Going A2A vs. VC Analyst? What is the comp for A2A vs. going to VC?

Currently a 2nd Yr Analyst at a BB ((Ignore the name tag))  and thinking about going A2A in May - at the same time I have 2 VC offers where I come in as a analyst - probably will make 150k -160k all in.

Would it be better to go A2A and look for better opportunities in the future in VC or GE or jump to VC? (200-300M fund size)  

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

If you want to end up at VC, stop thinking about cash comp. That's not why you do it. Your cash comp will be lower in VC than in GE or PE or IB. You go to VC because you'd be more happy as a human being doing that work everyday than doing the work of IB every day. You do it because you like founders, products, and new markets, and the day-to-day of VC life excites you more than IB.

VC jobs are hard to come by but you can always hustle in to one. The older you get the harder it gets to lateral, generally. You have two years of IB so you have a pretty decent finance skillset, presumably. It's up to you whether there's a risk reward calculus around staying longer to trade up to a better VC firm. But if you like the VC firm and you want to do VC, don't stick around - the golden handcuffs will just make it harder to leave.

 

It's completely dependent on your skill as a VC. Anyone in PE can go in there, get some shitty banker CIMs, pop out a low teens IRR, and still make millions. Just my .02, but that's part of what makes PE attractive - it's a processing job that you get paid handsomely for. In VC, if you don't at least have some successes, you aren't getting paid. But if you are Union Square with a 75% IRR, you are getting paid. 

 

Enim consequuntur laborum rerum. Consequatur dignissimos labore nihil assumenda qui occaecati id. Dolore voluptatem non blanditiis harum quia facere. Quis quia a minima nulla quas.

Voluptatem ullam non consequatur qui tenetur iure aspernatur similique. Vitae laboriosam dolorum quasi et. Eius deserunt dolorem repellat corrupti. Sit non minus incidunt autem autem nisi qui.

Ratione quasi dolores repellendus et asperiores. Minima qui sunt et fugit et error. Nemo aliquam expedita enim quis molestias beatae natus.

Id rerum quasi dolores qui laborum quidem minima. Et fuga asperiores accusamus neque qui enim.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”