HBCUvc Venture Capital Fellowship
Fellowship
Discover how to join
HBCUvc Venture Capital Fellowship
including requirements, application process, and compensation and explore other programs to join!
Fellowship
HBCUvc’s Venture Capital Fellowship is a year‑long, cohort‑based program that equips students and recent graduates from Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic‑Serving Institutions (HSIs) and other minority‑serving campuses with the knowledge, network and résumé experience required to launch investing careers.
The journey begins in March with eight weeks of remote evening workshops that cover fund mechanics, sourcing funnels, term‑sheet analysis and inclusive‑capital frameworks. Sessions are led by general partners at leading seed‑to‑growth funds, HBCUvc alumni now working on Sand Hill Road and founders who have raised institutional capital. Coursework is reinforced through weekly case‑study break‑outs and peer‑to‑peer memo reviews.
In early June fellows gather in Tulsa, Oklahoma—home to the program’s physical Innovation Lab—for a three‑day retreat focused on relationship‑building, career visioning and live pitch simulations. Immediately afterward they embark on a 10‑week paid summer internship at a partner venture‑capital firm, corporate VC group or accelerator. Host funds span a range of sectors (AI, fintech, climate, consumer) and geographies (Bay Area, New York, Austin, Washington DC). Fellows sit in on partner meetings, conduct market diligence and often lead first‑pass sourcing on HBCUvc’s proprietary deal‑sharing platform.
When internship placements conclude in August, fellows reconvene virtually for a capstone sprint in which each fellow drafts an investable thesis on an overlooked market problem and presents it to a panel of limited partners, HBCUvc staff and alumni. Graduation in November ushers fellows into the 400‑member HBCUvc Alumni Network—an active Slack community that shares job leads, co‑invest rights and ongoing mentoring. To date, more than 40 percent of alumni have accepted full‑time roles at venture funds or launched startups that have raised institutional capital.
Join the Superscout community!
🌍 Meet other scouts globally.
👀 Get first dibs on new scout programs and VC openings.
✨ Get feedback and investor recommendations for your deal memos.
✌️ Learn and grow together as a community!
Applications open each mid‑November and close mid‑January for the following year’s cohort. Candidates complete a written form (background, sector interests, leadership example) and submit a 90‑second video on why venture capital matters to their community. A first‑round screen assesses mission alignment and time availability; selected applicants advance to a 20‑minute Zoom interview with alumni. Offers are extended on a rolling basis until the 33‑seat cohort is filled, typically by early February.
HBCUvc charges no tuition and provides fellows with (a) a $10 000 living stipend for the summer internship and (b) travel and lodging for the Tulsa retreat. Partner funds pay fellows a competitive hourly wage or project fee during the placement. No equity or carry is offered, but top‑performing fellows may negotiate return‑offers that include economics commensurate with analyst roles.
There are zero program fees. All instructional materials, retreat costs and travel to host‑firm locations are covered by HBCUvc’s philanthropic and corporate donors. Fellows are responsible only for incidental personal expenses.
The Fellowship follows a predictable annual cadence.
TechCrunch calls HBCUvc “a vital new pipeline of Black and Latinx investors,” noting its “year‑long fellowship that pairs classroom learning with direct fund placements.” Forbes profiled founder Hadiyah Mujhid as “one of venture capital’s most influential talent builders,” highlighting the Fellowship’s 85 percent industry‑placement rate. Axios and Business Insider have covered corporate donors such as SoftBank and Google who underwrite the program, emphasising how “paid internships and $10 k stipends remove the financial barrier to entry.”
What is the weekly time commitment?
Expect 10–15 hours during the spring curriculum and full‑time hours during the summer internship.
Is the program limited to HBCU students?
Priority goes to HBCU and HSI students, but applicants from any under‑represented background may apply.
Do fellows get paid?
Yes—each fellow receives a $10 k stipend plus wages from their host VC fund.
Where are the internships located?
Primarily in major U.S. tech hubs (SF Bay Area, NYC, Austin), with a growing list of remote‑first funds.
Can international students apply?
Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents are currently eligible due to funding restrictions.
Is prior venture experience required?
No; the curriculum assumes no formal investing background.
How competitive is selection?
Recent acceptance rates hover around 7 percent of 500+ annual applicants.
What happens after graduation?
Graduates join a 400‑member alumni Slack, receive ongoing mentoring and gain priority access to VC job openings.
Are travel costs covered?
Yes—HBCUvc pays for flights and lodging for the Tulsa retreat and, if needed, for relocation to the host firm.
Can fellows invest real capital?
Select fellows serve on the student‑run HBCUvc Lab Fund, writing $25k cheques into pre‑seed startups.
All trademarks, logos and brand names are the property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks, and brands does not imply endorsement.
