Venture Academy is an intensive 8-week programme aimed at raising awareness of Venture Capital in partnership with Trinity College, Cambridge.

We bridge the gap between academia and Venture Capital, giving students the tools, frameworks, and real-world exposure to think, analyse, and present like professional investors.

Each cohort of 25 carefully selected undergraduate and postgraduate students - drawn from diverse academic disciplines across Cambridge University - working alongside early-stage startups preparing to fundraise. 

Organised into teams of five, participants conduct genuine due diligence, build investment theses, and present full investment memos to a panel of practising VC investors in a live mock Investment Committee session.

This is not a simulation. Students engage with real founders, real data, and real investors. Guest speakers share their authentic investment approaches, decision-making criteria, and deal experience under Chatham House Rules. No templates. No prescribed answers. Just rigorous, evidence-based analysis developed through intellectual honesty and genuine inquiry.

The programme culminates in a mock IC session judged by experienced VCs, where teams are evaluated on analytical depth, quality of investment thesis, and their ability to defend their thinking under pressure.

Venture Academy is built on a simple belief: the best way to learn venture capital is to practise it.

Applications open annually. We look for intellectual curiosity, diversity of perspective, and a willingness to challenge received wisdom.

Venture Academy

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Venture Academy

Org chart

Teams

Offices

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