Growth funds for non targets?

I’ve been told that growth funds tend to be more “elitist” when it comes to having a prestigious undergrad on your resume, especially those that are sourcing heavy. Headhunters send me opportunities but when I look at their associates they’re always pretty much exclusively Ivy League kids or at least NYU/berkeley tier schools. I guess this makes sense but I’m at a point where I had to grind to get to a mid-tier BB but I really just cannot see myself going into normal PE (for all the usual reasons). Can anyone list any growth or late stage VC funds in NYC that historically give kids like me a chance? Don’t care about prestige or fund size really, just looking for a legit shop with good culture where I’m making at least as much $ as I am now and can work my way up without burning out. Please tell me this isn’t just a pipe dream

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Totally second this.

To add, knowledge / legitimate interest in the space and fund is really what will set you apart. Network and if you get people on the phone, have fund-specific questions about their strategy and do a few hours of deep research to formulate interesting questions rather than just "so can you tell me about the strategy" "what's your day to day look like". Firms are generally happy to take scrappy, hardworking non targets, but you have to walk the walk instead of just saying you are that.

 

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