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Nick, Climate Venture Fellow at Early stage VC: Advize Career Interview
A geography degree led to a dynamic career path, starting with roles in startups and culminating in a Climate Venture Fellow position at an early-stage VC firm.
This exciting role involves early-stage investing in sustainability and climate tech startups, providing crucial funding and mentorship to founders.
A typical day includes deal sourcing, relationship building, and extensive research to identify promising investments. Success requires strong analytical and interpersonal skills, resilience, and empathy.
The most rewarding aspect is the potential for significant, large-scale impact on both individuals and industries, although the independent nature of the work requires proactive community building.
Entry-level opportunities exist as analysts, focused on research and synthesis, providing a pathway to higher-level roles.
A key lesson learned is the invaluable importance of building strong relationships for both personal well-being and career success, highlighting the importance of self-discovery and understanding diverse perspectives in navigating a fulfilling and impactful career.
Advizer Information
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Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Nick Rojas
Climate Venture Fellow
Early stage VC
UCLA
University of Michigan, Ross School of Business MBA, School for the Environment and Sustainability MS Sustainable Systems
Environmental & Related Sciences
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Climate, Environment and Sustainability
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
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Career Path Of A Climate Venture Fellow At An Early Stage Venture Capital
After graduating with a geography degree, Nick's career path was a journey of self-discovery, starting with a year at their university's alumni office before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, where four startups provided experience in customer support, marketing, and event management. This led them to pursue a dual MBA/MS in sustainability, culminating in a Climate Venture Fellow role focused on "bringing ideas outta the lab into the market" through early-stage investing.
Main Responsibilities of a Climate Venture Fellow at Early Stage Venture Capital Firm
Nick's role as a Climate Venture Fellow involves early-stage investing in the private markets, focusing on securing "that first hundred thousand to million dollars" for startups in the sustainability and climate sectors, spanning diverse areas like "micro mobility" and "food and agriculture". Beyond financial support, a critical aspect of the role is providing mentorship and guidance to founders, assisting with challenges such as business development, marketing, and team building to maximize startup success.
A Day In The Life Of A Climate Venture Fellow At An Early Stage Venture Capital Firm
A senior associate at an early-stage VC firm specializing in climate tech spends their day "reading and keeping up to date," cultivating relationships with other firms for co-investment opportunities, and actively sourcing deals by engaging with founders through inbound requests and targeted outreach—all culminating in proposing potential investments to senior partners. This involves "building those human relationships" and leveraging resources like PitchBook to identify promising companies.
Most Important Skills For A Climate Venture Fellow In Early Stage VC
For a successful career as a Climate Venture Fellow, strong research and synthesis skills are crucial – the ability to "distill...a hundred-page report...to eight sentences" is vital. Equally important are soft skills like empathy and relationship-building, as success hinges on "building that trust" with founders and colleagues, understanding their needs, and navigating the inherent risks of early-stage investing.
Favorite Parts Of Being A Climate Venture Fellow At An An Early Stage Venture Capital Firm
Nick, a Climate Venture Fellow, thrives on the unpredictable nature of early-stage investing, describing the work as having "a constantly changing set of priorities" that keeps each day exciting and impactful. This dynamic environment, coupled with a strong sense of ownership and the knowledge that their presence directly affects the team, provides a deeply fulfilling experience.
Biggest Challenges Faced by a Climate Venture Fellow at Early Stage Venture Capital
Nick's biggest challenge as a Climate Venture Fellow is balancing "unique perspective" with unconscious bias in investment decisions, a critical issue given venture capital's historical homogeneity. The inherent risk is overlooking promising founders from underrepresented groups, resulting in missed market opportunities and a morally questionable outcome.
Favorite Parts of Working in the Venture Capital Industry as a Climate Venture Fellow
Nick, a Climate Venture Fellow, finds the potential for large-scale impact most rewarding, stating that "the work...has an impact for...individuals and orders of magnitude that I can even fathom sometimes." Early-stage investments, as seen with tech giants like Google and Facebook, can nurture companies that not only grow significantly but also revolutionize industries and improve lives, a prospect particularly fulfilling within the climate and sustainability sector.
What type of person thrives in the Venture Capital industry according to a Climate Venture Fellow at an Early Stage VC Firm
Success in early-stage venture capital requires resilience, as "the success rate...is 5% if that," demanding the ability to learn from failures and persevere. A crucial element is empathy, understanding that investments impact "other humans" significantly, fostering responsible behavior for long-term success and strong deal flow; furthermore, natural curiosity is key to critically evaluating opportunities and identifying truly innovative solutions.
What A Climate Venture Fellow At Early Stage VC Wishes They Knew Before Venture Capital
Despite the team-based nature of venture capital, Nick's experience reveals a significant amount of independent work, leading to potential feelings of isolation; the interviewee emphasizes the importance of proactively building a supportive community and network, both inside and outside of one's firm, to combat this "individually driven" aspect of the role and maintain well-being, especially with remote work becoming more prevalent.
Entry-level positions for aspiring early stage VC Analysts
Entry-level climate venture capital roles often begin as analyst positions, focusing on "information gathering, synthesizing it, and making it easily digestible" for senior colleagues. This crucial research function, demonstrating the ability to summarize complex information and offer insightful commentary, forms the foundation for career progression to associate and senior associate roles involving direct founder interaction and investment decision-making.
Significant Career Lesson From a Climate Venture Fellow at Early Stage VC
Nick, a Climate Venture Fellow, emphasizes the immense value of relationship-building, stating that "when things get tough...those tough times are a little bit easier" when strong connections exist. This was exemplified by their experience resolving a major bug quickly through informal communication with colleagues, demonstrating how cultivating personal connections, even beyond formal channels, led to faster problem-solving and career advancement.
College Experiences That Helped A Climate Venture Fellow At An Early Stage Venture Capital Firm Succeed
Nick, a Climate Venture Fellow, reflects on their undergraduate experience, emphasizing the importance of self-discovery rather than solely focusing on career planning. The interviewee advises exploring "what are you good at, what do you enjoy doing, what will you get paid to do, and what does the planet need," suggesting iterative experimentation through internships to identify a fulfilling and impactful career path.
How Identity Has Influenced a Climate Venture Fellow at Venture Capital's Career
Nick's multiracial background, encompassing Colombian and European heritage, fostered an ability to "bridge the gap between spaces" and understand diverse perspectives, a skill crucial in their project management career. This capacity for empathy, honed through navigating various communities—"white and Latino," "queer with interests that are straight"—allows effective stakeholder engagement by prioritizing understanding "what's important to your stakeholders" before defining project success.
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