[cperciva]

how people invest in VC funds

Step 1: Acquire several million dollars.

Step 2: Talk to the VCs who funded your company and ask if they're looking for more limited partners, or if they know any good funds which are.

VC funds are even less liquid than hedge funds. They're not something you can buy into easily unless you have a lot of cash and a lot of connections.

[ikrima]

So the investors are just 20-30 high net worth individuals? From an investing point of view, I'd be curious to see the returns and mechanics of VC funds. The highest returns I've ever come across on a hedge fund was 30% ROE over 10 years....until the quant fund blew up with the housing crises

[cperciva]

So the investors are just 20-30 high net worth individuals?

More often 20-30 high net worth institutions -- university endowment funds, pension funds, and suchlike -- but I imagine many VCs have a few individual investors too.