IVCA Scholars Complete Another Successful Summer Program
IVCA Scholars Complete a Summer of Learning, Mentorship, and Industry Exposure
This summer, 12 undergraduate students completed the IVCA Scholars Program, a 10-week immersive experience designed to provide talented students with firsthand exposure to Illinois' private equity and venture capital community.
The program's success is driven by IVCA member firms and industry leaders who invest their time, expertise, and mentorship in developing the next generation of investment professionals. This year's scholars were welcomed by Avathon Capital, BPOC, Exposition Ventures, Frontenac, Growth Catalyst Partners, OCA Ventures, PPC, Prairie Capital, RoundTable Healthcare Partners, The Vistria Group, Victory Park Capital, and Water Street Healthcare Partners, where they gained hands-on experience and insight into the day-to-day work of private markets investing.
The Scholars represent leading universities from across the country, including the University of Chicago, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, Northwestern University, and Yale University.
The summer began with an onboarding program and IVCA extends its gratitude to Jose Liberti (Kellogg School of Management), David Presser and Robert Christe (Neal Gerber & Eisenberg), Joey Mak (Chicago:Blend), Carlos Covarrubias (HPVP), Abhinaya Konduru (M25), Ricardo Iriarte (Adams Street Partners and IVCA Scholar alumnus), and Dave Stricklin (Stricklin & Associates) for sharing their expertise and helping scholars build a foundation in private equity, venture capital, fund structures, career development, and Illinois' investment ecosystem.
Throughout the summer, scholars participated a series of office visits that provided exposure to a broad range of firms, strategies, and career paths. IVCA extends its sincere appreciation to 50 South Capital, Avathon Capital, Baker Tilly, BPOC, Deerpath Capital, Frontenac, Growth Catalyst Partners, ParkerGale, Plante Moran, PPC, Prairie Capital, RoundTable Healthcare Partners, The Vistria Group, Thoma Bravo, Vokal, and Water Street Healthcare Partners for opening their doors and providing scholars with an inside look at the firms and professionals that make Illinois one of the nation's leading private capital markets.
The impact of these experiences was evident throughout the summer. Following the scholars' final presentations, Carrie Raffin of Water Street Healthcare Partners shared, "I was very impressed with the level of professionalism among the interns and the very thoughtful questions that were asked. You have a very impressive crew this year and we are happy to support and participate in the program."
The scholars echoed that enthusiasm. Anna O'Brien described the experience as instrumental in helping her refine her career goals and highlighted the mentorship she received during her internship. Sarah Graham reflected on the professional relationships and friendships formed throughout the summer, citing the office visits and networking opportunities among her favorite aspects of the program.
Since its inception, more than 100 students have participated in the IVCA Scholars Program, and five alumni now work at IVCA member firms. The continued engagement of host firms, office visit partners, speakers, mentors, and alumni demonstrates a shared commitment to strengthening Illinois' private equity and venture capital talent pipeline.
IVCA congratulates this year's scholars and thanks the many firms and industry leaders whose support made this summer's program possible. Their investment of time and expertise is helping prepare the next generation of leaders for careers across Illinois' investment ecosystem.
The IVCA Scholars Program is proudly supported by the IVCA Foundation, whose mission is to increase access to career opportunities and cultivate a diverse pipeline of future leaders for Illinois' private equity and venture capital industry
