Venture capital clubs
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About venture capital clubs

The concept of venture capital groups was started in 1974 by Tom Murphy in the form of the Connecticut Venture Group. In the early 1980s, the movement began to spread across the country. Currently, there are numerous groups in the United States and internationally. Most of the clubs operate in a similar manner. Meeting once a month over breakfast, lunch or dinner, the groups begin with an informal networking period followed by a key note speaker or panel which makes a presentation that pertains to entrepreneurship and the financing process. Following this, presentations are made by entrepreneurs who are seeking financing. Some clubs have a large number of presenters who only have 30 seconds to announce information about their projects while other groups have a qualifying process which allows longer presentations. All groups are open to the general public and most have a membership program which provides for various benefits which usually include meal discounts and other membership perks. The large majority are not-for-profit operated and depend on volunteer staff to coordinate their various activities. Thus, their contact information changes frequently and makes it difficult to accurately keep track of their local activities. Some of the larger more successful groups have paid executive directors. These larger groups sponsor events that can include workshops on numerous aspects of entrepreneuring, including: writing business plans, how to seek venture capital, current management trends, obtaining debt and SBA financing, as well as featuring success stories of entrepreneurial companies. They are a superb way to learn about building and financing your company as well as one of the best networking opportunities available. More Venture Clubs