Wharton vs. Haas for West Coast VC/Early Stage PE
Hey guys,
While I know very few would question Wharton over Haas for almost everything else, my ultimate goals of breaking into West Coast VC or early-stage PE, possibly in tech, makes this choice more complicated. I'm waitlisted HBS so hopefully they'll make it easier for me.
Quick overview -- 4yr non-MBB strat consulting background (think Deloitte/Accenture) who gained firm-recognized expertise in tech & cleantech. Finance undergrad.
The way I see it, I've got 3 post-MBA paths into VC/PE:
1) Get really effing lucky and network the crap out of VC/PE conferences/clubs, maybe land a VC or VC-backed startup internship, and miraculously roll it into a full-time VC/PE role. Would be great but unlikely, and not sure which school would have the upper hand for this option. Maybe Haas... might be less competitive due to class size and easier access to officer/leadership positions in clubs.
2) Go into a VC-backed start-up post-MBA and get some operating experience and exposure to VCs from the startup side. Maybe even a big-tech (AMZN, GOOG, FB). Break into VC 2-4yrs down the road. Haas seems to have the upper hand for this option, esp for smaller firms, plus a strong network of fellow start-up joiners for future VC opportunities. For AMZN/GOOG/FB, Haas might have less of an advantage.
3) Get into a more mainstream MBB or prestigious boutique consulting gig aimed at the tech sector and be based in SF. Break into VC/PE in 2-3yrs. Wharton seems to have the upper hand here. But to be clear I'm not looking to break into VC/PE from IBD.
4) Other options? Thoughts? Any sense on how VC/PE professionals on the west coast read the quality differences between these 2 schools? Placing deposits and visiting schools now -- advice appreciated!!
Wharton, because you won't get the job you want and will at least have other options there that aren't too unpreftigious.
Wharton, best of luck with the HBS situation aswell.
I'm going to be the contrarian here. Wharton is the clear choice in terms of overall brand names, but VC firms typically look for portfolio company experience and tech startups happen to be Berkeley's strength. I think the decision is a lot more nuanced and is going to be affected by cost and the OP's certainty that he wants to work on a tech startup or wind up at a VC tech firm.
Don't forget that if you want to do a tech startup, an M7 degree does not matter as much, and on top of that, Berkeley has the best engineering/CS program in the country (OK, it's been tied for first with Stanford and MIT for the past ten years), and you get a lot of startups there. Off the top of my head, I can think of Paypal and Apple Computers, although I'm sure there's been a lot more recent stuff.
I guess there's three questions you need to sort out:
1.) What kind of startup/VC firm do you want to work at? And what does UPenn have to offer? (I can tell you that Berkeley is probably going to blow Wharton out of the water on tech and engineering startup opportunities, but the situation will probably be different in other areas.) 2.) How much does each program cost, and is the difference going to add to your stress running a startup? 3.) Is it possible you will change your mind in two years and decide you want to do banking or F500 corp dev? (A yes answer probably favors Wharton, but nobody is going to sneeze at Haas.)
In a lot of ways, startups are like S&T in that they are relatively agnostic to your pedigree and care a lot more about your ideas, execution, and marketing ability. Steve Jobs went to a no-name school in California and things still worked out OK for him.
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