Chicago:Blend, a leading non-profit furthering equity in tech, announces new Venture Fellows class
The Fall ‘23 Class Marks the 4th Cohort of the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship Program
Chicago, IL - October 9, 2023 - Chicago:Blend, a non-profit organization on a mission to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Chicago’s venture capital and startup community, announces the 4th cohort of the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship program.
Chicago:Blend was founded in 2018 by venture capitalists who were frustrated with the inequities in the industry and were inspired to create an organization to transform the VC industry in Chicago and beyond.
The Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship is a four-month cohort program for underrepresented, aspiring VCs to gain valuable experience sourcing and evaluating deal flow while expanding their networks and their knowledge of venture capital. The successful program boasts impressive, impactful results moving more people into the venture ecosystem. To date, 88% of Fellows seeking new opportunities secured a new opportunity (including business school), and 81% of Fellows seeking a VC role have landed a job (or offer) in VC.
For example, some recent appointments from past cohorts include:
Shawn Park (Fall '22), who joined Chicago Ventures as an Associate
Rachel Sebald (Spring '23), who joined Evergreen Climate Innovations as a Senior Manager of Marketing & Communications
Grisel Hernandez (Summer '22), who was promoted from Senior Analyst to Associate at Chingona Ventures
The program benefits consist of: Personalized one-on-one mentorship, venture finance education through VC University ONLINE (provided by NVCA, Venture Forward and UC Berkeley), access to downtown Chicago coworking space, one year complimentary access to Vitalize Angels, access to Chicago:Blend’s network of VCs, and post-program alumni support. Additionally, Fellows gain hands-on experience working with a VC firm, providing deal sourcing and diligence support in return for feedback and mentorship on their work. VC Partners include, Origin Ventures, Vamos Ventures, Bluestein Ventures, PACE Healthcare Capital, Impact Engine, Zebra Ventures, Energize Capital, Angeles Investors, Portal Innovations, Serac Ventures and Evergreen Climate Innovation.
The fellowship is made possible with support from GET Cities, World Business Chicago, 1871, TeamWorking by TechNexus and VITALIZE Angels.
To learn more about the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship program visit: https://www.chicagoblend.org/venture-fellows.
About Chicago:Blend
Chicago:Blend is a non-profit organization, founded in 2018, to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in Chicago’s venture capital and startup community. Chicago: Blend is focused on three pillars: data, talent, and thought leadership. The organization measures diversity across Chicago’s VC industry, prepares underrepresented professionals for roles in venture, and provides DEI resources to VCs and their portfolio companies. Chicago:Blend is financially supported by a broad coalition of VCs, foundations, corporations and individual contributors.