Venture capital firms typically recruit new partners by turning to people who have prior connections to existing partners. But amid an intensified push to find more women, some firms are trying a different tack.

Some VC firms are using executive search firms to identify qualified female candidates who may not already be known by the existing partners. Others said they had created internal programs that recruit young investors, including women, who could one day rise to partner. Several other firms reported that they had added their first female partners after spending time getting to know them to build a relationship with people outside their existing network of associates.