VC Lab
VC Lab (Decile Group) is the world's largest venture capital accelerator, running four free global programs that have launched 920+ emerging VC firms across 90+ countries. It monetizes via Decile Hub SaaS, Decile Partners managed back office, Start Fund productized launches, and Decile Capital fund-of-funds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What VC Lab does
VC Lab, operated by parent company Decile Group, is the world's largest venture capital accelerator, founded in 2020 by Adeo Ressi and Mike Suprovici and headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company runs four free, globally accessible programs — the flagship 14-week VC Lab (thesis-to-first-close), the 8-week Emerging Institute (Fund II–IV institutional raises), the invitation-only 4-week LP Institute (for accredited investors and family offices), and the 9-week Venture Institute (AI-native VC apprenticeship with Decile Hub Certification) — that together have launched 920+ venture capital firms across more than 90 countries over 20 cohorts.
The core technology platform is Decile Hub, an AI-powered all-in-one SaaS product that unifies capital workflows (LP portal, data rooms, digital signing, CRM), operations (fund accounting, reporting, legal vault, surveys), and growth (fundraising pipeline, networking, events) on a single source of truth, with an AI Co-pilot grounded in each firm's own data and a multi-stage agentic AI layer. Adjacent AI products include Startuply.vc (an agentic startup-profiling platform that produced 1,000+ profiles in its first six days) and Link (a conversational AI guide trained on VC Lab's published program materials). Decile Partners wraps Decile Hub with managed fund formation and back-office services for 150+ firms (NPS 94), while Start Fund offers a one-click productized fund launch with built-in formation, banking, back office, and virtual Investment Committee support (minimum close $150K, 1% management fee, 18% carry). Decile Capital serves as the anchor LP backing top emerging managers.
The business model is multi-stream and freemium-led. All four programs are free to participants — no equity, no fees — and function as the top-of-funnel acquisition channel feeding the paid stack: Decile Hub SaaS subscriptions (900+ firms), Decile Partners managed back-office engagements (150+ firms), Start Fund management fees and carried interest, and Decile Capital fund-of-funds economics. Standardized free legal templates (Cornerstone LPA used by 900+ funds, PACT used by 5,000+ managers with $5B+ signed, Venture Share) act as a separate top-of-funnel acquisition asset. The company raised $14 million in outside funding in 2025 to support the Start Fund launch, operates 25 open roles across 7 functions, and reports coverage in WSJ, TechCrunch, Forbes, Axios, and Crunchbase News.
VC Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VC Lab
- Legal name
- Decile Group
- Website
- https://govclab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- VC Lab (Decile Group) is the world's largest venture capital accelerator, running four free global programs that have launched 920+ emerging VC firms across 90+ countries. It monetizes via Decile Hub SaaS, Decile Partners managed back office, Start Fund productized launches, and Decile Capital fund-of-funds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VC Lab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital Operations Platform
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Financial Vehicles (525990), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds (FSANAGAC), Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where VC Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
VC Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Decile Partners Back-Office Managed Services: Fixed monthly engagement covering formation, regulatory filings, banking setup, accounting, audit coordination, and LP reporting for 150+ VC firms; priced as a single accountable engagement replacing multiple vendors.
- Start Fund Management Fees & Carried Interest: Start Fund-launched VC funds pay 1% management fee and 18% carried interest to the GP; Start Fund includes formation, fund back office and IC, enabling recurring fee revenue plus long-tail carry.
- DecileHub SaaS Platform: SaaS subscription for the AI-powered all-in-one operating platform used by 900+ venture firms; processes $1B+ in LP commitments end to end.
- Decile Capital Fund-of-Funds Investment: Family of funds backing emerging managers (e.g., Premier II) — earns management fees and carried interest from anchor and follow-on capital deployed into VC Lab graduates.
- Programs as Free Marketing Funnel: VC Lab, Emerging Institute, LP Institute, and Venture Institute are free with no equity and no fees — they function as a customer acquisition channel feeding Decile Hub, Decile Partners, Start Fund, and Decile Capital.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | VC Lab 14-week flagship program — free |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Emerging Institute 8-week program — free |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Venture Institute 9-week apprenticeship — free |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | LP Institute 4-week invitation-only program — free |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Start Fund — fixed economics product |
| Subscription | Monthly | Decile Partners — managed back office (quote-based) |
| Subscription | Monthly | DecileHub SaaS platform (quote-based) |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
VC Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VC Lab operates a global venture capital accelerator and operating platform through its parent company Decile Group, running four free programs (VC Lab, Emerging Institute, LP Institute, Venture Institute) that help emerging fund managers launch VC firms, raise institutional capital, train aspiring investors, and onboard limited partners. The platform combines the DecileHub AI-powered SaaS operating system, Decile Partners' managed fund formation and back-office services, the Start Fund productized fund launch product, and standardized legal templates (Cornerstone LPA, PACT, Venture Share) for end-to-end fund operations across 90+ countries.
Product overview
VC Lab operates a multi-program, platform-plus-services architecture owned by parent company Decile Group. The core offering is four free venture capital education and accelerator programs — the flagship VC Lab (14 weeks, thesis-to-first-close), Emerging Institute (8 weeks, Fund II–IV institutional capital), Venture Institute (9 weeks, AI-native VC apprenticeship), and LP Institute (4 weeks, invitation-only LP training) — all powered by DecileHub, the AI-powered SaaS platform that runs capital, operations, and growth workflows for 900+ firms. Decile Partners wraps DecileHub with managed fund formation and back-office services for 150+ firms, while Start Fund offers an instant productized fund launch product (minimum close $150K, 1% mgmt fee, 18% carry). Adjacent products include the AI research tool Startuply.vc, the chat-based AI guide Link, the free Cornerstone LPA, The PACT, and Venture Share legal templates, and the Mensarius Oath ethical code. Decile Capital serves as the anchor LP backing top emerging managers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Emerging Institute: Free 8-week program for managers working on Fund II, III, or IV to close institutional LPs.
- LP Institute
- Venture Institute
- Start Fund
- DecileHub
- Decile Partners
- Cornerstone LPA
- The PACT
- Venture Share
- Mensarius Oath
- Startuply.vc
- Link
- Premier II
Companies that use VC Lab
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
VC Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability11 records
Feature8 records
VC Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Founder InstituteflagshipFounder Institute is the founding sister program of VC Lab; VC Lab was spun out of Founder Lab, an internal Founder Institute program. Founder Institute backs VC Lab cohorts from first application through close and beyond and operates the FI.co learning management platform that powers all four VC Lab programs. Adeo Ressi is the founder of both Founder Institute and Decile Group/VC Lab.
- Decile PartnersflagshipDecile Partners is the global fund formation and back-office operating service within the Decile Group ecosystem serving VC Lab graduates. It provides integrated legal, virtual associate, success playbooks, fundraising advisory, and deal reviews to 150+ firms with NPS 94.
- DecileHubflagshipDecileHub is the AI-powered all-in-one SaaS platform powering every VC Lab graduate; 900+ firms run on it, $1B+ in LP commitments processed. Delivered as a deep technology integration across the VC Lab program, from LP outreach and pipeline to fund formation, accounting, and reporting.
- FI.co (Founder Institute platform)coreFI.co is the learning management platform that powers VC Lab, Emerging Institute, LP Institute, and Venture Institute — applications are submitted on FI.co and the cohort experience is delivered through it.
- StartOutminorStartOut is a featured partner organization on the VC Lab /partners page that supports next-generation fund managers and the companies they invest in worldwide.
- ZoomcoreZoom is a featured infrastructure partner supporting live cohort programming (mentoring sessions, AMAs, webinars, cohort meetings).
- Fuller Landau LLPminorFuller Landau LLP is a featured fund formation and legal partner that supports VC Lab managers across jurisdictions.
- CrunchbasecoreCrunchbase is a featured data and technology platform partner supporting deal sourcing and market intelligence workflows for VC Lab managers.
- Spicer Jeffries LLPminorSpicer Jeffries LLP is a featured legal counsel partner supporting fund formation for VC Lab managers.
- On DeckminorOn Deck is a featured community partner supporting talent, founders, and capital across the VC Lab / Decile Group ecosystem.
- Gardiner RobertsminorGardiner Roberts is a featured legal counsel partner for fund formation and regulatory support for VC Lab managers.
- GORA LLCminorGORA LLC is a featured legal/advisory partner supporting VC Lab managers in fund formation, operations, and compliance.
- Sarah LacyminorSarah Lacy is a public-facing media collaborator (co-host on TechCrunch StrictlyVC with Adeo Ressi); available as a headshot/featured source in VC Lab press materials.
- Link (VC Lab AI Guide)coreLink is VC Lab's proprietary conversational AI guide (built on agentic AI) that answers questions about venture capital, fund formation, programs, and the VC Lab community, sourced from published insights and program materials.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
VC Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Juniper Square: LP management, fund administration, and investor reporting platform for private capital. Overlaps with DecileHub's LP portal, data room, and reporting modules for larger fund managers.
- Carta: Market-leading cap table, fund administration, and LP management platform for venture firms. Directly comparable to DecileHub for fund operations workflows but at a much larger enterprise scale.
- EZchip (FundCount / Altvia): Investor relations and CRM platform for private equity and venture funds. Comparable in LP CRM and data room functionality to DecileHub's capital workflows.
Emerging players
- Ledgy: Equity management and cap table platform with growing fund operations features. Comparable as a SaaS player targeting venture firms, though with a different product focus.
- Affinity: AI-powered relationship intelligence and deal-sourcing CRM for VCs. Comparable to the AI sourcing and activity-feed features in DecileHub but focused primarily on relationship graph use cases.
Direct peers
- AngelList: Roll-ing funds, syndicates, and back-office tooling for emerging managers; competes with Start Fund and Decile Partners in fund formation and LP management for early-stage VCs.
- Founder Institute: Sister pre-seed startup accelerator founded by Adeo Ressi; operates the FI.co learning platform that powers VC Lab's program delivery. Directly comparable as a free, global, application-based accelerator with a curriculum and mentor bench.
- On Deck: Community-led accelerator and fellowship programs for founders, operators, and investors. Directly comparable to VC Lab's cohort-based, mentor-driven model, particularly the Venture Institute program.
Others
- Crunchbase: Market intelligence and deal-sourcing data platform; integrated partner of VC Lab supporting deal sourcing workflows. Comparable as ecosystem infrastructure that VC Lab managers rely on for sourcing and research.
Regional players
- All Raise: Non-profit focused on increasing diversity in venture capital. Comparable in mission orientation to VC Lab's ethics and inclusion narrative, though operates as a community rather than an accelerator.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
VC Lab social profiles
Digital presenceVC Lab compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
VC Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VC Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
VC Lab subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries11 records
VC Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VC Lab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VC Lab
What does VC Lab do?
VC Lab operates a global venture capital accelerator and operating platform through its parent company Decile Group, running four free programs (VC Lab, Emerging Institute, LP Institute, Venture Institute) that help emerging fund managers launch VC firms, raise institutional capital, train aspiring investors, and onboard limited partners. The platform combines the DecileHub AI-powered SaaS operating system, Decile Partners' managed fund formation and back-office services, the Start Fund productized fund launch product, and standardized legal templates (Cornerstone LPA, PACT, Venture Share) for end-to-end fund operations across 90+ countries.
Is VC Lab a public or private company?
VC Lab is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was VC Lab founded?
VC Lab was founded in 2020.
Where is VC Lab based?
VC Lab is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does VC Lab make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Decile Partners Back-Office Managed Services are the primary driver. The others are start Fund Management Fees & Carried Interest, decileHub SaaS Platform, decile Capital Fund-of-Funds Investment and programs as Free Marketing Funnel.
Who are VC Lab's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Juniper Square, Carta and EZchip (FundCount / Altvia). Emerging players are Ledgy and Affinity. Direct peers are AngelList, Founder Institute and On Deck. Crunchbase is listed as an others. All Raise is listed as a regional player.
Does VC Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for VC Lab.
What industry is VC Lab in?
VC Lab's product category is Venture Capital Operations Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists), with a secondary code of FSANAGAC, Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds. Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7372.