Revolutionizing VC Talent Acquisition

Assembling a team that is not only skilled but also ethically grounded is a significant challenge in Venture Capital. The process is fraught with high costs, time consumption, and substantial risk to firm managers. 

To address this, Decile Partners introduces the Venture Institute Residency Program, a strategic initiative designed to streamline the training and placement of talented, ethical professionals for successful firms who can use the help. 

Central to this program is adherence to the Mensarius Oath, ensuring a commitment to high ethical standards in the venture capital industry at all levels of the firms.

Decile Partners have the exclusive opportunity to host a highly-trained, ethical and vetted individual who aspires to start a career in venture capital for the duration of two months. The scheme is designed to only require 1-2 hours of involvement from the manager, but unparalleled value as Decile Group guides the Resident to execute value-add activities for your firm. 

Finally, at the close of the residency term, if you are above and beyond satisfied with the output of your resident, you have the opportunity to hire them full time.

The Venture Institute (VI) Framework

What is VI? The Venture Institute (VI) is a 9 week immersive and intense learning hub for future venture capital professionals. It’s where passion for venture capital is nurtured into expertise.

Participants’ Learning Journey: At VI, carefully selected participants undergo a comprehensive curriculum, touching on all facets of building and successfully operating a VC firm. 

Vetting Process: Participants’s performance and key competencies are closely monitored and evaluated during the program. Only the participants who excel on all Venture Institute selection criteria are offered a Residency with a Decile Group Partner firm. 

Participant Background: Venture Institute is a program open to anyone interested in starting a career in venture capital, based anywhere in the world. Participants have varying experience levels, but are all assessed to the same standard. 

What can the resident do for me? Below we provide a high level synopsis of how we are managing their workload while they are in residency.

Residency Sprints

Week 1 – Meet the Firm

• Objective: Get to know the new VC firm, learn about venture capital, and prepare for real projects.
• Activities:

• Meet the Managing Partner: Research the Managing Partner’s background and achievements, prepare and ask insightful questions about the firm’s vision, investment philosophy, and the Managing Partner’s experiences. Summarize the insights gained.
• Understand the Thesis: Obtain the firm’s Fund Thesis and a list of current portfolio companies, research relevant resources, and share findings with the Managing Partner.
• Help with Hub: Offer assistance with Decile Hub tasks such as data enrichment, importing leads, or document uploads, and list completed activities​​.

Week 2 – Online Presence

• Objective: Assess and improve the firm’s online presence.
• Activities:
  • Competitive Analysis: Analyze online strategies of five similar firms, including their online presence, social media activity, and event strategy.
  • Brand Analysis: Evaluate the personal and firm brand positioning online, suggest actions to improve branding consistency and distinctiveness.
  • Social Planning: Create and schedule social media content, ensuring compliance with General Solicitation rules.
  • Startup Submission: Implement and customize a startup submission form on Decile Hub, coordinating with the manager and target startups as needed​​.

Week 3 – LP Research

• Objective: Assist in sourcing and engaging with Limited Partners.
• Activities:
  • Hub Review: Review and propose improvements to the Fundraising pipeline in Decile Hub.
  • LP Archetypes: Identify and refine LP Archetypes based on the fund’s Thesis.
  • LP Engagement: Develop a strategy for engaging with LPs, assist the manager with next steps.
  • LP Research: Research and identify potential Limited Partner prospects that align with the LP Archetypes​​.

Week 4 – Sourcing Top Deals

• Objective: Source potential deals for the firm.
• Activities:
  • Sector Analysis: Identify target sectors and subsectors, research and list up to ten startups that may be investment targets.
  • Deal Analysis: Review past deals, contribute to Deal Memos, and suggest actions to support startups.
  • Investment Partners: Identify potential co-investment and follow-on investors, recommend strategic partnership opportunities.
  • Hub Deals: Assist with deals in Decile Hub, including entering deals, adding information, and writing Deal Memos

Week 5 – Screening Dealflow

• Objective: Improve pre-screening and due diligence for potential investment deals.
• Activities:
  • Deal Selection: Choose a deal for analysis, explaining the rationale behind the choice.
  • Team Diligence: Conduct diligence on the founding team, assessing backgrounds and skills.
  • Market Diligence: Analyze the market potential of the chosen deal, identifying risks and opportunities.
  • Revenue Diligence: Evaluate the revenue potential of the business, estimating customer volume and market penetration.
  • Exit Diligence: Estimate exit multiple possibilities, analyzing market comparables.
  • Refine Memo System: Improve the Deal Memo system in Decile Hub based on manager feedback.

Week 6 – Partnerships

• Objective: Build partnerships for deal sourcing and co-investments.
• Activities:
  • Partnerships: Identify and research potential venture capital firms for collaboration.
  • Deal Sharing: Develop strategies for sharing deals with identified venture capital firms.
  • Co-Investment: Plan a potential co-investment with a chosen deal and a target VC.
  • Special Projects: Define and start working on Special Projects for the next weeks.

Week 7 – Special Project

• Objective: Work on Special Projects related to the firm’s Thesis.
• Activities:
  • Special Projects Continued: Select and start on chosen Special Projects.
  • Progress on Special Projects: Make progress on the first two Special Projects, detailing activities and progress.
  • Optional Third Project: Progress on a third Special Project if applicable.

Week 8 – Special Project

• Objective: Work on Special Projects related to the firm’s Thesis.
• Activities:
  • Complete Special Projects: Finalize all Special Projects, outlining key outcomes and learnings.
  • Career Reflection: Reflect on your career path in venture capital.
  • Training Reflection: Reflect on learnings from the training program.

Benefits of the Program

For Managers:

• Minimal Time Investment: The program requires only 1-2 hours of oversight per week as the Resident’s activities are guided through a Residency sprint designed to provide the Partner firms with maximum value and require minimum time investment. 
• Decile & Decile: As a Decile Partner you are in the top Decile of firms that we support. The residency is likewise a matching of only the top Decile from Venture Institute.
• Risk Mitigation: The program significantly reduces the trial-and-error typically associated with hiring, bringing pre-vetted, capable candidates directly to you.
• Decile Hub Certification: All Residents are Decile Hub certified meaning they are proficient in using Decile Hub, ensuring they can seamlessly help to run the Partner firm’s operations through the existing platform. 
• The Vetting Process: We meticulously track the progress and performance of candidates, scoring their work, and conducting in-depth interviews to ascertain their suitability in the residency program and the selected apprenticeship track.

Reviews from Current Fund Managers:

“So far it’s going well. Our resident is smart and driven. We’ve identified a few areas that he can be super helpful with.”

“Our resident is doing great.  He learns quickly. He understands that although some of the tasks he’s given are tedious they are important to us operationally so he approaches his work with care and thoroughness.”

“Our resident is doing an amazing job working on filling the agenda for San Francisco. She is actively involved in developing archetypes, assisting with outreach efforts, reaching out to LPs, and contributing to the definition of our outreach strategy.”

For Residents:

• Venture Institute Continuation: Upon graduation from the Venture Institute as a top student, the next step in your venture career is seamless.
• Enhanced Learning: The program is designed to offer an unparalleled opportunity for practical learning in the venture capital space with only light-touch involvement required from the firm’s managers.
• Real-world Experience: Participants gain valuable experience through practical application, dedicating about 10 hours per week.

Logistics of the Program

• Remote and Flexible: The residency program is 100% remote, offering flexibility and accessibility.
• Duration: The residency program spans two months, providing a condensed yet thorough learning and working experience.
• Tailored Matching: We listen to your preferences and strive to match you with the most suitable candidate, though we acknowledge the challenge in guaranteeing a perfect fit.