Celebrating Success: Conclusion of the 2024 IVCA Scholars Program

The 2024 IVCA Scholar Program concluded recently with a celebratory lunch and a final firm visit to The Vistria Group offices. This year’s cohort exemplifies the program’s expanding reach, with participants from Illinois institutions such as DePaul University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as from Duke University, Indiana University, University of Michigan, University of Pittsburgh, and Yale University.

Program Highlights and Metrics

• Diversity and Inclusion: The IVCA Scholar Program is dedicated to fostering an inclusive industry with increased gender, racial, and ethnic diversity. This year, the program successfully engaged students from a wide range of backgrounds and institutions.
• Participation: The program saw participation from students across 9 universities, highlighting its broad appeal and reach.
• Scholarship: Each student who completed the 10-week program received a $10,000 scholarship, underscoring the program’s commitment to supporting future leaders in Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equity (PE).

Program Components

• Internship: A 10-week internship with a host VC or PE firm, providing hands-on industry experience.
• Onboarding: Instructive 2-day onboarding sessions to acclimate students to the industry.
• Firm Visits: Visits to various host firm offices to introduce students to different office cultures and philosophies.
• Networking: Social networking opportunities, including an evening at SPIN Chicago, to foster connections within the industry.

Host Firms

We extend our gratitude to this year’s firms for hosting an intern and for their commitment to fostering a diverse financial industry:

• Avathon Capital
• BPOC
• Frontenac
• Growth Catalyst Partners
• OCA Ventures
• ParkerGale
• Prairie Capital
• Pritzker Private Capital
• RoundTable Healthcare Partners
• Sandbox Industries
• The Vistria Group
• Victory Park Capital
• Water Street Healthcare Partners
• Wind Point Partners

Looking Ahead

The 2025 IVCA Scholar Program will begin soliciting applicants in early September 2025. For those interested in becoming a host firm or seeking more information about the program, please contact Christie Pruyn at cpruyn@illinoisvc.org.