VC Basic Definition :
A venture capitalist (VC) is a private equity investor that provides capital to companies exhibiting high growth potential in exchange for an equity stake (Investopedia).
Articles/Books Explaining What VC is:
Venture Deals = Holy Grail of VC explanations: This book will tell you everything you need to know about how VC's operate and a lot about their thought process.
Secrets of Sand Hill Road - How to get funding and a great overview of VC from Scott Kupor a Managing Partner at Andressen Horowitz
For those who prefer Visuals more than a long book: This is a really good visual representation of Venture and is super helpful! It is also probably better if you click on Original on this notion page to access this link in a separate tab.
https://dlopuch.github.io/venture-dealr/
Also if Venture Deals and Venture Dealr does not answer all of your questions about what VC is in general and how it works, here is an incredibly in-depth slide show that offers a lot more clarity!
Great Articles on VC Mindset: Why an investment isn't a bet and Founder vs. VC:
How being a startup CEO compares to being a VC
Venture Investments Are Not Bets
Here is a great Article on Cap Tables: Cap Tables are pretty much spreadsheets that show how much each party owns of a company. Super important for understanding your stake as a founder. It also has a great template.