Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Venture Capitalists
Angel, a President at i2i Corporate Strategies and partner in a fund of funds, advises that undergraduate students interested in venture capital (VC) should target internships as "it's a pretty tricky industry to get into" otherwise. Post-graduation, an MBA is typically required to gain entry-level VC roles due to the need for experience in judging startups and establishing industry networks.
Venture Capital, Internships, MBA, Networking, Financial Analysis
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Angel Orrantia
President
i2i Corporate Strategies
Stanford
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey; Notre Dame - JD
Engineering - Electrical
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing), Law
Business Strategy
International Student, Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Internships are available at most VC firms, providing undergraduates with entry-level experience.
2. An MBA is typically required for post-graduate roles in the VC industry.
3. Breaking into VC straight from undergrad is difficult due to a lack of experience and network.
4. Gaining experience through internships can increase your chances of success later on
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
Most VC funds have internships, so as an undergrad, you can always join a VC as an intern. I'm a partner in a fund of funds now, meaning we invest into other funds; we don't invest directly into startups. Even in that role, we have a couple of interns working with us.
Once you graduate, it's a little challenging to get into the VC industry. Usually, you need to have an MBA, and then coming out of business school, you're eligible to be recruited by VCs.
Other than that, it's not an easy industry to enter fresh out of being an undergrad. You just don't have enough experience to judge startups in terms of their quality so that you can invest in them. You also don't have the network because you haven't been in the industry long enough, so you don't have people you can call up to get meetings and socialize the concept with.
As an undergrad, it's a pretty tricky industry to get into. As an intern, you can definitely do it, and that will give you some motivation if you later want to get a Master's or an MBA in economics or general business administration. After that point, it becomes much easier to get a job with a VC firm or a private equity group, basically some sort of investment organization.
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