Chicago Blend Venture Fellows
Fellowship
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Chicago Blend Venture Fellows
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Fellowship
The Chicago Blend Venture Fellowship is a selective, cohort‑based program created to open venture‑capital career paths to professionals who have been historically excluded from the industry. Fellows spend four months sourcing and evaluating live deal flow for a host VC firm while completing a parallel curriculum that combines VC University online modules with weekly small‑group sessions led by Chicago‑area general partners and founders.
Workshops cover cap‑table math, term‑sheet negotiation, market‑sizing, and inclusive founder support. Fellows also receive structured mentorship, a dedicated peer community, and a downtown coworking pass that keeps them embedded in the local startup scene.
The fellowship culminates in a demo‑day–style capstone where each fellow presents an investment memo to a panel of partner‑level investors.
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🌍 Meet other scouts globally.
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✨ Get feedback and investor recommendations for your deal memos.
✌️ Learn and grow together as a community!
Applications open each spring; candidates submit a résumé, short‑answer questions, and two founder or professional references. The selection committee screens for commitment to Chicago’s tech ecosystem, evidence of founder empathy, and alignment with diversity goals. Finalists interview with program staff and host‑fund mentors; 12–15 fellows are chosen per cohort, an acceptance rate of roughly 10 percent.
The fellowship is tuition‑free; Chicago Blend covers VC University course fees, coworking access, and event catering. Fellows pay only personal transportation to optional in‑person gatherings.
Fellows do not receive salary or carry, but each is awarded a USD 1 000 stipend to offset travel and incidental costs during the four‑month program.
The next cohort runs September 3 – December 10 2025 and follows this cadence:
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