5 Lessons from 3 Years in VC

The Early Newsletter | 15th Edition

Happy Friday! 🎉 Check out the above post of the week by Graham Weaver (Founder of Alpine Investors), via Brad Klune - the lessons from the video stuck with me all throughout this week.

Now, let’s get into today’s newsletter ⬇️ 

💹 Today’s schedule:

• New VC Roles This Week 💫

• 5 Lessons from 3 Years in VC ☁️ 

• ICYMI: Inside the Most Active VC Firm in the US 👀 

• Poll: Rate This Newsletter 💭

• Refer a Friend 🙂

• Resources 📝

• Say Hi 👋

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New VC Roles This Week 💫 

Internships 🤓 

• Summer Associate @ Urban Innovation Fund (San Francisco, CA) - Apply Here

• Summer Intern @ Azolla Ventures (San Francisco, CA or Cambridge, MA) - Apply Here

• VC Analyst Intern @ TempoCap (London, UK) - Apply Here 

Analyst 😍 

• Analyst @ Mercury (Houston, TX) - Apply Here

• Venture Capital Analyst - Growth @ Type One Ventures (Malibu, CA) - Apply Here

• Investment Analyst @ Plus VC (Remote) - Apply Here

• Climate Tech VC Analyst @ Sunna Ventures (Santiago, Chile) - Apply Here

• Investment Analyst - Early Stage @ Fin Capital (US) - Apply Here

Associate/Senior Associate 😄 

• Investment Associate - Early Stage @ Fin Capital (NY/SF/Miami/London) - Apply Here

• Visiting Associate (6 months) @ firstminute capital (Remote, UK) - Apply Here by May 3rd

• US Investment Associate @ Flourish Ventures (Hybrid - Washington D.C.) - Apply Here

• Senior Associate @ Commerce Ventures (San Francisco, CA) - Apply Here

Operational Roles 🤠 

• Marketing Data Analyst @ Alumni Ventures (Boston, MA) - Apply Here

• Analyst, Compliance @ Energy Impact Partners (Hybrid - New York, NY) - Apply Here

• Investor Relations Intern @ Inovexus (Remote) - Apply Here

Roles Still Open From Last Week 🏃‍♀️ 

• VC Fellow Spring 2024 @ Fusion Fund (Remote or Bay Area) - Apply here by May 1st

• Summer Associate @ Kapor Capital (Oakland, CA) - Apply Here

• Analyst @ Touchdown Ventures (Multiple Locations)

  • San Francisco, CA - Apply Here

  • Philadelphia, PA - Apply Here

• Investment Associate, Compute @ Playground Global (Palo Alto, CA) - Apply Here

• Investment Associate, Engineered Biology @ Playground Global (Palo Alto, CA) - Apply Here

❗️ Note that many VC roles are posted without application deadlines and filled on a rolling basis - if you see one you like, I’d recommend applying within a week, or as soon as possible!

5 Lessons from 3 Years in VC ☁️ 

Coming up on my 3-year mark working in VC, I’ve been reflecting on a few of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years and wanted to share below ⬇️ 

📨 1) Always follow up after hearing a pitch, regardless of your decision

I’ve been shocked to watch VCs ghost founders after hearing their pitch. Even though you’re hearing many hundreds of pitches a year as a VC, take the time to respond. A short, thoughtful response goes a long way to let founders know whether they should take more time out of their already-packed day to continue following up.

 👊 2) Come prepared to pitches with thoughtful and specific questions

I always do background research on the founder/startup I’m meeting with, even if it’s a quick scroll of their website and LinkedIn. It’s a bonus if I’m familiar with other players in their space beforehand and have developed views on market trends and tech specific to their industry. This helps make use of limited time and shows founders that I’ve taken the time to understand the “why” behind what they’re building and learn about the market.

📝 3) Document, document, document 

When I first started in VC, I didn’t realize how important it is to create a robust system for organizing and tracking information. This not only includes deal flow but also contacts (founders, investors, industry experts), notes on company pitches, interesting articles and research, etc. I’d recommend a CRM like Affinity or at minimum a Google Spreadsheet or Airtable sheet to keep track of deals. (Respond to this email if you’d be interested in a dedicated post on this topic soon!)

🤝 4) Give-first mindset

I love approaching every conversation in VC — whether with a teammate, another investor, or founder — by asking the question: “How can I uniquely help this person achieve their own goals?” This has made my job a lot more fun and less transactional-feeling (which can happen in VC) and many of the kindest and most successful investors I’ve spoken with have said the same thing!

👀 5) Take initiative, and don’t wait for permission (within reason)

In VC, senior team members typically don’t have the bandwidth to tell you what to do on a day-to-day basis, and a lot of the job is forging your own path and figuring things out (whether that’s getting in front of the best deals, staying in touch with founders, or managing your schedule.) Unless it’s a decision that could affect the firm as a whole, I’ve learned to take initiative over the small things to reach out to founders, attend events, and do my own research. A lot of the job is taking action and going for it!

ICYMI: Inside The Most Active VC Firm in the US 👀 

Check out Tuesday’s post in partnership with Alumni Ventures - we dive into a day in the life at the firm, masterclass resources for aspiring VCs, and more. ⬇️ 

Poll: What Did You Think of Today’s Newsletter? 💭 

Refer a Friend 👭 

Enjoying the newsletter? Click the button below to refer a friend 🙂 

Resources 📝 

• Download my meeting notes template for VC/investment pitches 🧠

• Check out my previous post for a list of VC interview resources that I use!

• Take a look at the Early VC job board with roles updated twice weekly 🤗 

• Join the waitlist for our VC candidate portal 🤝 

Say Hi! 👋 

And that’s all for this week! You can find me on LinkedIn and X. As always, feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any questions and/or feedback. I’d love to hear from you! 🙂 

-Mic