VC Include Announces 2024 Cohort for Fellowship for Impact Fund I Managers

The Fellowship helps educate the next generation of diverse institutional grade asset managers in Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Impact Investing.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- VC Include (VCI), an organization committed to evolving the traditional investment industry by creating an inclusive ecosystem of LPs and GPs from diverse backgrounds, today announced the cohort for this year's Fellowship for Impact Fund I Managers.

The 2024 cohort includes a diverse group of fund managers that is 50/50 women and men further demonstrating VC Include's commitment to support and empower a broad array of firms seeking to raise capital. Thirteen venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) funds were selected for VCI's 2024 Fellowship cohort. These funds represent a total of eighteen emerging fund managers that will join the 10-week education and mentoring program. The Fellowship was designed for historically underrepresented fund managers based in the United States who are raising their first fund. The VCI Fellowship is made possible with the generous support of the Blue Haven Initiative, Cadence Giving Foundation, Lowenstein Sandler, MacArthur Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Nasdaq Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, Skoll Foundation, and the Visa Foundation. 

The 2024 VCI Fellows include: * This fund manager is currently in stealth mode.

Fund GPs

• Alejandro Muñoz Mendieta, Andy Vargas Hernandez, No Border Ventures-Fund 1
• Cvic Innocent, Frankenbuild Ventures
• Douglas Watson, Measured Capital
• Ernest Kabuye, Seven Capital
• Jason Miles, Amenti Connected Mobility Fund I
• Jeff Chu, Jenny Barba, Features Capital Fund I I
• Keith Daniel, Resilient Ventures
• Lorine Pendleton, 125 Ventures Fund I
• Mahrinah Shije, Fawn Sharp Endemic Venture Capital
• Patricia Funegra, Moon Dancer Fund
• Sonam Velani, Laura Fox, Streetlife Ventures
• Veronica Juarez, Dahlia VC
• Project M* 

"I'm thrilled to welcome VCI's fourth cohort, marking my first since taking on the role of Executive Director in December 2023," expressed Milton Speid. "Last year, venture capital funding plummeted to $248.4B, the lowest since 2017, with less than 0.5% allocated to Black founders and less than 2% to women-founded startups. Additionally, LPs are favoring established fund managers over new ones. Despite these challenges, there's immense opportunity for change. With VCI's education and support for emerging managers, we can unlock untapped potential and work towards a brighter, more inclusive future for all."

"One of the values at the heart of the work of VCI is that while talent is universal, opportunity is not," shared Liz Diebold, Managing Director of Portfolio and Investments at the Skoll Foundation. "The structural barriers to opportunity for many prevent both collective and individual benefits from finding life and generating impact for the greater good. VCI supports its Fellows – who, while brilliant, have generally been underserved and overlooked by traditional capital markets – to accelerate innovative and profitable ventures that reduce inequities and drive economic growth. We are honored to partner with VCI and the broader ecosystem to uplift innovative solutions from emerging founders."

To get the latest news on VCI and its dynamic programs, fund managers with diverse teams, as well as investment professionals interested in diversity and inclusion please visit the VCI website and join the mailing list here.

ABOUT VC Include
The VC Include platform launched in 2018 to accelerate investment into historically underrepresented emerging managers – women, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ – to drive economic growth through the power of diversity. The organization has built the infrastructure for an inclusive economy and is a forerunner in connecting diverse fund managers and founders with environmental, social and governance (ESG) and impact investing.

MEDIA CONTACT:
UFCG for VC Include
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SOURCE VC Include