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Private Event

VC in DC's 2026 State of the Market

VC in DC

Washington, District of Columbia

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About Event

VC in DC invites you to join us for our second annual State of the Market, an invite-only convening of leading general partners across the region. This year’s program will be anchored by keynote remarks from Peter Walker (Carta), sharing a data-driven view of venture performance and early-stage market dynamics, alongside Bobby Franklin, President & CEO of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), offering a national perspective on venture, policy, and capital formation.

The event will bring together a highly curated group of investors for thoughtful discussion on early-stage trends, IPO and M&A pathways, and the sectors shaping DC’s next chapter—including defense and dual-use technologies, cybersecurity, regulated industries, and national resilience. Additional program details will be shared in the months ahead, but we encourage you to register early to secure your spot and add the event to your calendar.

Please note: attendance is invite-only, and all invitations are non-transferable.

Agenda is subject to change.

3:00-3:45pm Registration
3:45-3:50pm Welcome Remarks
3:50-4:20pm Keynote Address - Bobby Franklin
4:30-5:00pm Keynote Address - Peter Walker
5:00-7:30pm Cocktail Reception

With the administration now more than a year into its term, policy direction continues to evolve in ways that materially affect venture capital and innovation. In his second consecutive State of the Market address, Bobby Franklin will share an updated perspective on emerging policy priorities, what they could mean for venture capital over the coming years, and how the NVCA advocates for the industry—working to protect the venture business model while supporting portfolio companies navigating an increasingly complex and dynamic policy landscape.

Bobby Franklin, NVCA: Since 2013, Bobby Franklin has served as the proud President and CEO of NVCA – the National Venture Capital Association. Under his stewardship, NVCA has emerged as the preeminent voice of the U.S. startup ecosystem, advocating for public policies that foster innovation and drive economic growth. With a relentless commitment to supporting American entrepreneurs, Bobby has positioned NVCA as a driving force in shaping the landscape of venture capital.

Drawing on Carta’s unparalleled dataset across private markets, Peter Walker will deliver a data-driven keynote examining how venture capital is evolving at the early stages—and what those shifts signal for the years ahead. His remarks will explore national fundraising, deployment, and performance trends, while placing the DC ecosystem in context: how it compares to other major venture hubs, where it is outperforming expectations, and where its unique sector mix—defense, cyber, dual-use, and regulated industries—positions it differently on the national stage.

Peter Walker, Carta: Peter runs the Insights team at Carta, focused on discovering key data and narratives across the private capital ecosystem. In a former life, he was a marketing executive for a media analytics startup and led the data visualization team at the Covid Tracking Project.