As 2025 comes to a close, we wanted to pause and reflect — not just on milestones and numbers, but on the people, moments, and lessons that made this year meaningful. Girls Into VC continued to grow in ways we couldn’t have imagined a year ago, and this community played a huge role in that.

Before we jump in, here’s what’s inside this year’s GIVC End-of-Year Wrapped 👇

This week’s agenda

• Top 5 things we learned in 2025

• GIVC by the numbers

• A founder moment that stuck with us

• Our 2025 speaker lineup

• A fund/story that shaped how we think about venture

• Opportunities

• We’re excited about in 2026

• A personal note to close out the year

✨ Top 5 Things We Learned in 2025

1. There’s no single path into VC. This year reaffirmed that curiosity, consistency, and community matter more than a “perfect” resume.

2. Early exposure changes confidence. When women get hands-on experience early, they stop asking if they belong — and start asking what to build.

3. Community compounds. Chapters, cohorts, and alumni connections don’t just add value — they multiply it.

4. Taste and judgment are skills. The best investors and operators we met weren’t the loudest — they were the most thoughtful.

5. Momentum and discipline matter. Small actions taken weekly add up to real career shifts over a year.

📊 GIVC 2025 by the Numbers

👩‍🎓 Fellowships

• Summer cohort: 32 fellows

• Fall cohort: 26 fellows

• Total fellows in 2025: 58

🏫 Chapters

• 20 active chapters across universities

  

🧳 Externships

• 3 Venture Capital externs

• Spring: 5 Startup externs

• Fall: 4 Startup externs

• Total externs: 12

🏆️ Competition

• First-ever competition hosted

• 48 submissions

• $850 awarded

• 27 different schools represented

💡 A Founder Moment We Loved

Melanie Perkins — Co-Founder & CEO, Canva

One founder story that stayed with us this year was Melanie Perkins’ continued leadership at Canva. After more than a decade of building, she’s remained deeply focused on accessibility, global inclusion, and long-term product excellence — even as the company scaled into one of the most influential design platforms in the world.

Rather than chasing short-term wins, Melanie has consistently prioritized mission, culture, and long-term impact. Early on, she was rejected by over 100 investors—yet she stayed true to her vision and persevered. Today, Canva is a multi-billion-dollar company. Her journey is a powerful reminder that conviction, patience, and clarity of vision often matter more than speed, especially when building companies that endure.

🎤 Voices That Shaped Our Year

One of the most meaningful parts of this year was the opportunity to learn directly from women who are building, investing, and leading across venture capital and startups. Through candid conversations and shared experiences, our speakers offered real insight into their journeys — from founding companies and funds to breaking into venture through nontraditional paths. We’re incredibly grateful to each of them for taking the time to share their stories with the Girls Into VC community.

Paige Doherty (Behind Genius Ventures): shared insights on early-stage AI investing, how she sources and evaluates companies, and her journey to founding her own venture capital firm.

Emily Cohen (NEO Accelerator): discussed the differences between working at an accelerator versus a VC firm, when startups should consider accelerator funding, and what she looks for in exceptional founders.

Anna Jacoby (Sapphire Partners): introduced us to the world of LP investing, explaining how it differs from traditional VC roles and sharing her experience investing across global markets.

Vanessa Larco (Premise): spoke about founding Premise and investing in the next wave of consumer and AI-driven technology. She also shared how her background in product management helped her transition into venture capital.

Kavitha Ramaswamy (Mercurius Media Capital): discussed her nontraditional path into VC, how her experience as an operator and strategist led her to launch Mercurius Media Capital, and the lessons she’s learned throughout her career.

Andrea Corleto (Lyv Health): shared her journey as a founder building Lyv Health with a female-first approach to healthcare. She also reflected on her time as the first hire at Skylight and how that experience prepared her to start her own company.

Sarah Mattina (Mattina Media Group): discussed the importance of communications in venture capital, her passion for working with startups and fund management, and the path she took to founding Mattina Media Group.

Julie Castro Abrams (How Women Invest): spoke about supporting women in leadership and finance, building powerful networks through How Women Lead, and creating a more equitable future in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

McKenzie Stanley (Lassie): shared her early entrepreneurial journey, how she discovered Lassie, an early-stage healthtech company, and why go-to-market teams play a critical role in startup success.

Kimmy Scotti (Neon): discussed investing at the intersection of healthcare and consumer, what she looks for in founding teams, how she broke into VC, and how Neon is challenging traditional startup norms.

Pooja Patel (Synvect): spoke about founding Synvect, disrupting the biotechnology space, navigating investor relationships, and the most rewarding aspects of being a female founder.

💸 A Fund Story That Shaped Our View

Cowboy Ventures — Backing Builders at Day Zero

Cowboy Ventures stood out to us this year for its unwavering focus on founders at the very beginning. Founded by Aileen Lee, the fund has built a reputation for backing technical, product-driven entrepreneurs long before traction or headlines appear.

What resonated most was Cowboy’s emphasis on fundamentals — thoughtful market selection, strong founder–product fit, and capital efficiency. In a year where hype cycles came and went, Cowboy Ventures reinforced a powerful lesson: great companies are built quietly, early, and with intention.

Thank you to our wonderful partners for making this year possible!

💡 Opportunities

📐 Venture Associate @ Alumni Ventures (Boston) - Apply Here

🦋 AI Automation Lead @ Glasswing Ventures (Boston) - Apply Here

🕴️ Chief of Staff @ Floodgate - Apply Here

🖥️ Associate / Senior Associate @ Headline (San Francisco) - Apply Here 

☁️ Investment Associate @ Blue Cloud Ventures (NYC) - Apply Here

💰️ Planetary Health, Investment Associate @ RA Capital (Boston) - Apply Here

🤝 Head of Investor Relations @ Formlabs (Boston) - Apply Here

🚀 We’re Excited About 2026

Looking ahead, we’re energized by what’s coming next:

✨ Next week’s newsletter — several exciting Girls Into Venture Capital opportunities will be opening up, so stay tuned.

❄️ A winter summit — we’re working on bringing our community together in a meaningful way, and we can’t wait to share more soon.

As we head into 2026, we’re focused on building on the foundation we’ve laid — with more depth, more access, and more support for this growing community.

💗 A Personal Note

Thank you for being part of Girls Into VC this year — whether you attended an event, applied to a program, led a chapter, shared an opportunity, or simply followed along. This community exists because people show up for one another, and that generosity has been felt all year long.

We’re heading into the new year grateful, inspired, and excited for what’s ahead. Rest, reflect, and dream big — we can’t wait to build together in 2026.

With gratitude,
The GIVC Team