Fundamentally for companies that are building for the next generation, to be authentic you need that next generation on your cap table and in your boardroom.Īre Gen Z investors using different strategies than previous generations? To help founders to build great legendary, iconic companies, you want multiple perspectives around the table to help you think about every facet of building your business. We are the customers, users and target audience. Why is it important that Gen Z is represented in the VC community?ĭiversity on cap tables also includes age, and many forward-looking startups are building for Gen Z. It's grown really organically and evolved into a movement to empower the next generation of investors and founders. I then created a Slack channel for my new friends from the article where investors and founders could connect and help each other learn.

The connections I made led me to write an article that coined the term Gen Z VC, which spread like wildfire. At the time, people didn't even realize that Gen Z were old enough to be investing, but I ended up having conversations with peers from all over the world. I sent out a tweet looking for other Gen Z investors wanting to hear their thoughts about their favorite companies, the trends they were seeing so we could trade notes. So, Gen Z VCs really came out of me feeling a bit lonely and not being able to go to events, meet founders and do all those things that an investor would normally do because of the pandemic. I didn't go to an Ivy League college with a big entrepreneurship program and thus I didn't have an extensive network of founders and investors that I could call on. Loyst: When this all started, it was two months into my career in early-stage venture and it was peak COVID-19. PitchBook: Why did you decide to create a community for Gen Z investors?

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Launched in November 2020, and with over 18,000 members, the collective's goals include increasing transparency for VCs, improving collaboration, and creating networking opportunities for young investors. Loyst is the founder of Gen Z VCs, a network of founders, investors and operators aiming to amplify the voice of a generational cohort that now accounts for a third of the global population. Meagan Loyst, an associate at early-stage VC Lerer Hippeau, is one such example of this demographic-often defined as people born between 19-expanding its influence in the investment community. As its economic clout grows, Generation Z is no longer just a target market for many new startups but is also making its mark on the wider venture capital ecosystem.

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