About the Institute

The Venture Capital Institute (VCI) was established in 1974 by the leaders and founders of the venture capital industry. The founding purpose of VCI was to provide a training program for new entrants into the venture capital industry in the United States. VCI continues to use an applied education model where leading members of the venture capital industry serve as VCI faculty members, providing constantly updated programs that represent the current condition of the venture market and the latest professional standards, techniques and tools employed by practicing venture industry professionals. VCI alums number over 5,000 and reside in 23 different countries.

In addition to practicing members of the venture capital industry, institutional investors, select members of government agencies, university officials, qualified angel investors and members of other organizations directly involved with venture investing or innovation development are accepted into the flagship annual program

VCI is expanding its mission to include issues of innovation and entrepreneurship, including supporting the global development of entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems. VCI programs are designed to provide critical, education-based entrepreneurial innovation infrastructure resources specifically geared to the design, creation and operation of sustainable venture development resources within select countries around the globe. The infrastructure encompasses all essential elements necessary for the successful operation of sustainable innovation ecosystems including Deal Flow, Human Capital, Innovative Environments, Strategic Affiliations, and Financial Capital. Just as importantly, the innovation infrastructure incorporates all critical members of the innovation ecosystem including government policy makers and officials, educational leaders, business leaders, professional service providers, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and research and development scientists and administrators.