Intern

The University Venture Fund's (UVF) interview process is more rigorous and time consuming than any other firm I have met with. As unattractive as that sounds, the process paints a far better picture of what I do day to day than the interview process at tech and i banking firms did.

To start, I submitted my resume and cover letter to an online resume drop for the Fall cohort. UVF hires new interns at the start of each semester, as well as in the summer. The largest cohort is always during the summer as the internship is hard to balance between school and work. Considering that, the largest number of applicants may also be during the summer but I am not sure.

A week later, I received an email asking to schedule a calendar appointment for a first-round interview. I believe my interview was scheduled three days later. The day prior, I received an instructional email outlining what to expect and how to get to the office. Sounded simple enough. Once I arrived for the interview, a partner met me on the first floor and helped escort me to the office on the third floor. The office is a great work space and many interns/associates were working around a conference table. Walking directly into the partner's office, I only had a brief moment to glance around but I was pleased and excited by what I saw.

The interview was simple. A brief conversation and a few generic questions:
- What investment ideas do you have and why?
- Why do you want to work in VC?
- What is happening in the market?
- What are your career goals?
- Why are you a strong fit?
Like I said, very generic and non-technical.

A week later, I recieved email instructions to complete a full investment memo on one of three pre-selected companies by the end of the week. The goal of this assignment is to understand the bandwidth expected at UVF and the amount of work that actually goes into the investment process. Ideally, it helps weed out the strong from the weak. On average, applicants spend about 40 hours on this project over the course of a week. I submitted my investment memo via email and waited for a response.

Four days later, I received email notification that I made it to the final round of the interview process. I was instructed that I had 48 hours to complete a pitch deck and present my analysis. The presentation was in the same office as the first interview and it went smoothly. I waited in the break room to be called in after another applicant had finished. The presentation took 45 minutes including a Q&A session.

Overall, the experience was hectic and stressful. However, it did provide a real lens into the amount of work that the students at UVF do. If you go through the whole process and still want to work in VC then you will be a great fit!

Good luck.