Why I’m Interviewing Non-Partner VCs on How They Got into Venture
As a journalist, I spent a lot of time thinking and writing about early-stage venture capital. The mystique was intriguing, and at times, pretty annoying. I loved the idea of deeply researching, sourcing, and betting on the brands and companies that will define the future. But it was nearly impossible to understand how anyone working in VC actually got there.
Many of them were (and are) straight, cis, white men who seemed to have been grandfathered into this highly lucrative, exciting industry by nature of, well, going to Harvard/Stanford and looking the way they do. Or they were in the right place at the right time. Or they “knew someone who knew someone.” Yes, there’s judgement and assumption baked into these statements.
Of course, many of these people are insanely brilliant and deserving of their stature. Still, their united front of VC secrecy is discouraging and demotivating for the next generation of professionals — people of all genders, races, sexual orientations, education, and industry experience. We need to be able to see ourselves succeeding in venture, or getting a VC job in the first place. It’s not a novel thought, but representation absolutely matters.
Initiatives like AllRaise, ByWomenVCs, and VC leaders like AileenLee, Anarghya Vardhana, Cat Lee, Monique Woodard…
