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