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Breaking into VC

The ultimate guide by Pietro Invernizzi (@pinverrr)

Getting a job in Venture Capital ("VC") is hard. The industry is small and very unstructured. Jobs are rarely advertised online and no one really knows where to start.

With more and more people looking to break in every day, you can't be like everybody else if you want a seat at the table:

"Venture Capitalists ("VCs") looking to hire you are searching for someone who can help them invest in companies that they otherwise would not have invested in without you." - Erik Torenberg

What will it take to be that someone and to stand out from the crowd? Since I broke in a few years ago, I get asked that question a lot.

While my LinkedIn shows a somewhat straightforward path (Investment Banking → Startup Advisory @ The Family → VC Investing @ Stride.VC), it hides a ton of questionable tweets I tried to write; a bunch of social media posts I obliged all my friends to 'like & share'; a couple of failed angel investments; and a massive pile of readings...

I was very lucky to have landed where I did - and what I did is not necessarily going to work for everyone - but here's what I've learned:

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There are 5 main hacks to stand out from the crowd and break into VC - all of which you can start doing today (in no particular order): ⒈ Develop your opinion / thesis about the world ⒉ Build your startup portfolio (real or fantasy) ⒊ Make yourself seen, by building your personal brand ⒋ Start helping founders right away ⒌ Don't ask VCs for a job; provide value instead Before digging into these hacks and making them yours through the chapters below, you should ask yourself whether you really want to be a VC and what key skills you will need to become a good one. Once that's done and you've mastered these hacks, I've put together a bunch of resources / further reads at the end of this guide to practically help you get started.

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Pre-read 1: Start with why. Do you really want to be a VC?

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Pre-read 2: The 9 skills you will need to become a VC

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Hack 1: Develop your opinion / thesis about the world

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Hack 2: Build your startup portfolio (real or fantasy)

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Hack 3: Make yourself seen, by building your personal brand

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Hack 4: Start helping founders right away

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Hack 5: Don't ask VCs for a job; provide value instead

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Further read 1: Who to target / choosing your way

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Further read 2: What does the life of a VC look like?

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Further read 3: What are the backgrounds of people working in VC?

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Further read 4: Perusing the VC library

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Note: This guide is Open Source

Thank you Fred Destin, Harry Stebbings, Gaby Goldberg, David Obwaller, Mario Gabriele, Erika Batista, Max Kufner, Lola Wajskop, Akash Bajwa & Clara Power for helping me structure my thoughts.