How to nominate someone for Rising Stars

Rising Stars is an annual feature that celebrates the achievements of people under the age of 40 in the venture capital industry, including dealmakers, investor relations professionals and limited partners.

The fifth annual Rising Stars will appear in Venture Capital Journal on January 1, 2024. The deadline for nominations is November 1, 2023.

Nominations should be emailed to: VCJrisingstars@peimedia.com

Requirements for nominees

  • Should be under the age of 40 as of January 1, 2024.
  • Should NOT have previously appeared on a “Rising Stars” list. If a candidate was previously submitted and you wish to nominate them again, you must email a new nomination and follow the steps above.
  • Should work in the venture industry, either at venture firms (GPs), limited partners (LPs) or advisory firms or service providers. (Service providers include banks and credit providers, law firms, placement agents and fund administrators.) Nominees may be part of an investment team or work in investor relations, operations, marketing or portfolio support.
  • Should have accomplished something notable over the last 12 months. For example, nominees may have:
    • received a promotion;
    • started a mentoring program;
    • played a role in an innovative or significant deal;
    • helped to implement an ESG policy;
    • become a thought leader through blogging;
    • led their fund’s investment activity in a new sector or region;
    • taken identifiable steps to facilitate greater diversity and inclusion in their firm, portfolio companies or the industry more broadly;
    • or founded a firm.

Requirements for submissions

Everyone is free to submit a nomination to Rising Stars, whether they are colleagues, industry peers or work in public relations. It is not necessary to send in multiple nominations for each candidate. You may nominate more than one person from the same firm, but because of the growing popularity of Rising Stars, final selection is limited to one person per firm. When sending in nominations, be sure to include:

  • Contact details for the person making the submission.
  • Nominee’s name, age, title, firm and focus area. Also include a link to the nominee’s online bio. Or copy and paste the person’s bio in the email.
  • Geographic focus area of nominee and where they are based.
  • Category for the nominee (GP, LP or advisory firm/service provider). Note that we will select and publish a list of 40 in total, not per category.
  • Summary (under 200 words) of the nominee’s professional achievements over the previous 12 months. Please note that any information disclosed in the email nomination is deemed suitable for publication.
  • A high-resolution (300 dpi and 3″x5″) color photo (JPEG format preferred) or a link to download a high-resolution image of the nominee.

Factors VCJ may consider in the selection process

  • Achievements over the last 12 months in their careers, their firm or in the broader venture community;
  • Evidence of a measurable impact, such as closing a deal, securing an LP commitment or launching diversity initiatives;
  • Evidence of leadership or influence within their own firm or the broader venture field, such as via blogging, speaking duties or working with peers.

Questions?