How to Get Into VC Lab Cohort 23

On October 29, 2026, Kelly Schricker, Head of Decile Labs, hosted a live Cohort 23 Ask Me Anything with Max Harris from the Decile Group programs team, and they spent the hour answering questions from people deciding whether to apply.

If you're working out how to get into VC Lab before the Cohort 23 early deadline on Monday, November 9, 2026 (PT), this session answers the questions applicants ask most, straight from the team that runs the program.

Watch the full session here: VC Lab Cohort 23 Ask Me Anything with Kelly Schricker and Max Harris, and read on for what admissions looks for, the habits that cost applicants their spot, and how agents in Decile Hub fit into your week.

The short version

• VC Lab is a closing program, so admissions looks for curious people who'll show up every week and do the work of raising a fund.

• There's no single background that gets you in, and admissions wants to understand you and the people who already know and trust you.

• The application is free, and if you're unsure which program fits, the team talks with you and places you in the right one.

• Agents in Decile Hub read your email and pipeline and line up your next step, while the conversations and the investment decisions stay with you.

• The Cohort 23 early deadline is Monday, November 9, 2026 (PT), and accepted applicants can start onboarding well before the program begins on January 14, 2027.

What VC Lab is built to do

Kelly opened with the outcome, which is launching your venture capital fund, and she was direct that this is no place to passively take notes, saying "We call it a closing program" and "This is a doing program."

That framing shapes admissions, because the team wants people who'll have the conversations, raise the capital and deploy it, and Kelly noted that several managers in the cohort running during the session had already launched in the first weeks and were starting to invest.

How to get into VC Lab without a perfect background

The most common question Kelly hears is whether a certain profile does best, and her answer, drawn from years of program data, is that there's no single profile, background or pedigree that predicts who gets in or who closes.

What she sees in the managers who succeed is curiosity, a willingness to challenge yourself and the commitment to keep working on a hard day, and past participants include doctors launching medical device funds, former founders and people moving over from other parts of finance.

Max added that this range of backgrounds produces a wide range of funds, from big tech product leaders to health specialists, and the common thread is a clear reason why each manager is the right person to back a certain kind of company.

What admissions looks for in your network

Beyond curiosity and work ethic, Kelly said admissions tries to understand you as a person, and then looks closely at your network, because your first checks won't come from institutions you cold email or message on LinkedIn.

Your first LPs are usually people you've built relationships with over time, like former bosses, colleagues and people you've met at events, and if that network isn't there yet, the team may suggest starting with Venture Institute to build it before VC Lab.

When someone asked why an LP would trust a new manager with no track record, Kelly's answer was to start with the people who already know you, because "capital moves at the speed of trust," and early commitments from them make the fund feel safer to the next group.

Habits that cost applicants their spot

The session made it clear that most lost spots come from habits rather than background, and these are the ones Kelly and Max called out, both before and after acceptance:

• Waiting for the perfect moment, or the perfect application, instead of applying now. Kelly's advice was "Done is better than perfect on that application."

• Polishing the deck and changing logo colors over and over, which doesn't move a raise forward.

• Pitching institutions first, when first checks come from people you already have relationships with.

• Insisting on doing it your own way instead of following the playbooks the team has built from launching funds cohort after cohort.

• Falling behind on the program milestones, because managers who don't reach them don't continue in the program.

• Posting your thesis in a public chat or forum, which could be considered general solicitation.

Kelly's broader point was to stop getting in your own way over details the team has already solved, so if a question about structure or location is holding you back, reach out before you apply and they'll answer it for your situation.

What agents in Decile Hub take off your plate

Decile Hub is the agentic operating system for a VC firm and comes with the program at no cost, and Kelly described it as one place for your fund, fundraising, events and newsletters, so your relationship data doesn't end up scattered across separate tools.

Once you connect your email, the agent reads it, looks at your pipelines, works out where you stand in your fundraise, close or investor relations, and tees up what you need to do next, which Kelly compared to an executive assistant keeping you on track.

The AI also sits inside your weekly sprints and adjusts its guidance when you tell it you run a venture studio or accelerator, and the free pitch practice agent scores your pitch across easy, medium and hard modes, with harder modes asking about returns and structure.

What stays in your hands as the manager

Kelly was clear that agents and playbooks make the work easier, and the part only you can do is going out and putting in that work, which means meeting founders, getting allocation, supporting your companies and having the LP conversations yourself.

The same holds for investment decisions, because with Start Fund, Decile Group can make your fund operational in about a day with no setup cost, while you're the Investment Lead who decides what the fund invests in and Decile handles the back end and compliance.

You'll also publicly commit to the Mensarius Oath, a code of conduct for venture capitalists that Kelly compared to the doctor's promise to do no harm, and Max noted that program restrictions, such as not investing in offensive war, come from the Oath.

Solo GPs, co-GPs and other fund models

Kelly's advice on partners was firm, because a fund lacks the vesting schedules and safeguards a startup has when a co-founder steps away, so unless you'd work beside someone for 10 to 20 years, she suggested launching solo and adding venture partners later.

Max's view was that LPs rarely treat a solo manager as a problem on a first fund and the question comes up more as fund sizes grow, and Kelly added that Start Fund already handles key person risk through how the fund is structured.

Each cohort includes venture studios and accelerators, with peer groups for managers on similar models, and while the program is built for venture capital rather than private equity or real estate, it includes CPG and hardware funds alongside software.

How to apply for Cohort 23

• Submit your application through VC Lab, which is free to apply to and free to join.

• Meet a member of the admissions team, who'll get to know your background and your plans and confirm the right program for you.

• Watch for your decision before the program begins, and if you're accepted early, use early onboarding to learn the tools and start your raise.

• Plan for two mandatory one-hour live sessions on Zoom each week, plus async sprint work, with most of your remaining time going to conversations.

• Apply by the Cohort 23 early deadline, Monday, November 9, 2026 (PT), and know that applications stay open after that date.

Frequently asked questions

Does it cost anything to apply to VC Lab?

No, the application and the program are both free, VC Lab takes no equity for being in the program, and Decile Group offers fund administration through Decile Partners after launch only if you choose it, with no expectation that you will.

What if I miss a mandatory session?

You get two unexcused absences, and if you have a standing conflict, like a recurring company meeting or school pickup, you can tell the team ahead of time and they'll excuse it. Recordings of each session are provided, and the sprints and coursework are online, so you can catch up.

Can I defer if I'm accepted and the timing changes?

Yes, Kelly said you can tell the team it's not the right time and they can move you to a future cohort, and if you aren't selected this time, you're welcome to apply again.

What should I do after I submit my application?

Start practicing your pitch with the free agent, reconnect with your network and spend time with founders in your local startup community, since Kelly said getting yourself into those rooms is the best thing you can do while you wait.

Watch the full session

VC Lab Cohort 23 Ask Me Anything, recorded October 29, 2026 with Kelly Schricker and Max Harris, covers every question from the live audience, including venture studios, fund locations and time commitments.

Launch your own fund with VC Lab

VC Lab is Decile Group's R&D center, built for emerging VCs, with emerging VCs, and you join a community of 1,000+ investors in over 88 countries working through the same steps alongside you.

Apply to VC Lab at govclab.com before the Cohort 23 early deadline on Monday, November 9, 2026 (PT), and if you're raising funds two through four, look at the Emerging Institute instead.