Cambridge Master in Entrepreneurship for VC/GE (while working)
Got admission to this program after applying back in Oct. It's a 2 year part-time program that is administered basically remotely and is awarded as a regular Cambridge degree. I graduated in 2023 and have been working since then as Research Analyst for an insurance fund mostly covering PE/Infra, purely on the research side, so not on the deal team. Tried to break into VC out of uni but failed miserably and FYI I came out of a top scottish uni and studied classics. Did small cap investment banking and growth equity internships but took this grad analyst role as it was my best graduate option. As for the Entrepreneurship program, looks like no scholarship but being that i'm working i'm less worried about the loans.
I want to be in a seat in VC or Growth Equity in London or somewhere in Europe. I don't care if its at a smaller fund, I just want to be a VC or Growth investor long term. I had some exposure in undergrad and wish I pursued it harder and I want to make the switch now before its too late. The program is appealing being that the program covers the startup and venture space in decent detail, so i'm curious if this would help me break in. Also the part time thing allows me to work and pay it off while i'm studying vs. a full-time program. Please tell me if this is a good idea or should I try to go do a Msf?
Based on the most helpful WSO content, your situation and goals align with a few key considerations:
Cambridge Master in Entrepreneurship (MSt) Pros:
Challenges:
Alternative Considerations:
Recommendation:
Ultimately, your decision should weigh the program's ability to provide the skills, network, and credibility needed to transition into VC/GE against the opportunity cost and your current financial/work situation.
Sources: HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL ???? Master of liberal arts in finance ????, MSF Class of 2018, European Master in Finance programmes (pre-experience), https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/school/msc-finance-at-tilburg-university-or-msc-business-economics-financial-economics-major?customgpt=1, Lesser known MBA career options? Looking for advice on what to do post-HBS.
Any thoughts?
Bump
Bump
Bump
Your mindset is all wrong. A qualification alone won't get you a seat. Even worse if it is remote, since the whole point of something like this is capitalising on the network that this programme would expose you to e.g. visiting lecturers, industry experts, etc. Can't do that remotely. Which brings me to the second point, it sounds like you are very sedimentary. VC is not about spreadsheets, that's table stakes. It's about noticing or predicting trends, then stepping out into the world to confirm and if true building a thesis. Doing this for real goes beyond desk research. It means meeting other investors, sharing your observations to generate insightful dialogue, meeting industry experts and founders, teasing out their takes or what they see, and ultimately forming a thesis that is supported/vetted/challanged by a real network that you can then also tap into, when trying to dig further or assessing a potential investment. Instead of a part time masters, you would be much better off going out periodically to meet individuals that are part of this ecosystem e.g. head of product at big xyz company, or head of R&D at big pharma company. And then publish your findings. VC training at funds sucks, they look for finished products, so try to be one.
Thanks for this - everything you said in respect to gaining the necessary skills and wherewithal to actually be a VC/Growth investor is consistent with what I a) have been told to by my network within VC and b) what I learned when I was briefly an intern in GE during uni. I plan on doing all of the things you just mentioned in addition to my consideration of a, say, part-time Masters.
My question was moreso focused as to the recruiting side of how the Cambridge brand could positively help me in this process as a bonus, and wether the subject matter of Entrepreneurship for the purposes of this 'rebranding' with an Oxbridge degree would make sense. I intent to follow the path whilst working & studying to build my industry knowledge and network at the same time, not sacrifice it for the sake of the Master's.
With this is mind, would you still say that enrolling in the program is not worth my time/worth it? Thanks again for your original response.
Unfortunately I cannot give you an objective opinion on the MSc. In my personal opinion however, that programme is not worth the £40k they're asking in your case. Yes in London you see certain universities come up a lot in VC land, Scottish ones not so much from my very limited experience. VC can indeed be very prestige driven, I remember working on a deck for LPs and when it came to presenting the team, we highlighted: university, languages and prior employers. The bigger the name the better (FYI this fund mostly hired bankers and was founded by bankers). We had one guy that did not go to a great university, but rebranded by doing some online course at a target (not a real degree or masters). So can it help to rebrand with better university? Yes, the fund exclusively presented him as an alumn of said university, but it primarily only works when everything else is already outstanding e.g. network, experience. The guy in question had a great network, outstanding soft skills but decent experience (random no name startup he founded, never had traction, never raised). He was later let go because of poor financial skills (team did not have the time to train him) and could not land another role so moved to a startup. Though he was fired, he was also hired because university prestige is often last on the totem pole of what matters, ability to help the fund make money comes first (he was a great sourcer). Let me ask you, which candidate sounds more interesting:
If recruiting for Seed to Series B, I know I would sooner speak to the Alibaba guy. If he can comment on both the software and hardware angles as well as Chinese landscape, then that is more interesting/helpful than a pure finance guy.
My point being, it's not just your qualifications, but what you do with them and everything else. You need to look at how your entire repertoire meshes together, don't look at them as singular components. What can you do with a Masters in Entrepreneurship that you couldn't do before? What's the increment on your skillset or is your skillset already fully tapped out? If you are working in ER, then I assume you must have a decent understanding of things like product cycles, etc. What can this programme teach you that you already didn't know? Little I am guessing, yet your skillset as a whole has a lot of room for growth to be truly competitive. You need to think about who you are competing against, not just other candidates, but the actual people doing the job.
So if you are trying to rebrand but ultimately are not adding anything to your skillset, what's the point? It ultimately only becomes an attempt to look good on paper and if so, you'll likely lose out to the guy that is going for an MBA at LBS. If you are looking to add a qualification that is not an MBA, pick something that adds real tangible value to your knowledge/skillset. In my case, I studied chemistry and then pharmaceuticals. What I did with the latter is what they valued.
Aut doloremque voluptates corporis sit eligendi. Nam vero magni reprehenderit nihil. Minima temporibus vel quia est accusantium in est. Rerum aut fugiat autem ut dolorem in soluta pariatur. Exercitationem quas omnis et aperiam asperiores quis et tempora.
Illo nesciunt explicabo fugiat nihil asperiores iste. Culpa deserunt est recusandae qui omnis sit perferendis. Ipsam reprehenderit nesciunt distinctio voluptas. Voluptatum aut quae ipsam sunt. Vitae libero magni et architecto quo id ut. In ea dicta aut rem.
Quis exercitationem omnis adipisci aut. Deleniti mollitia sint eos. Tenetur quaerat minima aut quis soluta fugiat iste est. Vero animi ut beatae modi ea distinctio cum.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...