How much does selling a company and past finance experience affect where you start out in VC?

Quick sentences on my background. I did 2 years M&A at top boutique (think PJT, Evercore, Centerview, Laz) and 4 years at top hedge funds (think Coatue, Citadel, etc). After this I founded a company that I sold after 2 years for a small sum. The sale was a double but not a homerun, to use a baseball analogy. I am likely going to work at the acquirer (a Series A YC-backed company) for a year or so afterwards as a Vice President of Strategy.

Part of me is game planning still what I would do after working for the acquirer for a year or two. The problem is that non-founder startup roles don't pay that much. So I will likely go back into finance after a short stint as an operator.  

I hadn't considered VC as a career option before, but I figure the recent startup success may make my profile more appealing for VC as a future opportunity. My question is: how much credit will I receive for my past experience if I wanted to work for a Tier I or Tier II VC fund (or maybe venture studio)? Would I start at the associate level still, or can I hop to VP or Principal? How hard/easy would this be? How common/rare is this? 

 

Makes sense thanks for the feedback. Does it matter that it wasn't an amazing exit? The terms of the sale were undisclosed so I guess I can lean on that, but still. 

I agree pay at VC funds sucks. This is why I would only make the switch if I joined at VP / Principal. Sounds like you're saying that's reasonable? Otherwise the pay cut is WAY too steep to stomach. 

 

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