NVCA Today

The recent Summer Olympic Games in Beijing attracted the attention of millions of viewers from all over the world perhaps in part, because humans can relate to one another through the success and challenges faced in their own lives regardless of whether or not sports is involved.  In fact, the day-to-day life of a venture capitalist and entrepreneur is very similar to that of a coach and an Olympic athlete.  Teamwork is crucial to a companies' success, along with the guide of a carefully-crafted game plan, flawless execution and a tireless determination to succeed.  NVCA and its membership can be viewed in much the same way.

NVCA relies heavily on its membership to help shape the focus of the work that is performed on Capitol Hill as well as address other needs of the industry.  Seasoned veterans have made an invaluable impact on what has been accomplished in the past 35 years -- but there is more to do and we need your assistance!

Aside from participating in NVCA programs and events, contributing to VenturePAC, and participating in special interest subgroups and committees, the NVCA needs your assistance in recruiting new members.  Why is this so important to the NVCA and to you?

• NVCA's voice becomes more powerful and effective as our membership base grows.  It is critical that NVCA represent the entire venture capital industry - large and small funds, every investment sector, geographic locale, etc.  Congressional leaders need to see the entire landscape of how venture capital impacts the US economy.  A united voice is imperative to be able to address legislative issues that could disrupt a more favorable investment environment.

• All members benefit from NVCA ability to capture and disseminate new ideas and best practices.  The view can't change if the window shades are drawn!  New members add to the life-blood of the Association and can provide new insight for program development and content as well as enhance research data and networking opportunities.

• Additional resources will allow NVCA to tackle more issues important to the venture capital community.  With venture capitalists investing in many new and emerging sectors and being faced with an increasing number of challenges and concerns that go hand-in-hand with a maturing industry, additional resources that could come from new members would help NVCA expand its scope and the value it provides back to its membership.

Recruiting one new member can have a huge impact and isn't as time consuming as you may think.  Take a look at the list of co-investors from your last deal.  Were all of the VC firms NVCA members?  (If in doubt, a list of current members can be found on the NVCA website www.nvca.org)  Please ask at least one non-member firm on your list to join the NVCA.  What have you received from your firm's membership, what can they expect if they join and what lasting impact can you create together if you're both part of team NVCA?  Don't wait another four years to find out!

For more information regarding membership please contact Janice Mawson: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it