First of all, I'd like to know what to expect in this situation:
Saw a job posting for an unpaid internship at an early stage VC firm (just under $100mm) in my college's town. I emailed the guy with a cover letter & resume, and he said we could quick chat over phone next week. Should I expect a phone interview or would they have me come into their office for that?
What are some questions I can expect? This is my sophomore year summer and I don't have any financial modeling experience, only entrepreneurship based (pitching business models to investors)
I don't think he's going to ask you financial modelling questions. And even if he does, you could be honest and preface with "I haven't really had any fin mod experience/courses yet". I'm guessing it will be more fit and interest-related. (Favorite class, career plans, interest in VC, etc.) Regardless, you should definitely treat the call as a phone interview.
In my experience (my interviews I guess) it's mostly fit questions mixed with some business knowledge. If he's seen your resume and offered a phone interview he probably thinks your likely capable. I would plan for background, personality and business knowledge questions. I don't necessarily know the group that manages the fund, but I'd assume you wont do too much financial/technical work during the internship.
Questions he could ask you about what industries you're interested in, then have you pick a business you are familiar in within that industry, then have you talk through why you would invest in it. Back it up with a rational thesis. May also ask you about deal dynamics -- what do we look for in a deal. In my opinion, two most important factors are market size/trends and management team - only two things you can be sure are positive when you invest. Product, business model and strategy can all change overnight. Perhaps also read up on basic deal structures in VC as well.
If you PM me, I'm happy to e-mail you Vault's VC interview guide.
I had a similar interview recently and I didn't get any specific modeling questions. I got asked questions mostly related to my experiences on my résumé. They also asked why I thought I'd be a good fit and if I have experience in Excel modeling and Microsoft Access. I also got questions asking why I was interested in their firm and the industry.
Good luck!
Thanks everyone. I hope to intern at a startup next summer. Provided I get this position, is it rare to have former VC interns at startups? Is this experience something that would help me tremendously in landing a startup job/internship or is it not so outstanding?
Final round VC internship interview coming up, what to expect? (Originally Posted: 05/28/2013)
In the past interview rounds, the questions asked were not finance based, should I expect more of these types of questions?
I'm meeting the partners of the firm in about a week and I'd like to know what to expect in the final round. I don't have any prior finance experience either, so if I need to study, I'd like to know what I should look into.
Thanks!
wish i could help, but it would be nice if you followed up with your experiences.
I don't have financial experience, but I do have experience in data analytics research and in business dev for a small local company. I'm a CS major
sorry for the vagueness, i meant follow up with your interview experiences*
Ah, you mean with this particular firm? First round was on the phone, basically just talked about my resume and why VC. Second round was a test involving the portfolio companies: what I'd invest in and what I wouldn't, and tackling some consulting-type problem just to see how I think. We haven't discussed industry trends or recent news in the industry in past interviews. Should I expect it to be heavy on those, or financials?
from what i've experienced (VERY small vc and a few angels), it's really about common sense, network, and interest...sorry i can't be of help
VC internship interview process? (Originally Posted: 01/28/2014)
Hello all,
I have interviewed with a few PE firms but no answer so far. I have an upcoming internship interview with a small VC firm in FL. My questions are: 1) What type of questions should I expect? 2) Is the process similar to PE firms with case studies etc...?
Thanks!
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