Venture debt - can you go back to traditional lending?

I currently work at a top 5 bank’s ABL (Asset Based Lending) group working on primarily large corporate accounts. The organization is pretty flat and I realistically have only one more promotion ahead of me before further progression becomes very competitive and will rely on a senior individual either retiring or moving on. I’ve been both in ABL and with the bank for ~5 years. 

I recently got a job offer doing venture debt portfolio management at one of the major venture debt banks. Base comp is a significant jump and bonus has the potential to be higher as well. From a monetary perspective and from a learning persoective it seems like a good move. 

Does anyone know, if you go into venture debt are you pigeonholed, or would you be able to make the jump back to traditional lending (asset based or cash flow) after? What type of exit ops exist after going to venture debt? 

Any guidance, insight, or past experiences in venture debt are appreciated. Anyone with experience in both traditional lending and venture debt? I’m still not super familiar with it and want to get a better understanding on what I may be getting myself into. 

5 Comments
 

There is definitely some overlap. Seems like the biggest difference is in venture debt, you're underwriting to everything (equity backing, sponsor reputation, KPIs, etc.) other than hard assets and historical performance. 

 

Consequuntur consequuntur est culpa autem sunt sit vitae. Dolor sed eos animi veritatis quod. Illo dolorum natus eum laboriosam.

Sint nam voluptatem sint assumenda aliquid maiores. Quisquam qui officiis quod quia asperiores laborum adipisci. Error architecto ut officiis mollitia eos suscipit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”