Lateral after 3+ years in Growth Equity / VC

Hi everyone,

Since there are not many posts about life after getting the PE/VC job and working there for a few years, I've decided to start this discussion. I am currently a Senior Associate at one of the healthcare growth equity / VC funds in New York. I have been working at the fund for 3+ years. Fortunately I am not required to get an MBA, in order to get promoted to Senior Associate or VP. For those of you who are currently Senior Associates / VPs in a fund, what would you consider are the most important things for a lateral move?

Also how would you go about finding the lateral opportunities? I do get emails from headhunters but it seems to me that the buyside lateral market is not as structured and robust as the market where we first recruited for the buyside job or the banking lateral market.

Any help / advice would be much appreciated.

11 Comments
 
 

Preface I’m an undergrad still so what I’m sharing is totally what I’ve learned from conversations with people in the industry/ mentors. From what I’ve seen a lot of their experiences were more serendipitous- whether it came from relationships with people at other firms who reached out when positions opened, or targeting specific firms and developing a strong relationship and keeping in contact until a position for their seniority level opened up.

 

tldr: you are your deal experience

Including: industry specialization, number of deals closed (particularly for buy-n-build firms), "style" (value investing), and sourcing ability (this is mainly for "start-up" funds and more common if you're interviewing for VP roles). This is coming from the perspective of someone at a specialized firm, however. Makes sense that my colleagues receive the best offers from equally if not more specialized funds.

 

Well why do you want to move? Is it money? Is it new industry? Is it cultural?

EIther way, if it were me, I would network the way one would if they didn't have a GE job. That could mean coffee chats with friends/peers > sharing theses > sharing interesting deals you've worked on > sharing interesting contrarian opinions you could have > asking if they ever have openings for laterals

 
Most Helpful

Illo velit voluptate voluptatem quis. Cum omnis et possimus dolorum ut temporibus quis. A ex nihil quae qui ipsum incidunt et quos. Facere labore expedita repudiandae fugiat dolor optio qui. Accusamus minus omnis fuga doloribus temporibus voluptatem blanditiis. Sed assumenda adipisci laboriosam omnis tempora dolorum quibusdam. Quia repellat mollitia repudiandae corporis earum qui.

Libero doloribus aperiam quae ipsum rerum ex dolores. Quia commodi ducimus aut consequatur cupiditate quia libero eos.

Perferendis expedita ab ducimus sit. Est consequatur aperiam consectetur aliquam dignissimos eos illo. Quis et recusandae sed fugiat quisquam. Vitae atque assumenda natus quis accusantium autem. Unde molestiae libero qui.

Animi necessitatibus assumenda totam voluptas molestiae earum. Nostrum quidem quod optio id esse. Repellat hic maiores consequatur dolore et maxime pariatur ratione.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”