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Venture Capital

Venture Capital – Career Path, Salary and Best MBA

Close to 50% of all deals lose money, 20% make 1-2x the initial investment, 15% make 2-5x deals, and 10% make 5-10x. Just 6% make more than 10x - according to a study conducted by Horsley Bridge, a private equity firm - reiterating the value of 'risk' in gaining a significant return.

The framework and philosophy of risk-taking have attracted a significant percentage of young talent to the industry. Known as a type of Private Equity with a return horizon of 5-10 years, VC offers its investors exit through an IPO, Merger, or acquisition.

Venture Capital Roles - Salary and Responsibilities

Pursuing an MBA from a top Business School is key to making it big in the Venture Capital Industry if you don’t have any entrepreneurial experience or a Finance background. 

While one could start off as an Analyst or as an investment banker after a Bachelor’s degree and then move on to an Associate position, getting an MBA significantly improves the odds of promotion.

The Career of a VC transitions from Senior Associate to Vice-President or Principal to Junior Partner to Senior/Partner to a Managing Director/General Partner role.

MBA for Venture Capital Career - Curriculum Structure

Almost all top MBA schools around the world have specialization or elective courses that deal particularly with venture capital. This is in line with the significant percentage of post-MBA graduates going into the venture capital industry or working with VCs as product managers and entrepreneurs.

Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, and Chicago Booth have the largest percentage of alumni working as venture capitalists. 

VC Industry Trends in Q3 2023

In the third quarter of 2023, the global venture capital landscape exhibited notable trends that shed light on the state of the industry. Venture funding during this period reached $73 billion, a 11% increase compared to the previous quarter. However, it was down 15% from the remarkable $86 billion invested in Q3 2022 – a residual optimism in Technology from the pandemic era. Several key developments were defined this quarter, which we will delve into below.