On an annual basis, the venture capital industry collectively invests in 3,000-4,000 companies and about one-quarter of those investments go to companies that are raising their first round of venture capital. In 2014, venture capitalists invested in 4,356 companies and 1,409 were first-time fundings. How did these entrepreneurs cross the finish line and what’s their next mountain to climb? At NVCA, we launched Office Hours to connect entrepreneurs and VCs to help high growth companies make the ascent.
Office Hours takes place in the midst of VentureScape, NVCA’s annual conference that convenes over 700 venture capital investors, business and political leaders, limited partners, regional venture capital associations, venture-backed companies, essential service providers, universities and the media. Beyond participating in Office Hours, entrepreneurs join all of VentureScape programming from May 6-7, including the After Hours evening event.
One of the things we heard from Office Hours participants last year was that they wanted even more opportunity to connect with a greater number of VCs and their fellow entrepreneurs. We listened!
Now in its third year, Office Hours 3.0 will feature a series of interactive workshops led by multiple VCs and seasoned venture-backed entrepreneurs. John Backus, founder and Managing Partner of New Atlantic Ventures, the 2015 Office Hours Chair and NVCA Board Member, will facilitate these workshops. Office Hours entrepreneurs will participate in the Venture Capital Workshop, the Entrepreneurs Workshop and a sector-by-sector mixer to get to know a range of venture capital investors.
So far, we have announced an incredible line-up of Office Hours Workshop leaders. Michelle Zatlyn, co-founder of CloudFlare and Marcela Sapone, co-founder and CEO of Alfred will lead the Entrepreneurs Workshop. Nina Kjellson, General Partner at InterWest Partners, a VC firm focused on early stage IT and healthcare investing and Hamet Watt, Partner at Upfront Ventures, which invests in seed and early stage technology companies will lead the Venture Capital Workshop.
Our partner American Airlines is committed to ensuring entrepreneurs who are building companies in cities across the U.S. and Canada have the chance to travel to San Francisco for Office Hours. The first 80 entrepreneurs accepted to Office Hours from the U.S. and Canada are eligible to receive sponsored flights through the American Airlines Innovators Initiative. Last year, entrepreneurs from Louisville, Atlanta, Santa Barbara, Miami, San Diego, Toronto, New York and other cities converged on VentureScape for Office Hours, and this year we look forward to meeting many more.
Are you an entrepreneur interested in participating in Office Hours 3.0? Apply here to participate.
Our rolling application process launched last week, and closes on March 27. All applications must be received by Friday, March 27, 2015 to be considered. Those accepted will be notified by email no later than April 6, 2015 and asked to pay the registration fee at that time to confirm their participation. Office Hours entrepreneurs will pay a reduced rate of $575.00 to attend Office Hours and all of the VentureScape programming, including After Hours at Tank18’s Wine Tasting Room in San Francisco.
