Igniting the Next Generation of Venture Capitalists
As part of the investment team at Glasswing, I am constantly exposed to the breadth of perspectives in my engagements with visionary founders, peers and colleagues in the Venture Capital ecosystem, and industry experts. Among those conversations, I have had the unique opportunity to meet with students from top tier universities in the Boston area and beyond. I identified their strong appetite to learn more about Venture Capital as an industry, as well as a career path. These aspiring VCs are passionate about discovering novel technologies and meeting entrepreneurs and are eager to build their skillset to evaluate disruptive ideas. My experience on the investment team has solidified the power of cross-collaboration within the venture community among those with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Through a myriad of conversations with these students, it became apparent that Boston had little to no opportunity for cross-university networking. By building bridges across campuses, I am passionate to establish and foster a similarly empowering experience within the student community.
The heightened interest in technology and investing among students is not new as the city has a vibrant startup scene. According to BostInno, in Q1 2021 Boston startups and tech firms raised a total of $8.9B. In addition, the students play a major role in founding new companies and contribute to the ecosystem. Pitchbook released a breakdown of the top 50 global undergraduate programs and top 25 global MBA programs producing startup founders. Out of the total companies launched in these programs between 2006 and 2020, 15% of the companies were founded in Massachusetts, and 20% of the capital invested was in MA-based startups. For reference, California represented 19% and 21%, respectively, and New York represented 19% and 11%, respectively.
In sharing my observations with the entire Glasswing family, we knew there was a cross-university opportunity right here in our own backyard that would benefit students across Boston and beyond to enter the VC world. Leveraging our team’s decades of experience investing in early-stage startups and our Partners’ successful and proven track records, we launched Glasswing Ignite — our commitment to paving the path for the next generation of VCs.
Glasswing Ignite is the first program to create a community where aspiring VCs from universities across Boston and beyond can connect and receive hands-on mentorship and experience in startup sourcing and deal evaluation. High-performing students passionate about frontier technology entrepreneurship will explore the world of venture capital by participating in real-time partner meetings to pitch and discuss potential investments with their peers and receive guidance from the Glasswing team.
For our initial 2020–2021 cohort, we partnered with the VC networks from Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, Princeton, Babson, Boston College, and New York University. Our diverse, talented, and driven Ignite Fellows are able to identify potential startups from their campuses and networks and tackle meaningful problems together. Students attend virtual gatherings and have the opportunity to pitch startups they source. With hands-on guidance and mentorship from the Glasswing investment team, they learn how to evaluate and diligence potential deals assessing pain points, market and competitive landscapes, defensibility of solutions, team qualifications, and more. They have the opportunity to engage in intellectually stimulating conversations, defend their point of view, and help take startups into the later stages of diligence. Students receive real-time coaching and educational content, and startups receive capital and needed resources from our Platform team. We are especially excited to host networking events that provide our Ignite Fellows exposure to investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts.
Our debut cohort has already exhibited an amazing ability to find emerging founders, new technologies, and creative solutions that address real problems. We are excited to connect and open the doors for the next generation of VCs enabling new solutions, frontier technology, and value creation.
We are looking forward to expanding the Ignite program to additional universities and regions along the East Coast.
To apply for the Fall 2021 Glasswing Ignite cohort, click here.
