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Decile Group runs four programs: VC Lab, Venture Institute, Emerging Institute, and LP Institute. Each one serves a different stage of a venture career, and applying to the wrong program wastes your time and theirs. The right program for you depends on where you are today, not where you want to be in five years. Read the next four sections and you will have a clear answer before you finish your coffee.
Quick Answer: The 30-Second Version
Here is the decision tree in plain language.
- If you are launching a venture fund right now and you have a thesis or plan to launch a fund, apply to VC Lab.
- If you want a career in venture but have never worked in the industry, start with Venture Institute.
- If you are already a GP managing your second through fourth fund and you want to scale, look at Emerging Institute.
- If you are a limited partner, allocator, family office, or an aspiring LP, apply to LP Institute.
That is the short version. Keep reading for the details that will confirm your choice or correct it.
Program by Program Breakdown
VC Lab Accelerator
Who it is for: First-time fund managers who are actively in the process of launching their fund right now.
- Duration: 14-week core curriculum, with a total timeline of 4 to 6 months.
- Cost: Free.
- Format: Online.
- Time commitment: 20 to 30 hours per week.
- What you walk away with: A launched fund. A real, operating fund.
- Best reason to choose it: VC Lab compresses what typically takes 18 or more months into 4 to 6 months. If you are serious about launching now, this is the fastest legitimate path to a closed fund.
Venture Institute
Who it is for: Aspiring VCs who are new to the venture industry and want to build foundational fluency before launching anything.
- Duration: 9 weeks.
- Cost: Free.
- Format: Online.
- Time commitment: 3-5 hours per week.
- What you walk away with: A working understanding of how venture capital operates and a clearer sense of your next move inside the industry.
- Best reason to choose it: Operators, founders, and finance professionals who are making the switch into venture get the vocabulary, the mental models, and the network they need before committing to a fund launch.
Emerging Institute
Who it is for: GPs who are already managing a fund, specifically Fund II through Fund IV, and are focused on scaling their firm rather than launching it.
- Duration: 8 weeks, ongoing support.
- Cost: Free.
- Format: Online, asynchronous.
- Time commitment: 2 or more hours per week.
- What you walk away with: Sharper portfolio construction practices, stronger LP relationships, and scaled fund operations.
- Best reason to choose it: If you are raising your next fund and trying to break out of the emerging manager tier, this program is built for exactly the problems you are facing right now, not the ones you faced three years ago.
LP Institute
Who it is for: Limited partners, family offices, institutional allocators, and anyone deploying capital into VC funds rather than launching one.
- Duration: 4 weeks.
- Cost: Free.
- Format: Online.
- Time commitment: Varies by cohort.
- What you walk away with: A structured, repeatable framework for evaluating venture funds and making better allocation decisions.
- Best reason to choose it: Most LPs, especially first-timers, evaluate funds based on intuition and relationships. LP Institute replaces that with a framework. The returns difference can be significant.
Common Mistakes When Picking a Program
Some traps come up repeatedly in the admissions process. Avoid them.
- Applying to Venture Institute when you are already in the middle of launching a fund. Venture Institute is not built for active fund formation. You will be underserved. Apply to VC Lab instead, even if it feels like a bigger leap.
- Skipping LP Institute when you are deploying family capital into funds. Some family offices evaluate VC funds without any formal framework. LP Institute was built precisely for this situation, and the cost of a bad allocation is far higher than the cost of a few weeks in the program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply to two programs at once?
Yes, but the admissions team will typically place you in the one program that fits best for the current cohort. Speak to our admissions director to figure out which program is best for your current goals and situation. If you are genuinely unsure, note that in your application and let them make the call.
Are these programs really free?
Yes. See the article on the Decile Group business model for the full explanation of how that works and why.
Can I move between programs?
Yes. This is common and encouraged. Many Venture Institute graduates apply to VC Lab the following year once they have a thesis and a team in place. The programs are designed to work together across your career arc.
Which program has the highest acceptance rate?
Venture Institute has the highest acceptance rate. VC Lab is the most selective of the four, reflecting the level of commitment and readiness it requires from participants.
Apply to the Program That Fits You Today
Pick the program that matches where you are right now, not the one that sounds most impressive. You can always come back for the next one. Venture Institute graduates become VC Lab founders. VC Lab managers move into Emerging Institute. The programs are designed to grow with you.
When you are ready, apply directly on the VC Lab website. The right program is the one you start.