Included VC Delivers a Massive Boost to Diversity and Representation in Venture Capital

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Included VC, the first-of-its-kind global initiative building diversity within venture capital backed by 12 top-tier global funds and 100s of community partners, today announces the success of its second Fellowship. From the start to completion of the Fellowship, of 29 Fellows actively looking for roles in VC, 22 (76%) have secured job opportunities – so far – in only nine months to-date. That is almost half (49%) of Included VC’s total 45 Fellows securing careers in the global venture capital ecosystem since beginning the nine-month and fully-funded programme.

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The international collaboration of global venture capital partners which support the Included VC Fellowship mission to shape a more diverse future in the industry are Creandum, Daphni, HSBC Ventures, Kaya VC, K-Fund, Mangrove Capital Partners, Mouro Capital (formerly Santander Innoventures), M12 – Microsoft’s venture fund, Notion Capital, Seedcamp and Wilson Sonsini. So far HV Capital has joined as new partners for the third fellowship in 2022.

Included VC has proven to be an accessible alternative to the traditional MBA route into venture capital as the world’s only Fellowship for diverse individuals. Fellows have again demonstrated a remarkable track record of success from acceptance to employment within the ecosystem. Remarkably in only nine months, 22 of 29 (76% to-date) who continue to aspire to a career in VC out of 45 total Fellows (still 49% who started the programme) have accepted opportunities directly through the second Fellowship with still more to announce in the pipeline ahead of Fellowship III. The Fellows leave equipped for top-tier firms, joining the likes of Founders Factory, Capital T, Atomico, Octopus Ventures, Frontline, Warner Ventures, and OmniAfrica.

Included VC provides opportunities for those who experience underrepresentation or disadvantage, enabling them to overcome traditional barriers and access careers in the venture capital ecosystem. Chris Tottman, Founder of Included VC and General Partner at Notion said, “The achievements of the fellows are remarkable and couldn’t be made possible without the invaluable time and resources of our global partners. A truly diverse VC ecosystem can only be achieved through real commitments to bring in people from underrepresented communities, connect them into the incredible existing networks and provide the necessary career support they need to transform the industry.”

The second Fellowship takes Included VC from proof-of-concept to proven leader in international business education having again shown there are credible, alternative pathways into venture capital. By blending fully-funded learning, business coaching and industry networking, today’s achievements show results even costly MBA and paid fellowship programmes, some in excess of $80K USD, are unable to meet in post-fellowship employment within a competitive and often exclusive jobs market.

Included VC’s ongoing mission is to change the face of the venture capital industry with impactful fellowships that dramatically increase diversity. Fellowship II represented an even greater number of nationalities, representative of an ever-more diverse cohort of individuals that counted among them 25 nationalities, from 21 countries calling 31 cities home around the world. Ultimately funds benefit through stronger community networks and global talent that improve origination, dealflow and returns on investment all bolstered by access to equal opportunity. Of 45 Fellows, between 19 and 45 in age, 31% are Black, 31% Asian, and 12% are mixed race, while 52% of the Fellows are women, 30% are neurodiverse, 15% are disabled and 17% are from the LGTBQIA+ community.

Sharing a commitment to positively shape the future of venture capital, Included VC is supported by a global collaboration of 12 international venture capital and 100s of community partners. Together they enable the next generation of investors, opening doors to those who may not otherwise have had access, supporting the discovery and development of global talent. Inbound inquiries to Included VC continue to increase as the number of 50 community partners last year quickly doubled year-on-year. Included VC has previously worked with dozens of global to local advocacy and support organisations with extensive networks in the communities they serve.

Nikita Thakrar, Co-founder & CEO, Included VC said, “An overwhelming number of Included VC’s second Fellowship, from every background and corner of the world, have been placed in top tier jobs within the VC ecosystem. Fellowship II demonstrated an increasing global presence and Included VC will for the third consecutive year again expand the next Fellowship cohort, doubling last year’s total to welcome 100 new Fellows – both multiplying the number of individuals represented and impact the experience can bring to empower the next generation to drive change in VC. Today’s Fellows are and will continue to be part of the family around the world sourcing deals from overlooked founders and impacting hiring positively, for diversity.”

Matt Goldstein, Founding Partner and the UK Lead at M12 said, “Preparing people for a career in venture is admirable, but lining up employers to hire them thereafter is revolutionary. Included VC is focused on the broader education and employment pipeline, and they know that biases exist at every stage. By securing industry partners to bring Fellows into investment roles, Included VC is going to prompt more meaningful change.”

Ore Adeyemi, MD and Head of Strategic Innovation Investments (SII) at HSBC said: “For us, it was important to find a partner that was taking concrete steps to provide training resources and access to industry professionals to underrepresented groups, with the goal of increasing representation in the VC industry. One bit of advice I would give the Fellows is to stay ready – always be ready to take advantage of the right opportunity when it comes your way, stepping in and stepping up, and always be willing to put in the work.”

Applications are now open and due to demand, Included VC has now doubled the capacity of its intake, providing 100 places for those with a passion for technology, entrepreneurship and venture capital, a belief in VC’s potential to effect change and personal commitment to progress.

Extraordinary, entrepreneurial self-starters and inclusive team players are eligible for the nine-month, fully-funded Fellowship. The requirement of diversity is non-exhaustive yet captures gender, ethnicity, non-typical degrees, intergenerational diversity, disability, neural diversity, and applicants from excluded communities such as refugees and ex-inmates.

You can out more about Included VC, and apply to join the Fellowship, here: www.included.vc

If you’re a fund or industry body that wants to get involved with the Included VC initiative, please contact [email protected]