stage they are in their career.”

Preparing for a career in VC in several ways

Future VC’s programmes are designed to upskill each of our participants in areas vital for accessing a career in Venture Capital, key components include:

• VC 101 is available for everyone who applies to the Future VC programme, even if they are not accepted
• The paid 2-month internship
• Masterclasses offering deep dives into key topics such as financial modelling, transaction economics, fund mechanics and impact investing from some of the most respected investors around the world
• Mentoring delivered by those working VC - over 100 experts will provide 30 mins a week of 1:1 mentoring 
• Peer to Peer Learning
• Access to Jobs & Paid work opportunities
• Join the Future VC ‘bench’ to access ad-hoc work with leading VCs
• Assessing real Start-Ups and presenting to an Investment Panel
• Developing soft skills such as networking, preparing for the recruitment process and starting a career in VC

Topher Ahn, who completed the Future VC internship in 2021 was then hired by his fund for a full-time role at the end of the structured programme; “I really appreciated the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working at a VC firm across different stages and sectors while learning how to become a better investor through the masterclasses given by well-respected VCs in the industry. Most of all, I’ve met some brilliant people through the cohort and am excited to be able to give back to the community any way that I can with the goal of continuing to decentralise access to the VC industry.”

Seb Butt, founder of Future VC and head of partnerships at Diversity VC; “We are feeling very positive with the feedback from interns, funds, and anyone else that has been involved in any capacity. The last three years have presented opportunities and challenges; our ‘beta year’ in 2019 was the first-of-its-kind and triggered a number of other exciting initiatives. Our ‘pandemic edition’ in 2020 was broadened to provide access to 500 people around the world to access over 60 online masterclasses and 2021 represented a year of international growth into the US, Netherlands, France, Germany and Spain. In 2022, we’re planning on in-person masterclasses and focus a lot more on collaboration across the cohorts alongside growing into new regions alongside year around support for funds and people who want to work in Venture Capital.”