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What diplomas are most useful for a career in venture capital?

I'm interested in venture capital but the path to such a job is unclear. If I wanted to get a job in a venture capital firm straight out of college, what degree would be most useful? #college #college-major #entrepreneurship #venture-capital

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Genevieve’s Answer

This is true, the career path to venture capital (VC) doesn't really have any typical standards or requirements like other careers. I know someone in VC who was a history major with a law degree and another who was a biology major. Degrees that are business focused are probably your best bet - business, economics, finance. It may also be worthwhile to consider getting an MBA after college. I have seen some VC people with this graduate degree as well.


Another thing you can do is search for VC firms online, then look for people on LinkedIn who work at these firms and see what majors they have.


This link from venturebeat has some helpful information:
http://venturebeat.com/2013/08/13/so-you-want-to-be-a-venture-capitalist/
Thank you comment icon thank you! Aukai
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Leslie’s Answer

Hi Aukai-

While there is no specific major that you need to have, a background in finance or tech is important. I head our operations group for a Corporate Ventures Capital firm and most on my team have a finance/tech background - whether it be in accounting, M&A, investment banking, 5G technologies or anything tech related. In CVC, most functions will include understanding the financial statements of the start-ups and understanding the investment details of the portfolio companies you are invested in.
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Ben’s Answer

VCs tend to evaluate both quantitative and qualitative elements of startup businesses. So having a well-rounded background that grows your skills in technical fields that will help you understand markets and business opportunities (economics, computer science, math come to mind as examples) alongside subjects that will help you understand people and organizations (psychology, history come to mind) will serve you well.

In entry-level roles, "generalists" can bring a lot to the table. Professionals who are equally comfortable doing complex market analysis, but also who've developed the social and communication skills to influence a broad array of people, from highly technical founders to super senior investors to diverse management teams, will tend to thrive.
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Kushaan’s Answer

Don't get diploma matter as much as your understanding of a business proposition, emotional intelligence, and ability to build relationships. What I would focus on if you're interested in a VC career long-term is to be an informal advisor in college - find your local entrepreneurship program, see where your strength lies and determine what kind of advisor you would be. Are you into finance? The legal side? Marketing?

You can use that to look into what diploma would be best but ultimately it's your experience and intuition towards finding and building business opportunities that would make you a great VC.
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