Breaking into VC from Software Sales?

Hey all,

Overview of my situation: - Graduated in 2018 from a top school with a technical degree - Since graduation, I have spent 4 years in software sales and 1 year at an unsuccessful startup I founded.

I am interested in breaking into venture capital.

I've applied to 3 M7 MBA programs but have been rejected from 2 of them. Waiting to hear back from the 3rd.

Given my non-traditional background, is breaking into VC at all realistic?

9 Comments
 

would look into the in-house GTM teams for VC firms. might be a good start

 

VC/Growth funds like Emergence value SaaS sales experience for investor roles so I’d start with finding VC funds that have historically hired people with a similar background. At the growth and PE side, it’s more than likely that recruiters would bucket you as a BD professional so make sure you’re reaching out to funds at the earlier stage and the right role that you’re interested in.

Array
 

Nisi repudiandae quos nihil maxime ut est odio. Rerum mollitia voluptatibus et perspiciatis recusandae fugiat expedita. Necessitatibus et consectetur eveniet reiciendis voluptates. Et sed necessitatibus necessitatibus illum sapiente sequi facilis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”