venture.university Reviews 

Venture University is an extremely well run organization and an amazing place to learn about venture capital. Everything from the initial onboarding, program experience, learning resources, and educational format have been top notch. I've been really impressed by the level of detail and attention given to all aspects of the program and everyone on the VU team has been dedicated, approachable, and committed to our success. I highly recommend VU to anyone interested in getting into venture capital. It's a great community to be part of and I fully expect to be connected and work with fellow program alumni for years to come.

So I joined VU as a part of Cohort of 8 with no prior VC/Finance related experience. All I had was passion to learn about VC! VU has more than exceeded my expectations and it’s been the most enriching and productive learning experience I’ve had in my life. Sky, Andrew, Aakash, Arpan, and Faraz are amazing teachers and mentors and every conversation with them is a learning experience. VU provides you with all the resources and connections you need to break into the VC world and develop relationships in the field. I’ve personally benefitted immensely and have developed amazing relationships both at VU and in the VC world in general. I learnt how to source companies, do diligence, and lead the best ones through Investment Committee. You get the experience of what a job at a traditional VC fund would look like with the added benefit of constant advise and mentorship from the GPs Sky and Andrew which is invaluable moving ahead.
I personally sourced for the Frontier tech team and had the opportunity to speak with amazing founders and learn about new industries and innovations on a daily basis. If you want to break into VC or become a better Investor I highly recommend this program as it’s one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.

I have been one of the early participants in VU's Investor Accelerator program (Cohort 2 in late 2018).
It was an amazing experience and the most helpful and most value-added thing I could have done on my way to break into venture capital. Highly praxis oriented, an opportunity to participate in and even lead all stages of the investment process from deal sourcing to execution. Not just the 5 deals we ended up investing in, but also plenty that made it to at least one round in the the investment committee. Where else do you get the chance to go through 3 months of weekly investment committee meetings with 4-5 groups of highly motivated investors (now probably more with locations in New York, Hong Kong) presenting the 2-3 strongest companies in their pipeline. You do the math ...
Sky and Andrew are amazing partners that share their experience every step of the way. Initially I was sceptic, but I am extremely impressed by the wealth of knowledge they are sharing and the genuine interest they have in the success of every single participant in the program.
I recently realized that it has been 2 years now since I started the program and 1.5 years since I started working at a great fund I met while being part of VU's cohort (still feel like being part of VU, it stretches far beyond the 3-month accelerator if you want). I am not sure if I would have made a successful transition into VC without the opportunity at VU, certainly not as fast.
Great program!!! Hightly recommeded!!!

VU was one of the greatest experiences of my life. At VU you are going to be surrounded with some of the brightest and most driven human beings you've ever met. To me, that was invaluable. The relationships I was able to cultivate with my team as we set out to find the next Unicorn (or better) were incredible. Sky and Andrew are legends in the industry and never hesitated to share their wisdom and knowledge with us. I learned so much by doing, it was insane. I now feel as if I have an unfair advantage through my deep understanding of VC at such a young age. Couldn't recommend enough to anyone!

Terrific hands on program to learn how to be a VC investor. Well worth the money. Terrific management that is invested in your future.

If you want to learn how VC works and be around a family/individuals knowledgeable about the startup industry and the newly rising asset class "Venture Capital", Venture University is the place to be! No matter what experience you have in VC or your age, Venture University's curriculum is useful for all!

Definitely a rewarding experience if you are the one who is interested in exploring the VC/PE industry. Not only the high-quality masterclass and hands-on experience you'll get but also the access to a life-time VC club membership and endless deal flows are worth it!

The VU program gave us the opportunity to learn the business of venture capital from the ground up and armed us with the tools needed to hit the ground running in the industry. Overall a high quality program and platform run by highly skilled practitoners who genuinely want to help you succceed. I was honored to be a part of a great team and Cohort 9.

Best career move I made! - When I was interviewing I made sure my diligence on the program was thorough. I spoke with past cohort members and did my own analysis of pathways to break into Venture Capital. After going through the program I can say it was worth every penny as I got to meet great fellows, acquire knowledge about the industry in a comprehensive and digested way, spoke to over 100 start-ups, networked with 20+ investors, and developed sharp investment skills that are transferable to other asset classes as well. Venture Univerisity's investor accelerator program is an incredibly effective way to have a shot into the VC industry. I strongly recommend this program for experienced professionals that are looking for career pivots into VC, nonetheless, it is a great program at any stage of your career.

I have been part of the VU family since Jan 2020.

It's incredible how much I have learned and how much I have become immersed in the VC and startup ecosystem over the last several months.

My experience as part of the Venture University VC/PE apprenticeship program has been absolutely stellar -- from the robust academic background to the "learn by doing" deal sourcing all the way to making real investments with real dollars!

I'd strongly recommed VU to anyone interested in the startup ecosystem and looking for a path to become a VC.

Jeff

I think Venture University provided an invaluable experience that gives tangible examples of the day to day in the VC industry. Through the program, you operate as if you are already a VC and take meetings with founders in addition to weekly investor meetings. Some things to improve upon would be interview prep/career opportunity and investment thesis development but overall I think the people invested in the program work extremely hard to produce quality alumni.

Really a 4.5/5. This negative 1/2 is due to the course and work being entirely virtual. That personal touch of in-person interactions would have made it even better.
Being able to do various levels of work was very beneficial, but at times it seemed like there was too much going on, particularly earlier on. Once you go through the assigned list of companies in the 'deal flow', it becomes easier. Time management is essential, and so is knowing all of the correct terms and phrases.
Overall, I see this helping me land a job in VC/PE very soon!

Writing as an undergraduate with no experience in venture (or finance), VU has been one of the best decisions I've made. Sky and Andrew spend a lot of time talking through the technical side of venture, and then gives us the unique platform to go out and source our own deals for VU Venture Partners. I've talked to so many inspiring founders, and I'm learning something new every day, both from the investors at VU and the entrepreneurs I meet with. There's just something special about hearing about each founder's startup, and then getting feedback from our team and the Partners. I've been poking my head around different career options (Consulting, IB, Trading, Wealth Management), and I think the investors and founders I've connected with through VU are the most passionate group I've talked to.

A comprehensive, hands-on program for the aspiring venture capital associate/investor/partner, taught by some of the best in the industry. I'm really excited to build my VC career from here.

VU is easily one of the best decisions I've ever made. Sky and Andrew are incredible mentors and teachers. Not only do we learn from their many years of experience, but we actually go out and apply what we've learned. I've never had such a great combination of work and educational experience. Not only that, but the people you're surrounded with also teach you so much about different industries and give you new perspectives. VU's unique structure allows us to provide the most value possible to the entrepreneurs we talk to while also fueling ourselves with even more knowledge. If your goal is to learn and to invest in yourself, then VU is the perfect environment. At the end of the day, it's only worth what you put into it. If you are eager and curious, you can champion several deals from start to finish. But if you only do the bare minimum, you won't be able to reap the full benefits of the experience.

VU program is great, with opportunity to learn, network & work to gain real time experience " Lifecycle of Venture Capital" from Deal Sourcing, Due-Digelence, Financial Modeling, Valuation ...., well designed program, and my experience is exceeded / better than VC Executive Program at Haas Business School - Berkeley CA - Thanks Skyler & Andrew !!!!

Overall the experience was super pleasant and well organized. Be fully prepared before joining the program, VU definitely has the world-class mentors: Sky and Andrew. Learnt so much from them and their engagement conversation with startups.
If VU could spin off into 2 programs to accommodate both working professional and full-time students given the difference of their time commitment, it would be better

I am thankful to VU for opportunity to get hands on experience in venture capital. Each week we sourced new investments and presented them at weekly partners' meeting. Partners shared their experience and challenged us with questions that helped us to learn and grow more. The program also provided learning sessions, fire site chats with other VCs, and lots of networking opportunities. It is hard to find such a comprehensive program that can teach so much in just a little over two months.

Had a great experience learning from Sky and Andrew as well as becoming part of the VU family. Was able to make new connections that will last into the future.

Overall, I had a really great experience at VU and have learned a tremendous amount from having taken part in it. Being a mere sophomore in college and a natural introvert, at times I felt intimidated by my fellow cohort members, given their substantial experience, but I used the time I spent in the office to really break out of my shell and let my opinions be heard. Doing that has been very beneficial for me in developing my social skills, which translated to my leadership position at college at well. However, there are a few things that could have been improved upon. I wish we had more time to dig deeper into each startup and discuss in depth at partners meetings. At times they felt rushed and sometimes companies were judged unfairly or too quickly based on previous assumptions. Also, I wish the partners were more accessible because at times they did not feel approachable due to their busy schedule. Additionally, I would've liked the program to be a bit longer, due to the sheer amount of startups we had to analyze, it was very difficult for me to get through all of them. Apart from those aspects, I did enjoy my time at VU and might join again in the future.

I was a part of cohort 2 and currently work in venture. I did VU after working as an operator at startups and completing my Master's. Lot of great things to highlight:
-- Partners: The partners have extensive VC experience and are able to share their knowledge, experience, and most importantly time to help mentor each cohort
-- Network: Your cohort will become a great network within the VC ecosystem. Great opportunity to get in touch w/ Alumni or future cohorts as well
-- Hands on: It is difficult to get VC experience, so most people read blogs, listen to podcasts, or take VC classes. VU goes one step further with a true apprenticeship model of learning by doing. You'll get to meet with founders, participate in weekly partner meetings, conduct due diligence, and play a role on the investment committee.

Great way to kickstart a career in venture, learn how to make better angel investments, network with future colleagues in the ecosystem, and learn from a great team!