Madrona Venture Labs’ Post

In talking with Thrivent’s interns this week, it was great to see they have more figured out at this point in their career than I did at their age. And it was a joy to share a bit of advice as they begin their professional journeys. Here were a few that resonated across the small panel of Thrivent leaders – and ones I still strive to channel each day.  Follow your curiosity. Lean into learning.  If a considering a new opportunity makes you nervous, that's a good thing... what makes you nervous makes you grow. #TeamThrivent 

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

⭐ 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

I took a break from school and moved to Paris. Why? Seeing that I could graduate early, I decided to take a semester off. I joined Elyn as the CEO's Right Hand for 6 months. When I first saw the role on Headline & Sequoia Capital's job boards, I was intrigued. What did a 'CEO's Right Hand' entail? How could it help me become a VC? How would it teach me to work in a fast-paced, high-growth, high-expectations environment? I joined because the interview process showed me these were serious people with a clear vision. They aimed to make a massive impact in eCommerce. I knew I would be challenged and that the expectations were high. Elyn's goal is to be a global leader. Nothing less. Being in a team of 20 tackling a gigantic industry was invigorating. The day-to-day varied on the month and I was able to explore many different topics. The best part? The work I did at the start of my internship is still being used today. I can see the impact I made. With that, my top conceptual takeaways: 1. Lead by example. I witnessed this everyday. A straightforward principle that creates hunger and a desire to succeed among teams. 2. Benchmark. Benchmark. Benchmark. Why start from scratch if it has been done successfully before? Adapt an existing base and make it better. 3. Act fast, react faster. People will start to realize you're dependable. 4. Be a Swiss army knife. No task is too big with the tools we have today. No taks is too mundane. No task is 'useless'. This mindset allowed me to touch on so many projects. 5. Say 'YES' more often. If it's a great opportunity, say yes and solve obstacles as they come. You'll never know where you can go unless you try. I'm glad I took this risk. As my chapter in Paris nears its end and I prepare for my final year at Babson College, I want to thank those who have taught me so much over the last 6 months. El Mehdi Hachad, Hamza Sentissi, Nicolas Reese, Marie Fauchille, Nelson Casata, Isabel Gardocki, Charlotte Werba, and the whole Elyn team - you are all rockstars!

It was great joining Emily, Ian, and Bayan on this live stream! We discussed some great topics. Check it out on their Youtube below!

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

One smart person once told me that if you don't know what to do in your life, you should work in the startups and investments industry, where you get to deliver and try various tasks - this will help to find the right traction. Association may not be a startup, but we have various interesting projects going on here. We have a fantastic program for energetic individuals willing to embrace new challenges. 🚀 I'm currently looking for interns to join our team, so if you're a great mind, catch me! 🤝 We also have positions available for VC/PE funds. The full list of opportunities is just a few clicks away, so what are you waiting for? 🤔 Oh, I almost forgot to mention that it's a really successful project. People gain valuable experience, and some of them have even found permanent positions. Check out the latest success stories here: https://lnkd.in/d_MSPuYf Registration form: https://lnkd.in/dmt3nzCF

We are excited to share the results of our research initiative, The Road to Venture! Our findings reveal some compelling insights: 📉 50% of current investors say VC recruiting has gotten harder since they started their role. 💰 68% of respondents noted that VC internship compensation is or could be a limiting factor in pursuing VC as a career. 🎯 Partners and pre-partner VCs highlight cultural fit and "doing the job before having the job" as top hiring traits, yet many aspiring investors are unclear about what this means. 🌟 Communities like VC Unleashed are making a significant impact on education and career readiness in venture capital. Curious to dive deeper? Download the full report  here: https://lnkd.in/gxCSxvXE 📥✨

I am so proud and excited to share The Road to Venture, a research initiative to put data and details into the process of breaking into venture capital 🎉📈 We know breaking into VC is a tough process - but what about it is difficult? Where are aspiring VCs falling short? What are partners actually looking for when they hire? And how does the process look different based on race, gender, or other identities? We launched The Road to Venture in February to answer these questions and received over 500 responses across aspiring VCs, pre-partner VCs, and Partner VCs. Our team has been hard at work crunching the numbers and we were proud to debut the results at our annual conference last Friday. tl:dr - the process is hard & stressful, and it looks different based on race and gender. Today, we're more publicly sharing our work to create transparency into the process of breaking into venture and provide additional data to shape programming and/or initiatives aimed at making the space more accessible. It's the first time we have ever had data like this, and I know it's going to become a great resource to the ecosystem. Huge shoutout to my team - Monica Bolanos (who put together these beautiful slides), Michelle Dhansinghani, Vanessa Gutierrez, and Jossy Rodriguez!