Accelerate the Change.
Despite some progress, institutional barriers for underrepresented funders and founders persist. We created Recast Accelerate to address this head-on.
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Mission
Building up women.
Women make up 45% of the VC workforce, but only represent 15% of partners. It takes a woman two to three times longer to raise a venture fund versus her white male counterparts on average, and in 2021 women-founded companies only received 2% of VC funding.
Recast Accelerate was designed to accelerate the success of women-led, emerging U.S. venture capital funds.
Program Overview
Helping underrepresented managers, one fund at a time.
- Recast Capital launched Accelerate to test a hypothesis: that increasing female representation in VC general partner positions will increase VC funding to women founders and those from other underrepresented backgrounds.
- Recast will share the findings of the research program in a public report.
How does Accelerate work?
Built off of the successes and learnings from Recast’s Enablement Program, the Accelerate Program will support its program participants by providing access to key educational content, peer learning opportunities, robust firm-building resources and shared services, complimentary executive coaching, and $100k in operational support for each fund, a portion of which is at the discretion of the GP – all to accelerate their growth. As part of the community, participants gain access to network events, an invitation to our private annual summit (with GPs and LPs), preferred pricing opportunities, and more!
Program Details:
- 6-month Virtual Educational Program
• Cohort meets 2x per month for two hours.
- In-house Shared Services:
• IR support (pitch positioning, LP-outreach strategy)
• VC document template library
• Operational fractional support
• Intern support
• Legal advice
• …and more!
- Executive Coaching
Accepted firms will be able to work with an executive coach, offering a chance for professional growth, such as strengthening leadership styles, diving into interpersonal roadblocks, and tackling partner dynamics.
- Peer “Pod” Groups
Participants will be matched with 5-7 emerging managers at a similar stage, meeting 2x per month for support, shared learning, and candid discussions.
- LP Office Hours
Your firm will have 1-1 hands-on support from our Co-Founders, Courtney McCrea and Sara Zulkosky, two institutionally-trained LPs in venture.
- Financial Support
$100k in operational support for each fund, a portion of which is at the discretion of the GPs
Program Timeline:
- February: Applications open
- April 15th: Applications close at 11:59pm PT
- August: Decisions will be released
- September: In-Person cohort kick-off (mid/late September)
- October-March: Virtual programming will run from the beginning of October through the end of March
Want to learn more?
Join our upcoming Info Sessions!
*Make sure to add the zoom link to your calendar after registering.
- February 26th from 3:00pm – 4:00pm ET – Register Here.
- March 28th from 3:00pm – 4:00pm ET – Register Here.
Application
Who should apply?
- US-based emerging venture funds (I-II) led by at least one general partner who identifies as a woman or non-binary, and 75% of companies funded are also based in the US.
- Venture funds should be focused at the early-stage, and have less than $25M in AUM at the time of applying (not including any closed capital for an open fund for which you’re raising capital currently).
- Participating funds will be required to report on the demographics of the founders in which they invest. The data will be combined with other participants, anonymized and analyzed; findings will be published by Recast.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What’s the eligibility criteria to be considered for the Accelerate Program?
- The fund must have at least one member of the General Partnership who identifies as a woman or non-binary.
- The firm must have less than $25M in assets under management (AUM) (excluding capital raised for an open investment vehicle, prior SPVs, personal capital invested, etc.)
- The fund needs to be based in the United States and 75% of companies funded are also/will be based in the United States.
2. How many fund managers will be accepted to the program each year?
20-25 funds will be accepted to the program each year.
3. How will Recast evaluate applications?
Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of individuals who have experience investing in emerging venture funds. Applications will be randomly assigned to selection committee teams, and those teams will make recommendations. Final selections will be made by Recast.
4. Are there key qualifications or backgrounds the review committee looks for when evaluating Accelerate Program applications?
Recast Accelerate is designed to increase the number of female venture capitalists, with the hypothesis that those investors will invest in more diverse founders. Recipients need to show that they are committed to the industry, have networks that are ripe for investment and have a background that is of importance to the sector/companies they will be backing.
What do you mean by "$100k in operational support"?
The “$100k in operational support” refers to a combination of access to shared services via the program (e.g., IR support, operating support, etc., as highlighted in the program description) and capital that can be used by each participating fund as they see most advantageous for their firm building. It is intended to be used to pay for back-office support, including but not limited to legal expenses, fund administration, audit or tax assistance, the technology stack, etc.
6. How could I potentially use the funding? Are there limitations or restrictions on the money that Recast Capital provides?
The funding is intended to cover back-office support, including but not limited to legal expenses, fund administration, audit or tax assistance, technology stack costs, conferences, and consultant fees. Funds will be paid directly to the service provider(s), and pre-payment for services is possible where relevant. Examples of expenses that the funding cannot cover include, but are not limited to, previously paid expenses, salaries, and healthcare.
7. Are there tax implications for receiving the money? What's the catch?
There are no tax implications for recipients, as the funding is paid directly to service providers. As part of being accepted into the program, Recast expects firms to actively participate in the six-month program, including having at least one GP attend the in-person kick off event in September, and contributing to a research study tracking the demographics of their founders.
8. I previously participated in the Enablement Program. Am I eligible for Accelerate?
Yes! If you meet the eligibility criteria for Accelerate, you are encouraged to apply.
9. I want to learn more about Accelerate and have some questions. How can I best get in touch with the Recast Team?
We encourage you to join our two upcoming Info Sessions:
- February 26th from 3-4pm ET – Register Here.
- March 28th from 3-4pm ET – Register Here.
You’re also welcome to email our team at accelerate-application@recastcapital.com.
Future
Accelerate doesn't
stop here
Accelerate is not stopping here. We plan to bring in other funding partners to support more female or other underrepresented emerging managers. If you or you organization is interested in supporting Accelerate’s future, please contact us.
Our Team
Experience brought us here.
Values keep us here.
Institutionally-trained investment professionals with decades of experience supporting and investing in emerging managers in venture.
Courtney McCrea
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Courtney McCrea
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Courtney is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Recast Capital. Prior to co-founding Recast, Courtney was a Managing Director of Weathergage Capital, a boutique fund of funds that provided its clients with access to premier venture capital, growth equity and micro-VC partnerships. Venture fund commitments included both brand name funds and emerging managers. In addition to fund investment responsibilities, Courtney led the direct co- investing program at Weathergage. During her 10 year tenure at Weathergage, Courtney made commitments to 100 funds and seven direct co-investments.
Prior to Weathergage, Courtney was a General Partner with Weston Presidio, a leading diversified private equity firm based in San Francisco. After 7 years at Weston Presidio, she left in 2004 and founded Silver Partners, a private equity advisory firm where she evaluated secondary and co- investment opportunities and advised consumer growth businesses. Courtney was also a Director at Sterling Stamos, where she managed investments in buyout funds, venture capital funds and hedge funds.
Courtney has an M.B.A., with honors, from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She is a member of the Kauffman Fellows Class 3. Courtney is a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Northern California and Nevada Board of Directors and the Chair of the Episcopal Impact Fund Investment Committee.
Sara Zulkosky
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Sara Zulkosky
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Sara is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Recast Capital. Prior to co-founding Recast, Sara served as a Venture Partner at Greenspring Associates, a venture capital platform with over $12B in assets under management. Sara managed Greenspring’s early-stage venture fund evaluation committee, supported the firm’s Micro venture fund evaluation committee and led the firm’s impact investing initiative. She was also responsible for sourcing, due diligence efforts and/or managing a number of Greenspring’s direct and secondary investments.
