NuVC: The Power of a Venture Capital Community

NuVC: The Power of a Venture Capital Community

Almost three years have passed since Anna Gaupp and I (Nofar Schnider) started NuVC. We were both “fresh off the boat” in the Venture Capital world, with Anna hailing from an academic background and me from a technical one, leading technical teams and programming in previous roles and during my army service. And so, we began to fill in our knowledge gaps, enhance our network and get to know the Venture Capital ecosystem better with excitement and determination.

So, what is NuVC?

NuVC is a community of 250+ young venture capital professionals, offering a unique network of peers and friends, and promoting the exchange of ideas and experiences within the venture capital world. We hold networking events, study group sessions on various topics (Tech, Economics, Legal, Investments, etc.) and have a very active WhatsApp group that allows its members to share their expertise and knowledge.

How it started

When we began our journey in the VC world, we attended a slew of meetings designed to help us learn about the ecosystem, and we very quickly realized that we weren’t alone. We soon met other people who had recently joined Israeli venture capital firms, and after discussing our learning processes and the difficulties and challenges that accompanied them — including being rejected from other groups that our colleagues and bosses were already a part of — we decided to create our own WhatsApp group, that we later named “NuVC”. Like many other initiatives inspired from within the community, the name was chosen by its members.

From then on it was an unstoppable steam train! The group started growing as members wanted to invite other Analysts, Associates, and Principals who were working within the industry. Since kicking off three years ago, we have grown from 10 members to 250 (and still counting).

Looking back, it was also a huge help when we were all at home during the COVID-19 lockdowns and people could not meet face-to-face. This was also when the community really evolved. For people who had just joined a VC firm, it was a place to easily connect with other VCs, to consult, and share knowledge and information. Any issues or questions posed to the community are always answered by a decent number of members and are often the source of very interesting discussions.

The WhatsApp group became a community in the full sense of the word, spurring a variety of initiatives such as happy hours, volunteering, and even starting our very own Gamers Club.

But the community isn’t just “fun and games”. Since our launch three years ago, NuVC has helped its member in many meaningful ways:

Learning

I love learning new things from others, especially in a group setting, since it’s one of the most effective and powerful ways to learn, and this is exactly what we started doing right after launching the community. We selected different subjects to explore together, and this led to priceless discussions thanks to the diversity of the people within the group who all hailed from different backgrounds. In many ways, it was just like learning in a university or college. Most of the sessions were taught by someone from within the community with relevant experience. Some shared knowledge from their study of Economics, some from their legal experience, and some shared technological knowledge. These discussions also took place digitally, when someone asked a question or shared an article or a new report. Learning by asking the right questions and hearing a variety of opinions helps community members feel like they are on top of things, and it’s one of the key factors in making us better investors.

Dealmaking behind the scenes

The relationships created within the community make it easier to collaborate with one another, work together and invest together. Although Israel is a small country and everyone knows everyone when it comes to deal flow, I believe that when you really know the person you work with, it is easier to make deals happen, whether it’s a co-investment opportunity or your portfolio company’s next financing round. In fact, we sometimes secretly hope that these deals will happen, just so we can have the opportunity to work together and even sit on the same company boards.

Hiring

It’s no secret that hiring is becoming increasingly challenging, not only for high-tech companies but also for Venture Capital firms. When a firm looks to add someone to its team, this is when our community really springs into action! The community has a job board, but it’s the members who really help find the best person to fit the firm’s needs. It‘s always so fulfilling hearing from someone who joined NuVC after the community helped them find their new job.

On a personal note, I love helping people, whether it’s a personal issue or a work-related issue at StageOne Ventures. It’s what makes me happy! And it’s why I am so passionate about the NuVC community. Yes, it is always nice being part of a community and it makes our work more enjoyable, but the real benefit is the value we provide to each other as investors. It’s even more amazing to see the connections made in the community turn into true friendships.

I want to thank each and every NuVC member, for making it the wonderful community it is today, and look forward to its continued growth so that it can help an incredible generation of Investors and future Partners.

About StageOne Ventures – StageOne leads investments in exceptional Israel-related early-stage start-ups focused on solving large enterprise challenges utilizing transformative deep technologies.