Consulting to VC - Would You Take It?

Hi all,

I'm in need of some career advice. I recently started as a mid-level experienced hire (3-4 years experience) at a reputable consulting boutique (Altman Solon/Kaiser Associates/Marakon/Mars & Co) and have an opportunity to move to VC. The VC fund is a very small shop (<10 people) focused on 2 key industries, one of which is my specialty. The long-term plan (5+ years from now) was to move into investing anyway, so either PE or VC, and am wondering if I should take this opportunity now.

On one hand, I do not have any real reason or strong desire to leave my current firm; next level up would be EM and that would be in 12-18 months. On the other hand, since investing is what I want to do long-term I shouldn't throw away an opportunity to enter that field now and could potentially lateral to other firms down the line. The VC fund would offer a 7-15% base salary increase and potential for carry on top of a performance bonus. The promotion to EM would see my base increase by about 20%.

Would it be smart to move now?

Thanks!

8 Comments
 

If you're interested in VC and there's an option to stay at the firm beyond 2 years, I'd take it. The 7-15% bump sounds small coming from consulting? Would you mind sharing a comp range and market (VHCOL/ MCOL)?

NOL
 

That's base for your current role or the VC one (ie. VC would be 90-100k + 7-15%). Either way, unless bonus is 100%, it seems low for VHCOL. But I'd still take it if there's an option for you to stay post 2 years

 

As I've said before, you need to self-assess whether you're interested in investing vs consulting. Take the money out of your decision, especially considering you're just above flat at the VC firm. This is a more fundamental decision which should be predicated solely on your interests and what you see your future in.

 
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