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Partner with Us to Increase Diversity In VC.
Hire an HBCUvc Summer Associate
Tapping into the talent pool across dozens of historically underserved communities and historically Black colleges and universities, our HBCUvc Fellowship and Summer Associate Program was created in direct response to venture capital and tech entrepreneurship’s limited diversity and obstructed funding and career paths for founders and investors. Launched in 2017, this multi-dimensional program sets out to educate young professionals within overlooked communities with budding interests in entrepreneurship and tech investing, and equip them with professional development tools and entry-level opportunities in the industry.
Over the span of our six-year history, we have provided foundational VC training through a culturally-affirming lens, access to industry experts through networking and knowledge-sharing events, and entry into the industry through a 10-week, paid summer internship at a partnering VC host firm. This impactful work has been supported through partnerships with several organizations, including The Annenberg Foundation, PledgeLA, 50 South Capital, and Alabama Power. In a mission-aligned effort to diversify and support the next generation of venture capitalists, HBCUvc has teamed up with these partners to power city-based internship cohorts across five cities/metropolitan areas since 2019, including: Baltimore, Birmingham, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Hear from Our 2023 Summer Associates
Watch short snippets of selected Summer Associates sharing their experiences working in VC this summer.
Chris interned at the University of Maryland Momentum Fund
Anthony interned at Touchdown Ventures
Ayodeji interned at Munich RE Ventures
Dailen interned at 50 South Capital
Lotanna interned at Fearless Fund
Alliyah interned at Lux Capital
Our Impact Since 2017
152
Paid Venture Capital Internships Created
78
% of Fellows Identify as Black / African American
53
% of Fellows Identify As Woman or Non-Conforming
33
HBCUs Represented
Benefits of Hiring a Summer Associate from HBCUvc
Leverage the expertise of HBCUvc to develop future VC talent.
The majority of venture capital firms are small businesses and do not have the capacity or expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to offer an equitable summer program. HBCUvc leads the industry in creating equitable and culturally-relevant summer programs in venture capital. Since 2019, we’ve offered the largest paid venture capital program in the United States for early-stage VC firms. We’ve partnered with foundations to offer city-wide programs, creating the first city-wide venture capital internship program in Los Angeles, PledgeLA. We’ve also co-developed programs with LPs, such as 50 South Capital to support their portfolio of GPs and offer valuable summer experiences. To date, we’ve offered 142 paid venture capital experiences, supporting onramps for people of color in venture capital.
Hire MBAs, graduate students, and early professionals from the most under-leveraged source of talent: HBCUs.
HBCUs represent 3% of universities and colleges in the United States, but are responsible for producing 20% of all Black college graduates. According to a McKinsey article titled, ‘How HBCUs can accelerate Black economic mobility’, HBCUs graduate 40% of all Black engineers, 50% of all Black lawyers, and 80% of all Black judges. The statistics presented highlight the significant impact of HBCUs on the workforce and overall economy. These anchor institutions have—and continue—to play a crucial role in promoting educational equity and fostering the success of Black professional leaders.
Access to diverse deal flow starts with a diverse investment team.
The best way to increase access to Black and other historically excluded entrepreneurs is to expand your reach beyond traditional channels and personal networks. Leaders in our talent pool bring new perspectives to investment teams, because they represent communities often overlooked. These leaders also belong to affinity communities that include entrepreneurs who are underestimated due to race, university affiliation, and/or geographic locations outside of U.S. tech hubs.
FAQs
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HBCUvc actively recruits from HBCU communities and from historically overlooked talent groups at all universities. For the 2024 recruitment cycle, all candidates must be graduate students or have 1 - 5 years of professional work experience. Applicants must also demonstrate an interest in supporting entrepreneurship, be intellectually curious, and have demonstrated experience of strong work ethics. HBCUvc reviews all applications and interviews selected candidates for these qualities. After this process is completed, HBCUvc updates its talent network tool with these pre-vetted candidates. We then curate and match candidates based on their preference profile and the firm’s candidate preferences. We send our partner firms 3 -5 recommended candidates to interview. However, firms also have the option to view the entire pre-vetted candidate pool if desired. Partner firms select a minimum of 3 candidates to interview during the interview period. When firms identify a candidate to hire, they send an offer letter to the candidate. When the candidate signs the offer letter, HBCUvc is notified that a match has been made.
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Yes. All firms are responsible for paying a subsidized program to help cover the costs of training, travel to in-person training, and coaching. Program fees vary by firm size, but all firms are asked to contribute a minimum of $2,500 to help cover program costs. Firms are also responsible for paying a minimum salary of $14k to the fellows for a 10-week internship. In some cases, foundation partners and LPs help cover costs for selected firms. Please let us know if you would like to work together on a foundation grant or partner with an LP to cover costs.
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Remote internships are allowed. However, to foster relationship building during the program, we ask that the firm commits to a minimum of two (2) in-person activites with their fellow during the program. We ask that firms help cover the travel and lodging costs of the in-person activities if the activity is hosted in another city.
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Responsibilities vary by firm. Click here to watch our 2023 Fellows talk about their internship experience.
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Please send all questions to our team at fellowships@hbcu.vc.
Get Started as a 2024 Host Firm
Watch Our Partner Info Session. Click here to Watch.
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Read Our Host Firm Partner Deck. Click Here to Read.
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Complete this Form to Become A Host Partner.
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Partner Key Dates
January 7, 2024
Application Deadline For Partner Firms
Talent Portal Opens & Interviews with Partner Firms
February 1 - March 1, 2024
Deadline For Firms to Extend Offers
March 8, 2024
Virtual Onboarding For 2024 Fellows
March 21, 2024
Bi-weekly virtual live training (Opportunities to Guest Lecture)
April 9 - May 2, 2024
In-person New Fellows Retreat. Opportunities to Guest Lecture. (Date subject to change slightly based on venue availability)
May 22 - 24, 2024
Ten-week internship with Partner Firm