Events Archives - National Venture Capital Association

Learning to be an effective leader in the boardroom

blog, Events September 21, 2022/by Jason Vita

All VCs know that investing in a startup goes well beyond writing a check. To help a portfolio company succeed requires the investment of a VC’s time. Young companies need advice and leadership, which is why many VCs sit on the boards of their portfolio companies. And it’s also why NVCA held its first-ever Board Service Excellence Forum on September 15 in Austin, TX.

This one-day learning seminar provided 80+ VC investors with actionable insight on how to become more effective leaders. The audience heard from accomplished CEOs within the Austin community and their board members with panels covering how to guide a challenged company led by Latham & Watkin’s Scott Craig and the CEO’s perspective moderated by SVB’s Dax Williamson. Rounding out the event were discussions on paths to exits and navigating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).

Six key takeaways for VCs:

Alignment is key. Startup CEOs and their boards work best when everyone is on the same page in terms of company goals, progress, challenges, and strategy. Julia Cheek, CEO of Everly Health, works to understand each of her board members’ communication preferences and tailors her approach accordingly to ensure important information flows easily to all stakeholders.
Be prepared. Come to board meetings to keep up with the latest company milestones and issues. Use the board meeting to tackle big decisions, not updates. Co-founder of ICON, Evan Loomis, provides his board with mid-quarter memos that keep his board abreast of critical developments. This allows them to take full advantage of their time together during board meetings.
Understand the value of each board member. Figure out how to work with each individual to take advantage of their unique skills. Maryam Haque, Executive Director of Venture Forward, led a panel highlighting the pivotal role that diverse boards and perspectives bring to an organization, which opens new customer segment revenue streams according to Zach Ellis of South Loop Ventures.
Board members have power. When a member of the board asks for data or makes a recommendation, the company will respond. As a board member, ensure what you are asking for has the impact intended. Dan Levine of Accel sits on multiple boards and expects to have an action item after every meeting. Board members also have the ability to make powerful connections. Take advantage of your brain trust of experts!
Develop empathy for the other side. Oftentimes, the strongest board members can put themselves into the shoes of the founder and understand his or her unique goals for the company. As a former operator and entrepreneur, Katie Bullard of Insight Partners advises company leaders based on lived experience.
Be present. Opt for in-person meetings when possible and encourage board members to leave electronic devices aside. While virtual meetings served a critical business function during the peak of the pandemic- they are rife with distraction, according to Conrad Shang of Ensemble Ventures. Board members do not reach their potential when not fully engaged.

CVC Fireside Chat: The evolution of CVC, key design principles & metrics for success

blog, Corporate Venture, Events February 27, 2020/by Trafton Kenney

We are pleased to publish this blog post by guest author Trafton Kenney, in collaboration with NVCA Member, 500 Startups

What type of CVC are you? What’s the best way to stand out in an increasingly crowded corporate venture space? Read more

Join Us at the VC Symposium to Learn Governance Best Practices

blog, Events December 18, 2019/by Maryam Haque

In March 2018, NVCA and Stanford launched the Venture Capital Symposium to offer venture capital (“VC”) investors and directors at venture-backed companies with education and best practices needed to respond effectively to real-world governance challenges that commonly arise at VC firms and portfolio companies. After hosting 250+ participants and 100+ speakers across two successful programs in March 2018 and March 2019, NVCA and Stanford are holding our third annual VC Symposium on March 10-11, 2020 at Stanford.

What’s the VC Symposium and why should you attend?

NVCA and Stanford created the Venture Capital Symposium to address the tough topics that can make or break the success of a VC firm or portfolio company, and we wanted to make sure we had a diverse group of industry leaders share their expertise first-hand with their peers looking for continuing education and with those newer to their VC/startup/director journeys.

Education on venture capital available to the ecosystem has come a long way. But while there are a range of educational programs that cover a variety of important topics for VCs and startups, a holistic approach to governance best practices and tactical guidance to address the challenging issues that come with being a successful VC firm or startup has been lacking. At the same time, the maturity and evolution of the industry has led to increased challenges with respect to governance and fund, portfolio company, and talent management. The Symposium combines the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance’s leadership on this subject and NVCA’s community of VC leaders to produce a constructive dialogue on these important issues. Furthermore, the Symposium aligns with NVCA’s mission to educate the next generation of VC leaders and nicely complements our suite of offerings.

We encourage VC investors, VC-backed company board members, and CEOs/founders interested in governance best practices to attend! Early bird registration ends 12/31/19. New to the 2020 program is also a special tuition rate of $1,000 for small/emerging managers who apply by 12/31/2019.

How is the VC Symposium different than other NVCA educational programs?

The Stanford/NVCA Venture Capital Symposium is the premier governance program for the VC community. VC University, a joint initiative of NVCA and Startup@BerkeleyLaw, offers education virtually and in emerging ecosystems on the nuts and bolts of venture finance. And LP Office Hours are half-day workshops across the country for diverse emerging VC fund managers to learn best practices on fundraising and the GP-LP relationship from LPs and experienced GPs.

Who’s speaking and what topics will the 2020 VC Symposium cover?

Topics covered in 2020 include conflicts of interest, culture and inclusion, board-founder relationships, boardroom mechanics, and human capital. Participants will also explore best practices in fund management and limited partner relationships, as well as emerging policy and regulatory issues that may affect their funds and investments.

We’re thrilled to have Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures and Steve Case of Revolution as our two keynote speakers, along with ~60 other VC experts. (Fun fact: 26 of our 42 confirmed speakers so far are women or people of color!)

Here’s the full agenda and list of confirmed speakers.

Many thanks to our program sponsors Deloitte and Morgan Stanley; anchor VC sponsors Andreessen Horowitz and Benchmark; Steering Committee members Adam Dawkins (Sierra Ventures), Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Robert Mittendorff (Norwest Venture Partners), Damineh Mycroft (Boeing HorizonX Ventures), and Song Pak (Revolution); and my Symposium co-directors Kristen Savelle and Joe Grundfest at Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University!

The 411 on the Stanford/NVCA Venture Capital Symposium

When & Where: March 10-11, 2020 at Stanford Law School (the day before the NVCA Leadership Gala in San Francisco, if you’re coming from out of town and want to make a week out of it!)

Who: The Symposium is limited to members of VC firms or corporate venture groups (e.g. partners, principals, associates, analysts, EIRs, GCs, etc.) and board members, senior executives or GCs of venture-backed companies, including CEOs/founders and independent directors.

Registration:

General tuition $2,500
Early bird tuition (ends 12/31/19) $2,100
Special rate for small/emerging managers who apply by 12/31/19 $1,000
NVCA members and Stanford Alumni receive 10% off

View full details and register here: https://conferences.law.stanford.edu/vcs/registration

Questions? Contact Maryam Haque, SVP of Industry Advancement at NVCA, at mhaque@nvca.org

From New to Big: How to Unlock Corporate Growth

blog, Corporate Venture, Events October 28, 2019/5 Comments/by Stephanie Volk

NVCA is teaming up with Bionic to host an exciting event on November 13 in New York City on how the mindsets and methodologies of venture capital and entrepreneurship are critical to grow and transform large enterprises. Leveraging themes from Bionic CEO David Kidder’s new book, New to Big, the evening will feature insights from innovation experts on the strategies companies can use to discover new opportunities and turn them into big businesses, just as entrepreneurs and early-stage investors do. Read more

“Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler” at VC University LIVE South in New Orleans

blog, Ecosystems, Events September 4, 2019/7 Comments/by Maryam Haque

Let the good times roll! NVCA and the UC Berkeley School of Law’s Startup@BerkeleyLaw initiative are hosting our second VC University LIVE in the South with the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans on September 19-21. VC University LIVE South is a three-day in-person program with several goals, including shining a spotlight on the South’s startup ecosystem, convening industry leaders in the South and the coasts, offering education to newer entrants to VC (e.g., cap table labs, VC terms and processes, mock deal negotiation), and discussing advanced issues in VC (e.g. case studies, public policy issues). We invite you to join us in September in New Orleans! Read more

VCs Advocate for Startup Policy at VCs-to-DC

blog, Events, Public Policy June 19, 2019/by Jeff Farrah

As the entrepreneurial ecosystem and D.C. continue to intersect more and more, it’s crucial that VCs and startups engage with policymakers on policies and ideas that impact America’s startup industry.

Recently, NVCA brought the ecosystem and D.C. together at our annual VCs-to-DC event. VCs-to-DC convened VCs, founders, and policymakers in our nation’s capital to take part in conversations on policy issues to strengthen the U.S. startup environment. Read more

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Miss VCs-to-DC

blog, Events, Public Policy May 21, 2019/by Jeff Farrah

Less than three weeks away, VCs-to-DC is the annual policy summit that convenes venture investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to take part in conversations on policy issues to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

VCs-to-DC provides must-see content to understand how Washington is impacting venture and startups.

Here are 5 big reasons you should come to VCs-to-DC on June 5 and 6:
Read more

The Inaugural VC University LIVE is in the Midwest – Here’s Why

blog, Ecosystems, Events April 17, 2019/by Maryam Haque

In January, NVCA and Startup@BerkeleyLaw announced a new educational program with two components called VC University, with the goal of democratizing access to education on venture finance in startup ecosystems across the country. The first component—an online certificate program—has gotten off to a successful start. The first cohort began on April 1 with almost 100 participants. Given the overwhelming demand, we’re also planning a second cohort to start on September 1, 2019. Read more

Trailblazers of Venture Capital: Preserving the Rich History of Industry Leaders

blog, Events April 3, 2019/by Maryam Haque

NVCA and the Computer History Museum (CHM) co-hosted a special breakfast event last Thursday morning at CHM, where we announced a new partnership between NVCA and CHM and honored and celebrated several trailblazers of venture capital.

Through NVCA’s new partnership with CHM announced last week, a rich set of transcripts of 17 venture industry luminaries that have been compiled over the past fifteen years by NVCA is now available through the new NVCA Oral History Collection at CHM. We’re thrilled to feature these 17 pioneers of the industry in this Collection: Read more

VC University: Democratizing Education on Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital

blog, Ecosystems, Events February 4, 2019/by Maryam Haque

Are you a new or aspiring entrepreneur looking to demystify the world of venture finance?

Are you thinking of starting a venture fund or did you recently take the (scary) plunge to raise a fund?

Are you generally curious about how venture finance works and what it takes to succeed?

Are you interested in learning more about the startup ecosystems and investment opportunities across the U.S. and engaging with investors or entrepreneurs in those markets?

If you answered yes to any of these, then VC University has you covered! Read more

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