As you continue to expand your network and get more assimilated into the VC world online - the time will eventually come to get offline experience with a fund. For many, this journey will begin at the entry level, often with internships or analyst positions.. Now if you’re a career switcher, you can certainly qualify for higher level positions so not all newbies will have to start at ground zero. Unfortunately one of the most common occurrences in VC is internal hires and private job postings. Meaning roles are rarely posted on public forums or they are not marketed as heavily to those outside of the funds network.
This is where your network will come in handy. Newsletters, thought leaders and communities will often share roles which is why building a strong network before you start to apply is super important. Activate that network and reach out to those that you’ve met along the way - some might be able to give you a warm intro or ask in their networks for open roles.
Another great way to find open positions is through job platforms specifically for VC and startup roles. Startup&VC was made for this very purpose, we wanted to make VC roles more accessible and easy to find when the time comes. Other platforms that share open roles include:
Startup&VC: Access 50+ new VC jobs every week in our newsletter built up of over 10k readers. Visit our website to use our free resources such as Interview question trainer and a free CV template.
John Gannons Newsletter: Over 20,000 readers tune in every week to view subscriber-only VC job postings and tips for building a career in venture. The online platform has hundreds of roles you can sort by location and title.
Venture Capital Careers: This platform has a job board you can sort through by salary, location, title and commitment. The talent collective allows you to create a profile so you can get in front of eager funds when hiring comes around. Not to mention their community and salary calculator is completely free to access.
Finally, let’s say you have a few funds in mind but there’s no public job listing and your network is unaware of their hiring status. This is the perfect opportunity to try a cold email. Yes, this is quite common in the VC world, especially considering their history of quiet hires. Like any cold email attempt, your pitch has to be strong and you need to demonstrate a clear fit. That’s why I would reserve this for funds that align the closest to your interests and where you can bring the most value. Pro tip: One piece of advice I received that might help when cold emailing is to try and reach out after a VC fund has raised their next round from their LPs - this is often the period where they will be more open to new hires. However unlike finance, for example, there are no standard hiring cycles in VC so don’t hesitate to pitch yourself.
I have written my fair share of cold emails but looking back they often became resume summaries. Obviously you want to create some sort of legitimacy around why you specifically are reaching out. However, the area where I fell short was providing value. If you want to be a part of the fund, the best way is to act like you already are. Make them see exactly where you would fit in. So, this could be something like offering them a deal flow that fits their thesis, or writing a blog piece on the sector they invest in if they’re a content heavy fund.
If you have an interesting background or experience, then try to find ways to pitch yourself outside of writing a paragraph long email and attaching a resume. For example, Nicole DeTommaso shared a presentation on where she could add value to the fund when applying to Harlem Capital. Essentially these were points they could’ve inferred from her resume, but she approached the situation with a VC mindset. VCs are accustomed to evaluating startup pitch decks, and she tailored her argument accordingly, reducing the brain power required on their part. VCs are accustomed to evaluating startup pitch decks, and she tailored her argument accordingly, reducing the brain power required on their part.
Alternative Paths to break into VC
A lot of what we’ve covered assumes that you're either starting from scratch or you’ve discovered your interest in VC at the start of your studies. What continues to be the most common way people have found venture is through being in other careers. Only recently have student led programs started to prepare for a direct entrance into the field. Here are the most common alternative paths into VC:
Founder to VC is notably the most appealing pathway into VC. It’s quite a clear value add to bring on a former founder, ideally with experience in the investment sectors, to join a fund. They usually have strong networks that they can utilize as well as an experiential eye.
Startup Employee to VC stands close behind since operating experience, especially those who were early employees allow them to see the inner workings and difficulties that pop up. Once again this gives investors perspective on the blockers that could come up in a startup or how to support the current portfolio.
Angel Investor to VC allows you to demonstrate strong investment skills of the bat. Joining a fund with a portfolio of your own immediately proves your ability to source, screen and make intelligent investment calls (hopefully). .
Investment Banking or consulting to VC is a fairly common path mostly because they are adjacent industries and usually run by those with similar academic backgrounds. Coming from this field proves financial and analytical competency but certainly would require more of an edge to stand out.
The Role of Side Projects, Blogs, and Personal Branding
VC is a hot career track and for each role there are hundreds of applicants. You always have to ask yourself how you can stand out from the crowd. This is where the value of building a personal brand comes in. You can treat your personal brand as your unique selling point. It shows the character you wish people to know about, what you can bring to the table and your values. By building that, you are becoming a thought leader and trusted authority. This can help you build meaningful relationships and connections which VC is all about, instead of just the reputation part.
Many notable figures in VC came to be known through their strong personal brand. Meagan Loyst was working at Leerer Hippau when she started the community GenZ VCs. Today Megan works full time on GenZ VCs and the global community is made up of 25,000+ founders, operators, angel investors and aspiring VCs.
Paige Finn is the founding partner of Behind Genius Ventures but also wrote a children's book on venture called seed to harvest. She now hosts a podcast with the same name interviewing founders, creators, and investors about their frameworks and stories.
Packy McCormick started Not Boring Capital to help those learning about what’s going on in business and the strategy behind the decisions companies make. Today it’s the #1 Business Newsletter on Substack with 125,000+ readers. From writing Packy and Daniel McCormick raised a fund with the same name and started a talent collective.
If you’re deciding on where to start, I would think about what you naturally enjoy creating. If you are coming from a research heavy background then more long-from deep dives could be interesting. Regardless of the sector, there’s always tons of information you can dissect and if you can do it in a way that’s understandable and digestible - you’re golden. If writing isn’t your strong suit, then a newsletter or short form content could be a good option. Remember that creation is the most important part, yes if you can grow a huge reader base that will help, but producing content out of pure curiosity is just as attractive. If for example, a student is consistently writing about e-commerce all the time then it might be interesting for a VC fund investing in ecommerce startups since it shows expertise and drive. If design is your strong suit, then creating infographics or pushing content on LinkedIn or a dedicated Instagram page could be where you shine. The types of content you create to build a personal brand matters less than the consistency and quality. Demonstrate your curiosity, independence and drive - and you’ll always be giving yourself an edge in the application process.
