How this 23-year-old venture capitalist is helping Gen Z create new ways to break into the VC world

<p><img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/60120be31d2df20018b713f1-2267/Meagan Headshot.jpeg" border="0" alt="Meagan loyst" data-mce-source="Meagan Loyst" data-mce-caption="Meagan Loyst landed her first VC job in September. She now runs a massive Slack channel of young investors hoping to make their mark on Silicon Valley."></p><p></p><bi-shortcode id="summary-shortcode" data-type="summary-shortcode" class="mceNonEditable" contenteditable="false">Summary List Placement</bi-shortcode><p>To get a job at a venture capital firm, you often need to know the right people, go to the right school, and have years of experience in similar fields. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-vcs-slack-movement-venture-capital-investing-tiktok-sway-2021-1">Gen Z is here to change that.&nbsp;</a></p><p>"Young VCs are seeing the power in their voices," Gen Z VC Meagan Loyst told Insider. "They're seeing the path to being an investor become more accessible."&nbsp;</p><p>Loyst, who works as an analyst at early-stage firm Lerer Hippeau, is giving young&nbsp;financiers a chance to get in on the action with her Gen Z Beta Club. The club's mission is to connect Gen Z students interested in venture capital with startup founders by allowing them to participate in the startups' beta programs.&nbsp;</p><p>But Loyst says the club won't be like most beta programs, where a user downloads a new app and then gives the company feedback.</p><p>Instead, Loyst wants the Gen Z Beta Club to have a "real community aspect." She's planning Q&amp;A sessions between founders and students, campus ambassador programs, and potential internships at the startups.&nbsp;</p><p>She said the project will help students gain the skills they need to work in venture capital, from learning about startup business models to giving constructive product feedback.&nbsp;</p><p>"My job is to make sure thatas much as students and their feedback is helping companiesit's also creating real opportunity and learning for the students as well," she said.&nbsp;</p><p>Basically, she's trying to build an alternative path into the world of venture capitalism.</p><h2>Creating opportunities for Gen Z VCs&nbsp;</h2><p>This project is a natural extension of Loyst's past year, where she accidentally created what she describes as a "movement to elevate the perspective of Gen Z in the VC community." In November, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/young-vcs-are-gathering-by-the-hundreds-in-a-slack-channel-2020-11">she created a Slack group </a>for fellow Gen Z VCs, expecting it to just be a place for a few of her industry friends to chat. It now has around 4,000 members.</p><p>After the Slack channel blew up, Loyst became the go-to person for Lerer Hippeau's portfolio companies to ask about Gen Z.&nbsp;</p><p>"I was like, you know, this is great and I love that I can answer these questions," she said. "But there's clearly a needpeople want to hear the Gen Z perspective."</p><p>Gen Z Beta Club is her way of providing companies access to a young consumer cohort, while also allowing her Slack community access to founders and startups. The club already has over 400 members, with no limit as to how many can join, Loyst said. Gen Z students can sign up <a href="https://johtylgzvw2.typeform.com/to/QXWSbMKd">using this form.</a> &nbsp;</p><p>It's crucial to Loyst that the program is open to everyone, regardless of where they go to school or what they study.&nbsp;</p><p>"It's students everywhere that are united just by an interest in entrepreneurship and tech and VC," she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The first company they'll be testing is <a href="https://buzzer.com/">Buzzer, a sports-streaming app</a> that allows personalized notifications. Loyst says they're planning a Q&amp;A with the founder, Bo Han, as early as next week.&nbsp;</p><p>This is just the beginning for Loyst. She eventually plans to facilitate more beta programs through the club and possibly create a newsletter to help members discover other startups. But mostly, she wants to keep providing creative ways for Gen Z to get their foot in the door.&nbsp;</p><p>"I want to do my best to be a leader, to create opportunity for everyone in the community and just do right by everyone," she said. "And I think creating alternative pathways for people to break into VC and break into tech is a fantastic way to do that."&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dee-poku-spalding-wants-women-to-make-lots-of-deals-2021-1">Secret power broker Dee Poku-Spalding has a massive waiting list for her new company for women. 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