Deep Dive: Recruiting Talent for Your VC Fund

Max Fleitmann
Founder of VC Stack
Deep Dive: Recruiting Talent for Your VC Fund
Uma Patel
VC Content Creator

This deep dive was initially published in our VC Stack newsletter. Make sure to subscribe here to not miss any future episodes.

Recruiting and Retaining Talent in VC

In the second quarter of 2022, there were 376 VC job listings available. Despite low capital deployment in Q4 of the same year, 366 VC opportunities were opened. While job opportunities arose, seniority levels peaked in various quarters. Junior roles in Q4 (145), mid-level roles in Q2 (172), and senior roles in Q3 (71).

In total, junior and mid-level VC roles dominated the space with a total of 543 junior roles and 607 mid-level roles - compared to a mere 257 for senior roles. However, VC recruiting, especially at senior levels, is notoriously made internally and through personal networks. Additionally, junior roles and some MBA openings typically follow a 3-6 month cycle which calls for more postings.

Eleanor Kaye, executive director at the Newton Venture Program points out a common pattern in VC recruitment saying,

VCs tend to be more effective at bringing in diverse or under-represented talent at entry level, but not as effective at helping them scale the ladder of seniority.

Additionally, Sarah Finegan, Antler’s portfolio director, encourages VCs to post more openings across levels publicly in order to level the playing field and aid in the industry’s lack of diversity. As well as continuing to build out mentorship programs for underrepresented candidates. Nicole DeTommaso, Partner at Harlem Capital, is just one example of a VC sharing from the inside and actively supporting those interested in the space.

Global VC Hiring Trends

The following and previous data was collected in 2022 by Konrad Kordowski, analyzing 1400+ VC job openings from the following sources: Startup&VC and John Gannon Blog.

Top Countries Recruiting

  1. United States: 783
  2. Germany: 236
  3. United Kingdom: 130
  4. France: 37
  5. Australia: 35

Top Cities Recruiting

  1. New York: 177
  2. Berlin: 135
  3. San Francisco: 128
  4. London: 118
  5. Munich: 43

In total, 805 venture capital firms from 35 countries posted 1407 job openings. The US accounted for more than 60% of the jobs listed with a total of 485. Europe met 30% of the total jobs with 285 jobs listed. The Rest of the World category encompassed 31 countries which were a part of 143 open roles.

Analysis of Requirements to be a VC Intern in Europe

The following data was collected in 2022 by Konrad Kordowski, analyzing 100 VC internship openings from the following sources: Startup&VC, John Gannon Blog, LinkedIn, and Innovators Room.

Level of Education

  • Bachelor’s: 79
  • Master’s: 38
  • MBA: 4
  • PhD: 2

Specified Minors

  • Engineering: 42
  • Business: 35
  • Computer Science: 20
  • Finance: 19

Top 5 Soft Skills

  1. Independence
  2. Analytical
  3. Team Player
  4. Communication
  5. Work Ethic

Top 5 Hard Skills

  1. Financial Analysis
  2. Advanced Excel
  3. Advanced PPT
  4. Data Analytics
  5. Accounting

Best Practices for Hiring and Retaining VC Talent

  • Define mission and values. Define your mission and values to showcase your unique strengths and attract like-minded individuals who share your passion and can contribute to your success.
  • Hire for fit and potential. Look for candidates who fit your company culture and have skills to help you reach your goals. Prioritize attitude, values, and ambition to avoid costly mistakes and foster high performance.
  • Invest in training and deployment. Investing in employee training and development is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent. Offer resources, feedback, and challenging projects to demonstrate that you value their growth and career advancement.
  • Reward and recognize excellence. Competitive pay, perks, and bonuses are important, as well as publicly commenting and giving feedback. Recognizing excellence shows employees their worth and impact, leading to increased retention.
  • Build a strong culture and community. A positive company culture is key to keeping great employees. Encourage teamwork, growth, and communication, and make sure to value and appreciate your staff.
  • Promote diversity and inclusion. Promoting diversity and inclusion is key to attracting and keeping top talent. Respect and value everyone's differences and prioritize fairness for a forward-thinking organization.

Where to Recruit for Your Fund

Startup&VC

Startup&VC is the go-to place for Startup and VC topics with a job board, weekly newsletter, templates, and tools to prepare. Post your job to our community of 25k+ people interested in Venture Capital and Startups.

John Gannon Blog

John Gannon’s blog offers a detailed, comprehensive collection of venture capital (VC) jobs and information about how to get a venture capital job. Post a job here!

InnovatorsRoom Community

InnovatorsRoom is a global network of founders, investors, and innovators. We curate jobs, events, learning, and networking opportunities so our members can better support each other. Post a job here!

Wellfound

Wellfound allows you to find (and post) unique jobs at startups and tech companies. Access 8 million responsive and startup-ready candidates, with all the information you need to vet them. Sign up as a company to post a job.

Additional Readings

Interested in learning more about recruiting and retaining talent to your fund? Check out these additional readings!