Comparison · 21 material differences
Kauffman Fellows vs NVCA
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact — it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Leadership network
Verified September 2026 Kauffman Fellows
Working venture capital investors — typically partner-level GPs, emerging fund founders, LPs and corporate venture investors — who already deploy capital
Professional association
NVCA
Firms that invest venture-stage risk equity capital in the United States, plus the service providers who work with them
What the records say
- Role or title — Kauffman Fellows: Working venture investor — direct VC investor, emerging or established GP, LP, corporate VC or ecosystem contributor; NVCA: No published role or title.
- Minimum employees — Kauffman Fellows: No published minimum employees; NVCA: At least one full-time employee (or full-time equivalent) dedicated to private equity investing.
- Geographic restriction — Kauffman Fellows: No published geographic restriction; NVCA: Must be investing or planning to invest risk equity capital in the United States.
- Annual dues — Kauffman Fellows: Not publicly disclosed — the organization does not publish alumni society dues, if any; NVCA: $500–35,000 a year.
Side by side
| Kauffman Fellows | NVCA | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Leadership network | Professional association |
| Founded | 1995 (Started inside the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 1995; spun out as an independent organization in 2000 and run by the Center for Venture Education) | 1973 (Founding year of 1973 is reported by secondary reference sources; NVCA's own site does not state it on the pages checked) |
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, United States | Washington, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Fellows in 62 countries across six continents; in-person modules and treks rotate between global locations | United States, with offices in Washington DC and San Francisco |
| Members | 1,060as of September 2026 | Could not be independently verified — NVCA publishes a full member directory but no headline count; secondary sources cite figures between 400 and 460 member firms without a clear date |
| Chapters | 11 | Not publicly disclosed — NVCA has no chapter structure; it operates from two offices |
| Primary audience | Working venture capital investors — typically partner-level GPs, emerging fund founders, LPs and corporate venture investors — who already deploy capital | Firms that invest venture-stage risk equity capital in the United States, plus the service providers who work with them |
| Typical member | Recent classes are roughly 86% direct VC investors, 72% partner-level or above and 43% founders. Across the whole society, about 55–60% of Fellows are firm founders, roughly 80% are partner-level or above, and about one in three is female. | Member organizations are venture partnerships, corporate venture groups, family offices, funds of funds and university or accelerator programmes that invest risk equity capital in the US. Membership is held by the firm rather than the individual. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | Working venture investor — direct VC investor, emerging or established GP, LP, corporate VC or ecosystem contributorPartner-level or above is preferred but not stated as mandatory; 72% of a recent class were partner-level or higherverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Minimum employees | No published minimum employees | At least one full-time employee (or full-time equivalent) dedicated to private equity investingverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Must be investing or planning to invest risk equity capital in the United StatesOpen to non-US firms that invest into the USverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | No |
| Application process | Applications run on an annual class cycle. Step one is an online form that the organization estimates takes about an hour, submitted with an application fee. Step two is a set of video interviews with current Fellows. Step three is selection by an admissions committee. For the Class 31 cycle, interviews began in mid-February 2026 and acceptances went out in early April 2026. | A firm submits an application form at nvca.org/nvca-application-form/ or contacts the membership team. Eligibility is checked against the risk-capital and staffing tests, and dues are set from the firm's committed capital band. There is no published interview or sponsorship step. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed — Kauffman Fellows publishes detailed class composition data but no acceptance rate or applicant volume | Not publicly disclosed — NVCA states eligibility criteria but does not publish acceptance or rejection data |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed — the organization does not publish alumni society dues, if anyverified September 2026 | $500–35,000 a yearStandard VC fund category, banded by committed capital across funds closed in the past ten years: $500 at $5M; $1,000 for $5M–$9.9M; $2,000–$6,000 for $10M–$99.9M (plus $500 per additional $10M); $10,000–$17,500 for $100M–$499.9M (plus $2,500 per additional $100M); $22,500–$32,500 for $500M–$999.9M; $35,000 and above for $1B+ (plus $5,000 per additional $500M)verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Tuition is the material cost; travel and lodging for five modules, a summit and two treks are additional and not quantified by the organization. | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | $80,000 one-timeTuition for the full two-year programme, due before Module 1. Covers venues, meals, materials and mentoring; excludes transportation and lodging. Non-refundable and non-transferable. Limited needs-based scholarships are available.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Dues are firm-level and set from committed capital in funds closed over the previous ten years. |
| Membership term | Two-year programme followed by lifelong membership of the Kauffman Fellows society | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Five four-day in-person modules, one Global Summit and two Global Treks over two years, plus roughly 24 virtual forum meetings; Special Interest Groups meet monthly for alumni | National events through the year, including the Strategic Operations and Policy Summit and the Leadership Awards Dinner; advisory committees meet separately |
| Peer forums | Class members meet in virtual Forum groups roughly twice a month during the programme; alumni join topic-based Special Interest Groups and regional chapters | No peer-forum structure; members organise through advisory committees and policy working groups |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified — no published confidentiality policy was found | Could not be independently verified — no published confidentiality policy was found |
| Time commitment | Approximately 20–25 days over the two-year programme, per the application details page | Not documented |
| Organized as | Cohort-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | No |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | Yes | No |
| Travel | Yes | No |
| Family programming | Not documented | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | No |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Kauffman Fellows · NVCA