What is the best strategy to get in the VC industry from college? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Patrick Mathieson, venture investor at Toba Capital, on Quora:
The best strategy to break into the venture capital industry all depends on whether you want to get into it straight from college, or whether you want to build a path that can get you to a nice position at a VC firm in a few years' time.
I don't know much about the straight-from-college path -- there are certainly people who have done this successfully, and they are better suited than me to comment on that approach.
As for the longer-term approach, I'd advise the following: Gain a few years' experience working at a venture-backed startup, and use that job as a way to meet tons of people in the technology industry. You can then parlay those relationships into connections with potential investors who might be inclined to hire you.
Because VC firms tend to hire opportunistically (i.e. not on a premeditated schedule, but when they find somebody who seems like they'd do a good job), and because VCs hire primarily through networks (as opposed to job boards), meeting them organically via your professional network seems to be the path that tends to work out.
Note that for this to work, you need to really kick ass at whichever startup job you take. The trick is to find yourself on projects that have management visibility, because these are the people who actually know the VCs that you want to work for. If they think of you as a budding star (based on your above-and-beyond performance on a key strategic project), they'll be more likely to view you as somebody who won't embarrass them in front of their investors. This is your opportunity.