Halfway through 2025, the venture market remains defined by liquidity concerns and surging interest in AI. Investment power has concentrated among firms with ample dry powder and established track records. Meanwhile, tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty continue to dampen IPO prospects despite a recent surge in new public listings, while a handful of billion-dollar M&A deals closed in Q2, driven in large part by highly capitalized, VC-backed companies. In this webinar, created in partnership with the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and sponsored by J.P. Morgan, Dentons, Deloitte, and NetSuite, our panel of experts examine current US VC trends, analyze their impact on the market moving forward, and offer their perspectives on the rest of the year’s outlook.

Key topics

• Down round IPOs are the new normal
• Secondaries have provided some limited liquidity relief
• Dealmaking continues its focus on AI
• Fundraising is waiting on a return of large exits

In response to resounding demand, Venture Forward and Ford Foundation are excited to announce a new flagship program: a 1.5-day curated GP Masterclass in San Francisco for a select cohort of approximately 10 general partners (GPs) who are raising or managing their Funds III, IV, or V. This isn’t just another gathering—it’s an immersive, high-density experience designed to equip participants with the insights, strategies, and relationships needed to scale their firms with intention. Participants will receive:

• Tactical firm, fund, and portfolio management playbooks, from capital formation to scaling an organization
• Unfiltered lessons from veteran GPs who’ve built top-performing funds from 0, like Barry Eggers, a cofounder of Lightspeed
• Direct access to institutional LPs and seasoned mentors for real-time feedback and relationship-building.

About this event

This 1.5-day conference, developed in collaboration with NVCA’s CFO Taskforce, focuses on the critical role senior operations professionals play in venture firms, and how they can provide value back to their partnerships. The agenda emphasizes best practices, technical topics, professional development, and industry related policy content, several opportunities for networking.

Participants will have the opportunity to develop functional expertise, troubleshoot shared challenges, and earn CPE credit hours for attending.