Cohort 2026 will open application in the Fall Quarter of 2025. The program will begin in Winter Quarter. More Information on the Program Website. Follow us on LinkedIn for announcements.
About the Program
RootedIn VC Fellowship is a transformational 10-week experiential learning journey at Stanford designed for Stanford students serious about pursuing a career in venture capital, particularly those with no prior exposure or from other industries. The program offers students a unique immersion into the venture capital world, mirroring the responsibilities and experiences of a General Partner.
Our Faculty Advisors
• Ilya Strebulaev: The David S. Lobel Professor of Private Equity and Professor of Finance at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
• Claudia Fan Munce: The Nicholas E. Donatiello, Jr. Lecturer in Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Venture Advisor at NEA, Chairwoman of Global Corporate Venturing, Board Member of Best Buy Corp.
• Bill Guttentag: The lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, a double Oscar-winning dramatic and documentary film writer-producer-director.
Our Founder and Instructor
• Jing Kuang: Founding Partner at Y+ Ventures, Stanford MBA.
Our Speakers (Ordered by class session sequence)
• Alex Dang: Technology Executive, Bestselling Author (The Venture Mindset), ex-Partner at McKinsey and EY, exAmazon AWS AI, Stanford MSx.
• Jules Maltz: Venture Partner at IVP, Professional Faculty at Berkeley Haas, ex-General Partner at IVP, multi-times Midas List Awardee, Stanford MBA.
• Alan Chiu: Co-founder & CEO at Enya Labs, Co-founder at Boba Network, Advisory Council at Stanford GSB, ex-Partner at XSeed Capital, ex-President at Stanford GSB Alumni Association, Stanford MSx.
• David Lee: Investor, Entrepreneur, Producer, Tech and Media Executive, Early Google Employee, Advisor of Stanford ASES.
• Harish Battu: Strategic Partnerships in Healthcare at General Catalyst, Stanford MSx.
Our Mentors
• Aki Chen Jiang: Principal at WiL, a US & Japanbased VC, Stanford MBA, University of Tokyo BA.
• Samuel Jackson: Chief of Staff at Factory VC, Stanford MBA, Yale University BA.
• Kathy Ku: MD/MBA turned healthcare investor at Vive Collective, Forbes 30 Under 30. Stanford MD/MBA, Harvard BS/AM.
• Naren Ramaswamy: Principal at Alumni Ventures, exProduct Manager at Tesla and Apple, Stanford MBA, BS & MS.
• Arek Zarowski: Principal at SE Ventures, Partner at The 21 Fund and angel investor. Forbes 30 Under 30. Stanford MBA.
Our Teaching Assistant
• Srithanya Satish: Stanford BA ’27
Our Cohort 2025
Out of an impressive 238 Stanford student applicants, we selected just 12 fellows—an admission rate of 5%. This cohort consists of bold, curious, and mission-driven Stanford students ready to explore the world of venture capital—with fresh eyes and fearless hearts:
Nikhil Jain, Dandi Hardy, Chanwool Leem, Gabriel Nagel, Nadja Yang, Muneeb Ata, Amanda Tu, Gherardo Morona, Matthew Yekell, Samidh Mehta, Kristi Sun, and Samin Bhan.
- 33% women
- 67% U.S. students of color
- 42% international students
- 100% had no prior work experience in VC
Over ten weeks, these fellows completed 10 class sessions, developed 4 original investment theses, sourced and analyzed 120 real-world deals, and presented the top 12 deals to a panel of human and AI judges.
A Little Note from Jing, the Program Founder & Instructor
When I set out to create the RootedIn VC Fellowship, I was trying to solve the chicken-and-egg problem: you need experience and a network to break in VC—but you can’t get either without already being in. It’s a problem I knew intimately. A decade ago, as an international student at Stanford, I wished a program like this existed—one that saw potential beyond resumes, and believed that talent, determination and curiosity were enough to earn you a seat at the table.
I wish that RootedIn could become a bridge. A bridge for those of us who never saw ourselves in venture capital. A bridge for those whose backgrounds weren’t “typical,” whose names weren’t on the usual shortlists, and whose accents, gender, skin color, network or paths made them feel like outsiders in an insider’s world.
RootedIn started with a vision: to demystify venture capital for students with no prior exposure, and to open doors—real doors—to those who had the talent and drive, but not the networks or experience.
And many of friends, alumni, mentors and faculty took the leap of faith in me and dedicated their precious time and wisdom backing the program. I felt deeply the power of allies—those who stand beside you when the path is uncertain, and help light the way forward.
Though I stood at the front of the classroom as an instructor, it was the students—through their grit, openness, and growth—who taught me something deeper. They gave me the confidence and conviction to believe in the lessons this fellowship now carries forward:
- VCs can be learned. No one is born with a cap table in hand. Critical thinking, pattern recognition, and judgment are all skills—and they can be taught and mastered. Success in VC isn’t about where you start—it’s about how you grow.
- Diversity brings value. Lived experience shapes vision. When we bring different perspectives to the table, we don’t just enrich the conversation—we build better companies.
- Networks can be built, not born. Even as international students or minorities without prior connections, with heart and effort, meaningful networks can be created. Trust is earned.
- The world deserves more GPs who see things differently. Not every venture story starts in Sand Hill boardrooms. Some begin at kitchen tables, across oceans, in languages spoken with accents. These stories matter. These GPs matter. And they will shape the next generation of great companies.
RootedIn gave me the drive—and the confidence—to launch Y+ Ventures. RootedIn really was the soil in which Y+ took root. It will always have a special place in my heart as well as in Y+ Ventures’ DNA.
Stay RootedIn. Let’s root for each other.
And now, we grow.
