Steps to Become a Venture Capitalist

Breaking into VC is notoriously hard. The industry is small and opaque, making it challenging for most to understand what's happening behind the scenes. The number of hopeful VCs is actually so high that "VC Prep" companies have popped up, akin to LSAT/GMAT and college admission prep courses. Some of those may help to an extent, for example to learn the VC terminology, but beware of falling prey to scams. Some programs are run by people who have seldom worked in VC and may not represent the industry particularly well. Know that publishing on your LinkedIn profile or resume that you graduated from some of those programs may signal adverse selection bias and reduce your odds of being considered for VC roles. I, for one, believe you don't have to pay to play. Here are a few free or very low-cost strategies and resources that, quite frankly, should do the trick in most cases: 1. Talk to VCs in your age group. If you don't know any, that's exactly the point. Networking and hustling your way into the VC community will be a big part of the job you're aspiring to get, so you might as well start now. Active VCs your age or slightly senior to you (as well as semi-retired ones) may have more incentives and/or time to guide you. The Emerging Venture Capitalists Association (EVCA) might be more helpful after you land your first VC role, but networking your way into its members can be highly beneficial. The signal-to-noise ratio is excellent, and I'm always impressed by the young VCs running the organization. https://www.evca.org/ 2. Follow VC bloggers religiously. This list is a bit dated but should be a great starting point: https://lnkd.in/gxPMpGq8 3. Learn the jargon. A great resource is The Young VC's Handbook, which was collectively written by a group of 50+ young VCs, many of whom I know well and respect highly. All book sales proceeds go to helping underprivileged children attend primary school in Bangladesh. https://amzn.to/4ftlYq9 Here's also a deal sheet template, which can be used to track your deals once you land your first VC role: https://lnkd.in/gSD3dX2x 4. Remember that Venture Capital is a highly competitive industry. The proportion of young people landing a VC investment job is extremely low, and the baseline to even be considered for an interview usually includes truly exceptional academic achievements and having gotten a highly selective job out of college. While many paths can lead to VC, the most common ones are (in no particular order): 1. Consulting (typically at McKinsey, Bain, or BCG) 2. Investment banking at bulge brackets or elite boutique banks 3. Product or engineering at top tech companies or rapidly-growing startups (Google, Meta, Uber, OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) 4. Having founded your own startup (ideally backed by selective accelerators such as YC). The more traction you got, the higher the odds. Good luck!

Harsh truth: No one’s coming to hand you a VC job. Here’s how to break in anyway: With a PERSONAL pitch deck. Most people think the way into venture looks like this: • Apply to a job • Wait for a warm intro • Hope someone replies But venture isn’t like banking or consulting. There’s no formal pipeline. No training program. No defined path. The best way to stand out? Act like an investor before you are one. That’s where the deck comes in. A personal pitch deck is the most underrated way to break into VC (Not a resume. Not a cold email) A short, tight presentation that says: “Here’s how I think, what I’ve done, and why I’ll help your fund win.” I’ve seen it work. Again and again. It’s how you get into final rounds. It’s how you earn the meeting. The best decks are clear. Here’s what a great one includes: • Who you are (background in 1 slide) • What you’ve done (proof you can spot winners or support founders) • How you think (your POV on a space, thesis, or sector) • What you want (the specific role or fund you’re targeting) And MOST importantly: • How you’ll add value: sourcing, portfolio support, founder networks, content, or ops. Remember: every GP is asking the same question: “How will this person help us make better investments?” Your deck is your shot to answer that. Proactively. Confidently. Visually. Most candidates send a PDF resume. You send a 5-slide investment case FOR YOURSELF. That alone puts you in the top 1%. VCs don’t need another cold DM. They need signal! P.S. If you’re building a deck and want real examples, I broke down how I did it here: https://lnkd.in/gFFXdzh9 You can even get my template here: https://lnkd.in/gm4KUCQj #venturecapital

How to break into venture: 1/ Spend 2+ years at a Series A or B company. Pick one where the product is in market but process is still forming. At this stage decisions land on whoever is willing to act, so titles matter less than outcomes. You’ll leave with first-hand knowledge of hiring, missed forecasts, and resourcing. 2/ Own a measurable result. Ship a release that moves conversion, close a six-figure ARR customer, drop gross-margin cost by 10%. The absolute number is less important than having a before-and-after you can explain in one sentence. 3/ Feel customer pain directly. Answer support tickets, sit in renewal calls, or ride along on field implementations. Most seed founders wrestle with churn and feedback loops. Investors who can speak that language credibly stand out. 4/ Start a micro-angel portfolio (even $1–2 k per deal). Small checks teach pattern recognition. You’ll learn how long diligence really takes, what red flags repeat, and which founders hit milestones versus not. If personal capital is tight, join an angel syndicate or scout program. 5/ When you approach a firm, lead with: → Problem: 20% trial drop-off → Fix: rebuilt onboarding in 4 sprints → Impact: +8% conversion, payback -1 mo → Tie to Investing: same loop accelerates PMF To all my former operator VC friends, what sorts of ways did you stand out when making the transition? Share it below 👇