Venture Capital (VC) Lab 2026

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Before you get started

VC Lab: Venture Capital Lab

VC Lab is a hands-on programme for Oxford students who want to learn how venture capitalists think, decide and invest, and who want to start a career in venture. Rather than teaching you about venture capital, VC Lab trains you to do it. You'll work with investors and founders from Oxford's venture ecosystem and beyond. You'll learn how to spot strong founders, source and screen deals, value a company, read a market and understand how a fund is built. Each core session gives you a piece of work that builds towards your own investment memo, the kind of document a VC takes to its investment committee.

What's involved

Five evening sessions, from 30 October to 25 November 2026
Webinar session with a US-based fund
A two-day bootcamp on 21–22 November 2026, including a live fund simulation
A final investment memo, due 11 January 2027

Who it's for
VC Lab is open to all current University of Oxford students: undergraduates, postgraduates, DPhil students and Saïd Business School students. You don't need any finance or VC experience. We're looking for curiosity, sound judgement and people who take initiative.

Attendance
Attendance is recorded at every session. To complete VC Lab, you must attend at least three of the five core sessions and both bootcamp days, and submit your investment memo.

Key dates

Opening event: 14 October 2026, 18:00–20:00, Saïd Business School
Applications for VC Lab close at 9.00 am on 21 October 2026
Programme: 30 October – 25 November, including the bootcamp on 21–22 November 2026

Delivered by Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre (OSEC) during Michaelmas 2026.

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About You

First Name

Last Name

Gender

Email Address

Oxford University Single Sign On (SSO)

Enter your Oxford SSO username in the format ABCD1234

Course (if applicable)

Expected graduation year

Please, Provide your Linkedin profile link

Affiliation

I confirm that I am a current student or a staff member at the University of Oxford:

Yes - Current

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Your application

1. Back it or pass? (max 250 words)
Pick an early-stage startup (registered company) that you would invest in or pass on. Tell us what it does, the single most important reason for your decision, and what would change your mind.

2. Going beyond (max 250 words)
What have you done on your own initiative to learn about startups or venture capital, or to get closer to them? Be specific.

3. What you bring (max 250 words)
What will you bring to the VC Lab cohort that others might not? This could be anything else you think will make the cohort dynamic stronger.

4. Video Link

Please record a video of up to 2 minutes in which you make the case for (or against) the startup you wrote about above in question 1, as if you were presenting to an investment committee. Please add your video link here as part of your application.

VC Lab includes a 2-day bootcamp and five core sessions (All the dates are shown on the programme page). Will you be able to attend both the bootcamp and the sessions?

YesNot sure

Is there anything that might affect your attendance that you would like us to know about?