HBCUvc’s Post

Join us for another Fund Friday episode featuring Taylor Oliver, Principal at Cervin. Taylor shares his journey to Cervin, emphasizing internships and connections. Cervin is an early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on building lasting enterprise-technology companies. The firm's partners actively collaborate with founders and product visionaries to create and launch disruptive technologies that aim to change the world. Taylor discusses his approach to finding and evaluating companies, emphasizing content creation, data-driven methods, networking, and creative strategies. He highlights Cervin's emphasis on trust and value in a competitive field. He also shares insights on AI and automation's impact on venture capital and business, noting rapid adoption and the need for companies to embrace innovation to stay competitive. Interested in learning more? Click the link in the comments to watch our full conversation. #fundfriday #realestateinvesting #lonestarcapital

VC is a unique industry in that you can participate without being full-time. "Test it out" before choosing it as a career path. Take advantage of this perk. Part-Time VC Opportunities: 1) Angel investing 2) Scouting 3) Internships 4) Advising Firms with angel programs: - First Round - Hustle Fund - RBL1 - Pipeline Angels Firms with scout programs: - Lightspeed - Index - Village Global - Contrary Capital - Upfront - Atomico - Sequoia - Indie VC - VamosVentures - Female Founders Fund Many firms have internship programs including Harlem Capital that has 3 cohorts per year of 6 interns each. #venturecapital #vc #startups #investing

VC is a unique industry in that you can participate without being full-time. "Test it out" before choosing it as a career path. Take advantage of this perk. Part-Time VC Opportunities: 1) Angel investing 2) Scouting 3) Internships 4) Advising Firms with angel programs: - First Round - Hustle Fund - RBL1 - Pipeline Angels Firms with scout programs: - Lightspeed - Index - Village Global - Contrary Capital - Upfront - Atomico - Sequoia - Indie VC - VamosVentures - Female Founders Fund Many firms have internship/fellowship programs. Check out 150 of them here thanks to Tian Shi: https://lnkd.in/gkHWZCVv For more info on these programs and what types of qualities firms are looking for in filling these roles, check out the below: https://lnkd.in/gBBYZKD2 #venturecapital #vc #startups #investing

From Intern to Investor: My Journey in Venture Capital Discover how we transformed a passion for innovation into a successful career in venture capital. Join us as we share our experiences from joining accelerators to landing a fulfilling internship and thriving in the fast-paced world of investments. #VentureCapital #CareerJourney #InternshipSuccess #Innovation #StartupGrowth #InvestmentTips #UnderrepresentedVoices #FutureVC #DynamicCareers #SuccessStories

⭐ I'm excited to be part of the 2024 PledgeLA Venture Capital Fellowship Cohort. This opportunity has been transformative, and huge thank you to the instructors and organizers who made it possible: Shane Kelly, Lisha Bell, Calvin, Trivia, Marcia, Lilia, Lesly, PledgeLA, Cinematica Labs.     Not long ago, I chose to attend USC Marshall School of Business for my MBA, pivoting from a medical scientist path to use business skills to effect positive and sustainable change for both people and the planet, focusing on health equity through entrepreneurship and venture capital.    Systemic discrimination and environmental destruction continue to harm our communities. Here are some stark statistics that drive my motivation:    ❌ Black infants in the U.S. have more than 2x the mortality rate of white infants. Black women are 3x to 4x more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes (CDC).    ❌ LGBTQ+ youth are almost five times as likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers. 40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide (Trevor Project, UCLA).    ❌ White families have a median household wealth of $188,200, while Black and Latinx families have $24,100 and $36,000 respectively (Federal Reserve).    ❌ Since 2018, Black and Latinx women have received only 0.64% of VC funding. Women of color represent just 1% of C-Suite executives in the U.S. (Fast Company)   ❌ ~26% of People with Disabilities in the U.S. live in poverty, compared to ~11.5% without disabilities. (Statista)   ❌ Since 1970, biodiversity has declined by nearly 60% due to human activities, with 18.7 million acres of forests lost annually (WWF, WHO).    PledgeLA has equipped me with the skills to discover disruptive entrepreneurial ideas and empower voices that can change these statistics. I am committed to fostering a better future through innovative solutions.    A few gems from PledgeLA Fellowship Trainings:    💡 Democratizing access to venture capital is improving, but more work is needed.   ✋ Developing a clear, evidence-based point of view is crucial.   🦄 Unique business models can generate favorable returns beyond the unicorn model.   👽 "Have Delusional Vision and Pragmatic Execution."   💰 A VC's strategy is heavily influenced by its fund size.   🌟 Your investment thesis guides investment criteria and decisions.   🤔 Ask questions and challenge assumptions with genuine curiosity.   🚀 The movement for a more equitable world is gaining momentum.   🔎 Knowing customer needs and motivations is key.   🏆 The strength and dynamics of the founding and managing team are vital.  🧘♀️ Great founders acknowledge what they don't know and learn and evolve from their experiences.    With these lessons and more, I am excited join New Media Ventures (NMV) this summer. NMV invests in activists and entrepreneurs tackling the biggest challenges facing our democracy, supporting diverse leaders leveraging digital media to drive social change.    #PledgeLA #VentureCapital

Master the art of equity investment with these 5 essential tips! 💼💰 Our top 10 ed tech startup, Shoppealtech, is here to guide you through the world of investing. Join our online courses and unlock guaranteed internship opportunities. #EquityInvestmentTips #Shoppealtech #InvestingJourney

Breaking into VC hack: Use VC internships to get your foot in the door. I did this through Harlem Capital's program. What I didn't realize is how many others have and continue to do the same. Harlem Capital is a market maker and mover in diversity-lens investing. Outside of our investments, we are also focused on cultivating the next generation of diverse VC checkwriters. We've had 117 interns over 6 years, you can see the impact in the screenshot. It's incredible! If your firm has a VC internship program, flag it in the comments for aspiring VCs. #venturecapital #founder #startup #recruiting #hiring

My 10-week internship at Blackfinch Ventures is now coming to an end and I couldn’t have had a more transformational and productive experience. Everyone in the Ventures team went above and beyond to involve me in their day-to-day, assign me plenty of my own projects and responsibility, and provide insightful feedback to aid my professional development. I did my upmost to fit as much into the 10 weeks as I could with the help of the wider team; here are some of my highlights: ✅ Spent five weeks 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 at next to zero cost. The integration of multiple APIs and further complex functionality to gather information from the web and social outlets allowed me to summarise, filter, and provide scoring logic for potential deals not identifiable through traditional platforms. I spent 90 minutes presenting my outcomes to the wider team at the culmination of my MVP. ✅ Participated in 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 with the founders of exciting new tech companies and members of the BF Ventures deals team. My engineering background helped me here in conversing with founders and making the right notes. I was able to join at least one call with every member of the deals team which gave me insight as to how each member of the team navigates their calls differently. ✅ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 using my notes. Further presentational work included producing graphical material on our portfolio companies’ performance which I 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. ✅ Took over 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 for a few weeks where I negotiated discounted rates with companies providing services that can accelerate the growth of Blackfinch’s current portfolio companies. Part [1/2]

Summer Internship Reflection: Leveling Up in VC Land Happy to share my incredible summer internship experience at Inventus Capital Partners, a renowned US-based VC firm. This opportunity not only enhanced my skills but also fueled my passion for the startup ecosystem. Key Highlights: - Researched 67 anti-portfolio companies from 18 years of deal-flow data, analyzing their transition from startup to unicorn status. - Collaborated with a US counterpart to crack the code on product-market fit, honing my analytical skills. - Witnessed startup founders pitch to legendary investor Kanwal Rekhi, gaining invaluable insights into how VCs evaluate founders and companies. - Facilitated connections between startups and angel investors, fostering meaningful relationships. - Developed fluency in "VC language," understanding funding rounds, term sheets, and more. Shikhin Garg's mentorship and trust in me, enabling a fresh undergrad to experience something of this magnitude is truly remarkable. So what's next? Who knows! But after this summer, I feel like I could take on the whole Silicon Valley! (Just joking ... or am I?)

IMHO interning at a VC firm is a waste of time. Choose a startup instead. Not sure what an intern would learn at a VC firm, pipeline management and doing research is overrated. Go build something instead 💪