Alumni Ventures launches new VC apprenticeship program

Manchester-based investment firm Alumni Ventures Group is seeking applicants for its new VentureCorpsprogram — a paid, full-time, yearlong program designed for graduate students and undergraduate upper-level students across the country who are interested in a career in entrepreneurship or venture capital.

The program, designed for those who plan to defer or take a leave of absence from a higher education degree program for the 2020-21 academic year, is an outgrowth of Alumni’s Venture Fellow Program, has provided a free, part-time educational on-ramp to the VC industry to fellows nationwide.

Alumni said it plans to offer between six and 10 full-time VentureCorps positions over for a 10-month period starting on Labor Day and running through July 4, 2021. Compensation will be equivalent to an annual $40,000 salary, the company said.

Applications are due by Friday, August 14, and are availableonline.

Each VentureCorps member will be embedded with an Alumni team operating out of San Francisco, Boston, New York, Austin, Chicago, or the company’s headquarters in Manchester. Applications from remote candidates will also be considered.

“For many students, this upcoming year of graduate school or college is creating huge stress and uncertainty. They signed up for a full-time, in-person experience — but now many don’t have that option in the 2020-2021 school year. AVG’s VentureCorps program is for those who want a rewarding, full-time apprenticeship-style job with AVG for a year before rebooting their higher education next fall,” said Alumni CEO Mike Collins.

Collins said Alumni is searching for a diverse group of VentureCorps candidates with different backgrounds and experiences.

VentureCorps work, depending on which team the member is embedded with, will range from sourcing startups to researching, doing diligence work, supplying organizational and administrative help and supporting community outreach efforts.

Alumni manages various venture funds, including 16 alumni funds designed for alumni and friends of the communities of various American universities. It also offers open access and focused funds, including its Deep Tech Fund, Basecamp Fund and Total Access Fund that invests in hundreds of startups each year. In 2019, the firm was the third-most-active venture investor in the U.S. and seventh-most-active in the world, according to Pitchbook.