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Venture Capitalist
Business & FinanceYou invest other people's money into startups, most of which will fail. You'll meet founders who pitch world-changing ideas with the conviction of cult leaders, say 'no' 99 times for every 'yes,' and build a portfolio where one massive win covers dozens of losses. Everyone thinks you pick winners — the truth is you manage probability and network effects.
Salary Range
Low
$80k
Median
$200k
High
$500k
10-Year Growth
average
US Workers
38K
Education
MBA or strong operational/founder background + a network that opens doors
Environment
indoor
Tools & Technical Skills
- ▸Startup due diligence and financial analysis
- ▸Term sheet negotiation and deal structuring
- ▸Market sizing and TAM/SAM/SOM analysis
- ▸Portfolio management and board governance
- ▸Cap table modeling and dilution analysis
- ▸Pitch deck evaluation
People & Mindset Skills
- ▸Pattern recognition across industries
- ▸Relationship building
- ▸Conviction and contrarian thinking
- ▸Mentoring founders
- ▸Networking
- ▸Strategic vision
What you'll actually do
- 01Take pitch meetings from founders who range from genuinely brilliant to delusionally optimistic
- 02Conduct due diligence on startups by verifying numbers that founders presented optimistically
- 03Sit on boards of portfolio companies and try to be helpful without being a micromanager
- 04Network at conferences, dinners, and events because deal flow IS the job
- 05Write investment memos convincing your partners to write a check for millions
- 06Deliver the 'we're passing' email that crushes founders' dreams 99 times for every term sheet
Related Shifts
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