With shared services, coaching, and peer connection, the 18 funds in the 2025-2026 program will gain support to accelerate their success in market
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Recast Capital, a platform dedicated to investing in and supporting next-generation managers in venture, today announced the third cohort of Recast Accelerate, a catalytic program designed to drive the success of women and nonbinary-led early stage US funds in venture capital. Launched in early 2023 with the mission to help more next-generation managers raise and operate institutional-quality funds, Accelerate blends unique support, knowledge, and community to unlock lasting impact. Participants gain access to essential firm-building resources, a network of key service providers, peer learning, complimentary executive coaching, and capital in support of each fund’s backend operations.
The Fall 2025 cohort welcomes GPs from 18 funds; 28% have at least one GP who is Black, 17% Asian, 11% LatinX, 6% LGBTQ, and 28% first generation US citizens. The participating funds are headquartered across the US, and over half of the managers are raising a Fund I. Sectors of fund focus vary across verticals including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence, climate tech, enterprise, fintech, future of work and health & wellness.
The third cohort of Recast Accelerate includes:
- Anabel Paksoy, Soso Sazesh, & Dustin Dolginow – 43
- Clara Lindh – 528Hz
- David Olivencia & Adela Capeda – Angeles Ventures
- Ariel Ganz – Arben Ventures
- Paige Doherty – Behind Genius Ventures
- Kimmy Paluch & Sergio Paluch – Beta Boom
- Miriam Altman-Reyes & Sumit Singh – Brass Ring Ventures
- Sarah Fu – Elsa Capital
- Liz Hartley – Good Reason
- Leslie Feinzaig – Graham & Walker
- Ashley Bittner – Kalos Ventures
- Karen LeVert – LeVert Ventures
- Sharon Ji – Phoenix Rising
- Stacey Seltzer – Pontiva Healthcare Partners
- Erica Duignan & Monique Idlett – Reign Ventures
- Rebecca Mitchell – Scrub Capital
- Kelli Jones – Sixty8 Capital
- Kimberly Moore – U&I Ventures
A selection committee of limited partners with experience working with next-generation managers in venture supported the review process, including Ashlie Tyler of Bank of America, Geoffrey Abrahams of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Margot Kane of Spring Point Partners, Matt Rho of Avivar Capital, Regina Cho of Crewcial Partners, and Akobe Sandy of MassMutual.
Building upon the success of and learnings from the first two cohorts, Cohort III participants will have expanded access to Recast Capital’s network of shared service providers. Accelerate covers the cost of critical functions, including investor relations, AI and automations support for operational efficiencies, pitch refinement, and sales workshops.
“Every new Accelerate cohort is a reminder of why this work matters. Each manager brings an extraordinary blend of talent, grit, and vision; qualities our industry needs now more than ever,” says Courtney McCrea, Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “Since day one, our mission has been to break down barriers that have historically limited access for next-generation managers and to demonstrate that investing in diverse perspectives strengthens returns and the ecosystem as a whole. Accelerate is integral to our driving lasting change in venture.”
“Over the past two cohorts, we’ve seen how this program accelerates the success of stellar managers, helping them build highly competitive firms with staying power,” says Sara Zulkosky, Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “With this third cohort underway, I’m grateful for the managers who have trusted us as partners in their journey and so appreciative of the LPs, advisors, coaches, and partners who have rallied behind Accelerate. Still, this is only the beginning. Reshaping the venture capital ecosystem takes persistence and collective action. I encourage the LP community to connect with us, meet these remarkable managers, and find ways to be part of this momentum.”
Recast launched Accelerate to test the hypothesis that increasing female representation in VC general partner positions will increase VC funding to women and other underrepresented founders. As such, Recast is collaborating with the Milken Institute to study the impact of this program. After two years of gathering quantitative and qualitative data from the first two Accelerate cohorts, Milken recently published The Missing Billions, Analyzing the Impact of Women-Led Fund Managers.
The results in the report are powerful. Nearly half of the companies funded by Accelerate participants have at least one female-identifying founder or CEO, well above the industry average of 25%. Further, a third of these companies include a first-generation US citizen in their leadership, 17% include one or more women of color, 9% include LGBTQIA+ persons, 3% include disabled persons, and 2% include veteran founders or CEOs. Notably, Accelerate participants reported not having challenges identifying startups with diverse founders, pointing to their networks and overwhelming dealflow of this kind.
The challenge that venture faces is not a talent shortage but disproportionate capital allocation. The report highlights how firms led by women manage less than 2% of global assets under management despite delivering performance equal to or better than their peers. By supporting women and nonbinary-led next-generation managers, Accelerate helps to spur investment activity in high-potential areas by providing the resources and support that help talented managers build enduring franchises.
Early support for Accelerate comes from Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company. The Accelerate participant experience is also supported in 2025 by our partners Strut Consulting, Gunderson Dettmer, Sydecar, Mercury, Antares Capital, Banc of California, Standish Fund Management, Frank, Rimerman & Co., and Withum.
Recast Accelerate is a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Recast is looking to bring additional funders on board to broaden the program’s reach, include more managers in future cohorts, and provide more funding to the managers.
To learn more about Recast Accelerate and explore how you can get involved, visit: https://recastcapital.com/accelerate/ and reach out to us via email at [email protected].
About Recast
Recast Capital is a 100% women-owned venture capital platform that invests in and supports top-tier next-generation funds, focusing on managers with compelling backgrounds outside the norm. The platform was built to drive returns and create substantive change in the venture industry.
Founded by seasoned, institutionally-trained fund investors Courtney McCrea and Sara Zulkosky, Recast Capital leverages its deep network and exceptional track record to provide its limited partners diversified exposure to top-performing next-generation managers, as well as access to a pipeline of the future’s industry-leading franchises.
Recast’s GP Programs serve as a powerful complement to its fund investment strategy, providing learning and development opportunities for next-generation managers in venture. These efforts underscore Recast’s commitment to supporting the growth of a venture community that includes investors from a range of backgrounds that are identifying the industry leading companies of tomorrow.
Learn more at www.recastcapital.com.
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