We just finished up our 3rd investor training with Stanford Center for Professional Development and we are on a roll!

The highly diverse mix of participants spent two weeks unlocking the secrets of venture capital investing and refining their investment theses.

They participants finished the program with a much clearer vision of where they are going and how they plan on getting there.

They also left with a certificate from Stanford, a maroon baseball cap and a crazy, fun group of friends and future co-investors that were very excited about their new investment theses!

The Venture Capital Unlocked program ran from July 25th – Aug 5th and was held at Stanford University and the 500 Startups accelerator in Mountain View.

Diverse Geographies + Diverse Investment Backgrounds = Magic

Even though 500 Startups purposely designs its program to attract diverse participants, this time we actually had at least one representative from every continent except Antarctica (maybe next time?).

Of the 28 participants, 70% came from outside the United States and 40% of the class was made up of female investors.

Participants came from a variety of investment backgrounds, including angel investors (30%), representatives of existing venture funds (26%), accelerator fund managers (18%), family offices looking to expand into tech investing (16%), government funds (5%), and investors with a social impact focus (5%).

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Before joining the program, most participants had executed somewhere between 0 and 20 deals, with the average person having made 5 deals. As a class, they already have over 100M raised and ready to invest.

Most of them plan on raising more and deploying about 150M over the next 3 years, with an average of 30 deals per person.

200% Increase in Confidence in Investment Thesis

During the program, 500 Startups investment partners and Stanford professors helped participants rethink their investment theses and strategies.

At the beginning of the program, only about 25% of participants reported feeling confident or very confident about their investment theses.

They started the program with investment theses such as, “I invest in companies referred by trusted friends.” Another participant said, “To date, my investment thesis can be best described as ‘here, take my money’. In the future, it’ll be ‘you can have my money only if you fit my investment thesis’.

However, throughout the two weeks, many people took the time to really ask themselves hard questions about their investment strategy and the strengths they bring to the table.

By the end of the program, 73% of class had significantly changed or refined their investment theses, and 70% reported feeling very confident about their new thesis.

Participants presented their Investment Theses to 500 investment partners, Stanford professors and fellow participants — Participant Investment Thesis Presentations to 500 investment partners, Stanford professors and classmates

Strengthening Investors’ Opportunity Assessment Skills

The program’s agenda was packed with back-to-back activities in which participants developed their opportunity assessment skills, interacted with founders at 500 Startups’ Preview Day and Demo Day, and engaged in lively debates among themselves about the merits and drawbacks of startup deals.

They dove into cap tables and term sheets, analyzed the legal and financial considerations of running a fund, and looked at how to help founders with M&A and exit strategies.

The investors also got to hear from some of the top VCs in the Valley. Their favorite session by far was a shark tank-like session in which Jason Calacanis, one of the most active angel investors in the world, interviewed 2 founders from our current batch. He asked the founders many tough questions and revealed in a “sportscaster” style side commentary how their answers sounded to investors.

Jason Calacanis and Dave McClure share their words of wisdom with program participants

What Participants Had to Say about the Program

Participants said the program helped them structure their previous knowledge of venture capital and increased their investing confidence.

They left the program with an incredible network of friends and partners who will help them on their journey as new VCs and angel investors.

Here is what some of our participants had to say about the program in their own words:

VC Unlocked is a great introduction to Silicon Valley startup investing. Its an opportunity to access some of the top investors in the community and hear from them their experiences first hand. For those who are interested in raising a fund to invest in start-ups, this is a great introductory course. Touches on structure and considerations of fund raising, as well as investment approach. Helps those who have some idea on their investment thesis to hone in on their thesis and strategy. The class is very diversified and helps to build bridges with like-minded investors across the globe. There are almost 50% women and 12 countries represented!

– Bonnie Lo, Partner at NewQuest Capital Partners, Hong Kong

VC Unlocked brings together the brightest emerging investors from around the world for an intense immersion into the intricacies of academic and real world venture capital. Students learn from Stanford professors, industry legends and evolve their investment theses in real-time while getting a chance to engage with real startups and founders at Demo Day.

– Sharif El-Badawi, Partner Lead, VCs and Startups at Google, Mountain View, CA

VC Unlocked delivers a powerful mix of world-class academics (Stanford) and insightful, actionable advice (500 Startups and many notable guest speakers) – in a candid, off-the-record environment. Learning from and building a network with my classmates, a global and diverse group, was equally rewarding. I highly recommend VC Unlocked if you are serious about VC.

– JP Duque, Founder at Cantera Capital, Mexico

VC Unlocked was a truly unique and valuable experience for me. I learned a lot and met incredible people both on the team and participant sides. It helped me clarify my vision and investment thesis, answer the questions I was asking myself and double my confidence in what I want to achieve.

– Kenza Lahlou, Co-founder of StartupYourLife, Morocco

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From “Here, Take my Money” to Investing with Vision