Want to Work in VC? Here’s How
I’m often asked by people, “how do I get into VC?” and I normally respond by saying, “there is no easy path. It’s often a combination of luck, relationships & timing. Often these jobs aren’t even publicized.”
Well, I know 3–4 VC jobs that are publicly available. GRP Partners is looking to hire two analysts (maybe even three) to join our practice in Los Angeles. There is no “exact” specification I can give you for what would constitute the successful candidate because it could be somebody from a wide variety of backgrounds. At the highest level we’re looking for somebody really intelligent, digitally native, financially numerate and interested in startups.
This person was almost certainly graduated from a top 20 university and probably with excellent grades & test scores. Why? Well, aside from it showing discipline and intelligence — we always get flooded with emails when we recruit and when you have to manage volume you need to go for obvious filters. If this isn’t you, we’d probably still have a look if you did something truly exceptional — probably at startup or tech firm.
The chosen candidate will probably have worked for a very reputable firm that is either in technology, consulting, investment banking, media or a startup. If you worked for firms like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Goldman Sachs, Google and the like you’re probably more likely to rise to the top of the stack. Or if you did something really interesting / innovative in a startup company. Are we elitist? No, we’re pretty down to earth people here. And none of our partners actually worked for any of these firms. So it’s not a “non starter” if you didn’t. But every time I do recruiting I get so many applicants that don’t come close to the spec that I feel I have to put up at least some filters to avoid people unlikely to be hired from putting in too much work.
The likely candidate will probably have graduated with an undergraduate degree in the past 5 years. We’re willing to accept people who were graduated only 2 years ago and would maybe consider somebody who was graduated around 7 years ago. But we’re not likely looking for somebody who has too much experience, like 10+ years. That wouldn’t be a fit for what the role is and you wouldn’t be happy. Every time I do recruiting I get somebody who says, “I’m willing to take a step back in my career to work in VC.” This isn’t likely to appeal to us. But I would never take any option completely off the table. We’re open.
We want somebody who is ready, willing and able to debate tech with us. Where do you think things are heading? What is the future of social media, digital television or mobile computing. We also have a very strong financial services practice so we welcome people with this interest area, too.
We want applicants who are either in LA or have a compelling reason to be in LA. Please make that clear in your cover letter. Yes, we require a cover letter. While it might sound antiquated to you, I want to know that you’re committed to this application rather than just chucking in your resume. I will not consider applicants without a cover letter. Plus, show me you can write!
What is the timeframe? Now. Yesterday. We need help. I’m already 2 weeks late in writing this blog post as my partners keep reminding me ;-)
So how do I apply?
- Send an email with your CV & cover letter to VCAnalystRole@gmail.com — make it clear whether you are in LA or if not why you want to be in LA.
- Please do not email either me directly. This will be considered negatively. It adds sooo much overhead to my effort
- Be patient. We like to get a flow of applicants in before processing.
- When the process has closed I will update this post to say so.
Position:
Analyst
Background:
GRP Partners is a Los Angeles based Venture Capital firm with additional operations in London and Paris. Since 1982 our partners have invested in some of the leading global brands you know today including Starbucks, Costco and PetSmart. In the technology space we have backed Overture (acquired by Yahoo!), LastMinute.com (acquired by Travelocity), DealerTrack (NASDAQ: TRAK), Bill Me Later (acquired by eBay) and many others. We manage nearly $1 billion.
Role:
We are looking for an analyst to join our team on a full-time basis. The analyst will be involved in the following activities:
- Tracking investment opportunities / companies
- Analyzing industries / companies
- Assisting on company due diligence
- Monitoring & reporting on company performance
- Responding to portfolio company requests
- Contributing overall with marketing and community outreach activities
Must-Have Experience / Attributes:
We are looking for an individual with at least 3–5 years’ experience in a leading strategy consulting, investment banking, venture capital or technology or media firm. You must possess the following experience / attributes:
- Graduated from a top-tier undergraduate school with top-notch grades
- Excellent analytical capabilities
- Natural networker with a proven track-record of establishing broad relationships
- Self starter
- A knowledge of and interest in how technology is changing the business landscape
Compensation:
Excellent cash, bonus + carry ($ depending on experience)
