Join us on Feb 5 for our annual Lynx Fintech Summit - a half-day conference exploring the most important trends, shifts, and emerging themes shaping fintech in the year ahead.
The Venture Cooperative is a free, cohort-based fellowship created by Laconia Capital to make venture capital more accessible and transparent. Applications for Cohort 10 (Spring 2026) are now open and due by Feb 1, 2026. (learn more here, and apply here)
Launched in 2021, the program offers a scalable alternative to traditional VC internships, which are often limited in size, short-lived, and inaccessible to many people interested in the asset class.
Laconia Capital is a New York City-based early-stage venture firm that has spent more than a decade investing at the pre-seed and seed stages. The firm focuses on B2B software companies building must-have technology for mission-critical industries, including fintech, proptech, climate tech, and increasingly healthcare operations. I had a chance to interview Laconia investor Mirit Lugassi about the program.
Why the Venture Cooperative Exists
Venture capital is historically opaque. Access to real knowledge, decision-making, and networks has traditionally been limited to insiders. Laconia created the Venture Cooperative to close that gap in a scalable way.
Before launching the program, Laconia ran a traditional internship model and received hundreds of applications for only a handful of roles. Internships lasted eight weeks and rarely led to long-term engagement or community. The Venture Cooperative was designed to create durable access to venture education and participation without requiring people to already be inside the industry.
The program also expands Laconia’s surface area. Rather than assuming the firm already knows all the best founders and investors, the Venture Cooperative makes it easier for talented people to find Laconia, learn how it operates, and engage directly.
Program Structure and Curriculum
The Venture Cooperative runs twice per year, with each cohort lasting six weeks. Since launch, more than 1,500 fellows from over 30 countries have participated, with roughly 80 percent coming from underrepresented backgrounds.
Fellows receive a practical, end-to-end view of early-stage venture capital, including:
VC fundamentals and investment thesis construction
Deal sourcing and due diligence
Founder support post-investment
A live look into Laconia’s own investment process
Sessions are delivered weekly and are grounded in real examples rather than hypotheticals.
Education, Community, and Real Exposure
The program combines education, community, and hands-on exposure:
Fellows join weekly live sessions and receive lifetime access to program materials
Participants become part of a global community managed by Laconia
Fellows can shadow live investment meetings and submit deals into Laconia’s pipeline
Participants may invest as LPs with reduced minimums and share upside on fellow-sourced investments
Mentorship is available through office hours, guest speakers, and opportunities to engage with active projects at Laconia.
Who the Program Is For
There is no single Venture Cooperative profile. Fellows include founders, operators, aspiring investors, angels, LPs, and career transitioners. The program is not a VC job placement pipeline and is not prescriptive. It is designed for curious, self-directed participants who want to understand venture capital well enough to decide how they want to engage with it.
How to Apply
Applications are open year-round, but Cohort 10 launches in mid-February. Applicants seeking consideration for this cohort should apply by February 1, 2026.
