Democratizing Entrepreneurship Across the US!
Communities build entrepreneurs. Over the next month, we’ll be recruiting an elite group of ecosystem leaders and investors from across the U.S. to share and spread best practices. VilCap Communities will help these communities and their key stakeholders find, train, and invest in startups in their geographies using our peer-selection methodology and our incredible network of resources. By providing startups with business fundamentals and implementing Village Capital’s peer selection model, VilCap Community leaders will help breakdown the barriers and biases that accompany the traditional investment dynamic. From March 18- 22, 2016, we will bring the selected VilCap Community Leaders to Salt Lake City, Utah for an all-expense-paid workshop focused on sharing best practices in entrepreneur support and helping leaders connect with a network beyond their local region. During the workshop we will:
- Convene ecosystem leaders who are building great programs for entrepreneurs solving real-world problems. Much like entrepreneurs need a community, ecosystem leaders function better in a community as well;
- Communicate best practices from our programs—and others across the US: With partners, we have run 45 programs for startups worldwide, and in partnership with the GALI initiative, we have begun to identify best practices in startup support most statistically linked with better entrepreneur outcomes. We will share knowledge, playbooks, and more. In addition, each of our VilCap Community Leaders will share their expertise in supporting entrepreneurs.
- Enable peer-selected investment—We have found peer-selected investment to be a more equitable and cost-effective method of seed-stage investing—and we will use this workshop to spread the model globally by helping investors worldwide use our model in the sectors and geographies they care about most.
And there’s one more thing: at the end of the workshop, two peer-selected participants will receive $25,000 each in unrestricted funding.
Learn more about our Salt Lake City launch.
Application Deadlines and Requirements
Applications are now closed. We will announce the inaugural cohort of VilCap Communities US soon!
Requirements to apply include:
- You run, or plan to run, a program for entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact on a community, region, and/or a sector.
- You are eager to invest in entrepreneurs using a peer review model (while having secured investment dollars for entrepreneurs will help, it is not a requirement).
Why JOIN OUR COMMUNITY?
Access to a national network of investors using peer selection to build robust communities of entrepreneurship.
Free attendance (including travel expenses) at a four-day training session in Salt Lake City to learn best practices in entrepreneur support from global experts.
First access to Village Capital’s new program management tools and peer selection model.
A chance to receive $25,000 in unrestricted funding for your entrepreneur training program.
Opportunity to share best practices in entrepreneur mentorship and investment with like-minded ecosystem leaders.