GIVC (GIVEAWAY: Hoodie)- Spreading Love for Mother’s Day

NEWS FLASH: GIVEAWAY [Hoodie]! 🎁

To continue spreading this love, this week we wanted to dedicate a section on our loyal subscribers. Thank YOU for being a part of our organization as it isn’t the same without your growing support.

With that said, we wanted to express our thank you by having a giveaway to YOU all! 

The prize will be a Girls Into VC hoodie for 3 lucky members!🎁🎁

All it takes is (1) following Girls Into VC’s platforms (Instagram, Newsletter and LinkedIn), (2) liking and commenting “Love GIVC” on this LinkedIn post, (3) liking and commenting on this Instagram post, and (4) filling out this form to confirm you have completed the above steps.

Deadline: May 10th, 2026.

🗓️ Agenda of the Week

• [LIMITED TIME] 🎁 GIVEAWAY - Hoodie! 🎁

• W.W.W. (Weekly Words of Wisdom)

• Opportunities

• VC Lesson: What Is a Cap Table?

• Upcoming Community Events (GIVC Amsterdam event, VC University Application, Show Her the Money)

W.W.W. (Weekly Words of Wisdom)

Going off today’s theme of spreading love, today’s wisdom advice is to always have gratitude.

I like to think of gratitude as the rose-colored glasses that we all want to have in our lives.

For example, there’s a folklore that I once heard, which has stuck with me all this time.

During a seminar, a professor showed a clean sheet of paper with a small dot in the center.

He asked the students to write down what they saw.

Every single person jotted, “I see a dot.”

The professor smiled and asked, “That’s all you see?”

Nods.

Then he explained, “In life, this is how we usually see the good vs. the bad things. We hone in on one negative detail, and we forget everything else around it.”

Moral of the story:

When a dot or multiple dots appear in our lives (something negative comes up), we have to remind ourselves that the dot is small, but the good (the white space) is much bigger. Even when we’re at our lowest, there is always more good to be grateful for, and we just need to learn to see it.

With that being said, we wanted to take a moment and shout out Isabella Mandis, Girls Into VC’s founder, and Sarah Phillips, Girls Into VC’s current CEO. The work and dedication you have put into Girls Into VC to make it the incredible community it is has not gone unnoticed, so extra thanks for treating this organization as your “child” and nurturing it with care and love.

Opportunities

• Launch Factory (San Diego)

  Venture Fellow, Summer 2026

  Apply here

• Lead Edge Capital (NYC)

  2027 Summer Analyst

  Apply here 

• DN Capital (London or Berlin)

  Visiting Analyst

  Apply here 

• Chelsea Football Club (London)

  Commercial Strategy & Ventures Lead

  Apply here 

•  Allstate (Chicago)

  Associate, Opportunistic, Strategic Ventures

  Apply here 

• ATEL Capital Group

  Venture Debt Originator

  Apply here

VC Lesson: What Is a Cap Table and Why Should You Know How to Read One?

Understanding a cap table is a foundational skill that separates people who talk VC from people who think VC.

A cap table, short for capitalization table, is a document that tracks who owns what in a company. It records every shareholder, the type of equity they hold, and the total value of the company at any given time.

Here's what's in it:

• Common stock held by founders and employees

• Preferred stock held by investors (comes with more protections)

• Options and SAFEs, equity that hasn't fully converted yet

• 409A valuations used to set strike prices for employee stock options

Especially important for startups, the cap table has to stay up to date as the company fluctuates through every funding round, new hire, and equity grant. Investors review it during due diligence, founders use it to model how their ownership changes before raising, and at exit, it determines exactly who gets paid and how much.

It's much more than just a tracking tool; It's a negotiating document.

Upcoming Community Events

1. Get excited for the Girls Into VC Amsterdam event on May 19th!

Extensus and Girls Into VC invite you to an inspiring evening focused on women in venture capital. Join us for an engaging panel interview and discussion with leading women in the VC ecosystem who are shaping the future of innovation, investment, and entrepreneurship.

Our guest speakers, Sophie Heijenberg (Graduate Ventures), Maud Vermeulen (Golden Egg Check and Women in VC NL), and Sabina Basariyeva (Dealroom), will share insights into their career journeys, experiences within the Dutch and global venture capital industries, challenges they have faced as women in the field, and their vision for the future of VC.

The discussion will also cover how to break into venture capital, what skills are valuable in the industry, current trends shaping the market, and practical advice for female students and young professionals who are considering a career in VC.

Whether you are a business student, curious about venture capital, or simply interested in hearing from inspiring professionals, this is a great opportunity to learn, connect, and ask your questions!

Date: May 19

Time: 18:00 to 20:00

Location: REC A2.09, University of Amsterdam

Signup here: https://forms.gle/JeX9ffSrPoeEK1dE6

(Confirmation emails will be sent out on May 17)

2. Toronto Tech Week's Women in Venture Panel & Mentorship Mixer | Presented by Waterloo Venture Group

Venture can feel like a world with invisible gates. Come rewire your network and your trajectory alongside powerhouse women investors from top North American VCs: Inovia Capital, Drive Capital, Georgian, Panache Ventures, Golden Ventures, Northside Ventures and more.

Celebrate where you've come from and where you're going next in a room where you'll actually save a number afterward, have a laugh over drinks, and ask the "embarrassing" question because we're women lifting each other up.

Whether you’re early in your career, making a pivot, or going all in on venture, you belong in this room.

Register: Women in Venture: Panel + Mentorship Mixer | Toronto Tech Week 2026 · Luma

3. Apply for VC University (online certificate course) 

Why should you apply?

• Self-paced, 10 week online course (have course access for 5 months for flexibility)

• Instructor-led modules: covering venture funds, startup fundamentals, modeling venture deals, and more (full syllabus)

• Live virtual office hours + webinars with VC leaders

• 3 months of Pitchbook access

• Strong network (5,375+ alumni; 21 sold-out cohorts!!!)

• 96% of past participants said they would recommend the program to a peer

 Program Details:

• Cohort 22 starts June 1

• Deadline to apply is Friday, March 6, 2026

• Discounts: UC Berkeley/Stanford alumni, NVCA members, and nonprofit/government employees are eligible for 20% off. Group discounts are also available.

  • For NVCA member discount: Jason Vita at [email protected].

  • For all other discounts: [email protected].

4. Movie Streaming About Women in VC

You’ve probably seen Show Her The Money popping up on billboards across California.

This is a story that has never been told.

Show Her The Money highlights the reality that women receive less than 2% of venture capital, while demystifying what venture capital actually is. The film features powerhouse female investors backing diverse women entrepreneurs building innovations that will change the world. At its core, it’s a reminder that money is power—and women need it to achieve true equality.

If you’re interested in watching, check out the links below. Huge congratulations to Catherine Gray and the SHTM team!

Amazon link to Show Her The Money: The Riveting Stories About the People Behind the Movie and the Movement

Rent or Buy link

Have a great week,
Girls Into VC Media Team 💗