I haven't managed to do this myself, but I've spoken to a lot of people who have, and I have noticed a pattern. There are really only two routes to breaking into VC out of undergrad.
1) Get a job at Insight or Bessemer
2) Intern at a smaller firm (small can still be prestigious in the VC space) during your senior year and prove yourself. (as well as get somewhat lucky with your internship lining up with fundraising and success)
Everyone I have spoken to who gets a job in the VC space directly out of undergrad has done either one of those things. There are articles about domain expertise, and differentiating yourself, and while that definitely will help, I'm yet to meet someone who has successfully used that strategy. If a top firm wants to hire someone differentiated they will look for industry expertise or a Ph.D. Undergraduates can't compete with those profiles. However, undergraduates can get their foot in the door by working for free/cheap as an intern and making themself seem indispensable by filling in talent gaps that the current team has. This is usually done by doing bullshit tasks and simultaneously being a workhorse.
Hi 1sf, any of these discussions helpful:
More suggestions...
I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.
I think it is a mistake to break in after ugrad tbh. You auto handcuff yourself for advancement. Get into the real world and grind in more traditional roles and get your feet wet in startup community.
Can you expand on auto handcuff?
VC is a reverse pyramid, barely any juniors with more seniors at the top. It is more likely to be hired at the top after succeeding in a ops role, high finance, or startup. If you have no experience growing companies it is hard to rationalize advancing you into a position where you would advise someone on how to do something you have never done.
For those you spoke to who started at Insight/Bessemer out of UG, do you know what their career progression looked like after 2yrs?
Hmmm. To be honest, I only talked to people who started out of undergrad and had been there 2-5 years. So I didn't speak to anyone who started there and went somewhere else. But I've heard of them moving to different VC firms from other people I've talked to. They are viewed pretty favorably within the industry as they have a "workhorse" reputation.
I am one of those people who broke into vc after undergrad although my route was strange, GE Summer Internship ( No return offer), Off-cycle internship at a firm in EU did this for 9 months then got a full time role at a VC looking for an analyst
You can also go the growth equity analyst route, which is still tough but there are maybe ~50 good seats a year out of undergrad that are mostly sourcing-oriented and mechanically very similar to venture (meet founders, research business models, etc). Most of these folks end up staying in different flavors of growth (whether Summit/TA style or more venture growth) or move to early-stage venture
Hi, would it possible to chat privately about when the growth equity analyst apps drop for full time right out of college? Would love to learn more and be ready for when apps drop. Thank you!
which programs?
I can't see how an undergrad can add much value to a VC, honestly
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