What VC Include does

VC Include (VCI) is an education and ecosystem-building platform focused on accelerating the development of high-potential, underrepresented emerging fund managers entering the venture capital and impact investing space. Founded in 2018 (per firmographic data) with the Fellowship program launching in 2021, the organization is headquartered in New York and operates as a nonprofit/charitable entity funded by donations and grants. Its core offerings are the Fellowship for Impact Fund I Managers (a 12-week intensive program for emerging managers building their first fund), Fund Fundamentals (a pre-accelerator for prospective fund managers), the Climate Innovation Initiative (which sources, selects, and provides capital to ten climate-focused funds via $100,000 awards), and the annual INCLUDE Impact Conference. The platform has no proprietary technology stack — it delivers its programs through a Squarespace website, virtual community infrastructure, and in-person events, with a fully distributed virtual team of 1-10 employees spread across all four continental U.S. time zones.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led and selectively gated: prospective fund managers apply to the Fellowship through a competitive admissions process, with alumni referrals serving as a primary acquisition channel and ecosystem partnerships (BNY Wealth, Milken Institute, Align Impact, Impact Charitable) providing LP access and brand visibility. VC Include does not charge participants for its programs; instead, it operates a donation-and-grant revenue model, with a donate button on its website accepting charitable contributions. Over five cohorts (2021-2025), the organization has built an alumni network of 91 fund managers across 66 funds representing 11 U.S. states, with Cohort 5 (2025) being 70% women and the most diverse in Fellowship history. The Founder is Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson; Milton Speid serves as Executive Director, with senior advisory from Columbia Business School-affiliated Renderl Solomon (formerly Managing Director at Muller & Monroe Asset Management).

Measured outcomes for VC Include are reported at the alumni level rather than the organizational level: alumni funds have collectively raised over $1 billion, invested in more than 350 portfolio companies, and created over 6,000 jobs, with Cohort 5 alone raising $15M+ during its 12-week Fellowship. The organization has no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, no acquisitions, no M&A activity, no parent company, and operates as a standalone mission-driven entity. Its strategic posture is best characterized as ecosystem orchestration rather than product technology: VC Include monetizes through grants and donations, scales through selective cohort admissions and alumni network effects, and competes on relationships, brand, and track record rather than on technical or data assets.

Name

VC Include

Legal name

VC Include

Website

https://vcinclude.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VC Include is a nonprofit education and ecosystem-building platform that runs the Fellowship for Impact Fund I Managers, Fund Fundamentals, and the Climate Innovation Initiative to accelerate underrepresented emerging fund managers, having built a 91-alumni network across 66 funds that have collectively raised $1B+.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Education & Ecosystem Services

NAICS

Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity, Conservation & Natural Capital Funds (FSANAJAG), Transition / Engagement & Stewardship Funds (FSANAJAO)

Keywords

• Venture capital education
• Fund manager fellowship
• Impact investing training
• Diverse fund managers
• Emerging manager support

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: VC Include operates as a nonprofit/charitable organization. The organization receives donations and likely grants to fund its fellowship programs. The 'donate' button on their website confirms they accept charitable contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VC Include operates an education and ecosystem-building platform for high-potential emerging impact fund managers. It delivers a 12-week Fellowship for Impact Fund I Managers, a Fund Fundamentals pre-accelerator program, and a Climate Innovation Initiative, alongside an annual INCLUDE Impact Conference. Programs provide skills, mentorship, peer community, and capital introductions to historically underrepresented fund managers.

Product overview

VC Include is an education and ecosystem-building platform for high-potential emerging impact fund managers. The organization operates a portfolio of programs centered around three core offerings: the Fellowship for Impact Fund I Managers (a 12-week intensive program), Fund Fundamentals (a pre-accelerator), and the Climate Innovation Initiative (targeting climate-focused fund managers). Additionally, VC Include hosts the INCLUDE Impact Conference and maintains a blog with Fellowship Spotlights profiling alumni fund managers. Together, these programs provide education, mentorship, networking, and capital access to emerging managers who have historically faced barriers to entering venture capital and impact investing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INCLUDE Platform: The holistic ecosystem brand encompassing all VCI programs including Fellowship, Fund Fundamentals, and Climate Innovation Initiative

Products and services

• Fellowship for Impact Fund I Managers A 12-week fellowship program that develops and supports new, emerging fund managers as they start building their firms, connecting them with the skills, resources, networks, and capital introductions needed to launch their first impact fund.
• Fund Fundamentals A pre-accelerator program providing high-potential, future fund managers with a roadmap and structured support to develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to launch their first fund.
• Climate Innovation Initiative A special initiative sourcing, selecting, and providing capital to ten funds whose investment strategies include climate change solutions, including $100,000 awards to selected climate-focused funds.
• INCLUDE Impact Conference An annual flagship conference bringing together the impact investment community for networking, learning, and deal-making opportunities among fund managers, LPs, and ecosystem builders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91 fund managers and 66 funds supported across 5 cohorts
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• BNY WealthcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 May 2025BNY Wealth hosted the VC Include Cohort 5 LP Showcase at their Manhattan office, providing a prestigious venue for fellows to pitch their funds to LPs, advisors, and ecosystem leaders.
• Impact CharitablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact Charitable works with VCI to create pathways for capital to flow to emerging fund managers. They mobilize philanthropic funding to support organizations like the Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth that have traditionally faced systemic barriers to accessing financial resources.
• Dearfield Fund for Black WealthnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerVCI alumni Aisha T. Weeks founded the Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth. The fund builds wealth through homeownership for Black and African American families and serves as an example of innovative fund structures created with Impact Charitable support.
• Gary Community VenturesnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerGary Community Ventures incubated the Dearfield Fund and partnered with Impact Charitable and VCI alumni to develop innovative fund structures supporting Black homeownership in Colorado.
• Milken InstitutenotableGTM or Marketing PartnerVC Include hosted an intimate luncheon at the Milken Institute Global Conference to honor Dr. Kneeland Youngblood, featuring influential leaders, investors, and ecosystem builders in the global impact and alternative asset space.
• BranchfoodnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranchfood is a sister company to Branch Venture Partners (VCI alumni), with a community of over 19,000 stakeholders working across the globe to transform the food industry. They generate proprietary deal flow for the VC fund.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• All Raise: Nonprofit dedicated to increasing the representation of women and non-binary investors in venture capital through community, programming, and talent initiatives. Highly comparable mission and target audience to VC Include's emerging-manager focus.
• BLCK VC: Community and nonprofit organization focused on increasing the number of Black venture capitalists and the capital flowing to Black founders. Directly comparable as a diversity-focused VC ecosystem-building nonprofit.
• Diversity VC: Nonprofit working to increase diversity within the venture capital industry, including the Standard of Practice used by limited partners. Closely aligned with VCI's mission of expanding access for underrepresented fund managers.

Emerging players

• Toniic: Global community of impact investors (angel and institutional) and a nonprofit impact-investing support organization. Comparable as an ecosystem-builder for the impact-investing community, though more LP-side than emerging-GP-side.
• Camelback Ventures: Nonprofit accelerator and fellowship for underrepresented founders and fund managers. Comparable structure (fellowship-based, equity-free, cohort model) and overlapping mission of democratizing access to entrepreneurship and capital.
• Impact Engine: Impact investing accelerator and fund that supports emerging impact fund managers and ventures. Comparable as a capacity-builder within the impact-investing ecosystem, though more directly investment-oriented.
• The Investment Integration Project (TIIP): Nonprofit that helps institutional investors integrate ESG and impact considerations into their practice. Adjacent to VCI as an impact-investing capacity builder, though the target audience is LPs and asset owners rather than emerging fund managers.

Broad incumbents

• Reach Capital: Venture fund focused on learning, work, and economic mobility with an explicit thesis around diversity among both LPs and founders. Comparable mission orientation and thesis on underrepresented capital allocators.
• New America: Public policy think tank with major programs on economic inclusion, future of work, and impact investing. Comparable as a mission-aligned ecosystem actor that runs programming and convenings to shape capital markets, though at much larger scale.

Regional players

• LOCUS Impact Investing: National membership network of place-based impact investing practitioners and funders, with a strong focus on community and racial-equity-aligned capital. Comparable as an ecosystem-builder for impact fund managers and capital allocators, primarily in the U.S.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IncludeVC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vc-include

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VC Include