| Topic Name: |
Women in Venture Capital |
| Message Name: |
Thanks for the Kind Words |
| Date Posted: |
04/17/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
First of all - VCs don't recruit. That tells you something right there.
Join a number of associations/organizations that you believe may be relevant and ones that you think managing partners may be members.
I believe that through my membership in the New York New Media Association (www.nynma.org) , I received an unsolicited email. Thinking I was a potential investor, the venture capitalist pitched one of his portfolio companies.
I emailed him back politely telling him he had me mistaken - that I was just a poor, struggling business student. I wished him luck and thought that was the end of that.
Instead, he kept emailing and we developed a correspondence. I invited him to make a presentation at one of my school clubs, he in turn asked me if I was interested in working for his company. I replied that I still had one more semester to go before I graduated but asked him if he was interested in hiring interns. He then asked me for my bio and information. I had just finished my web page and reworking my resume and shot that off and voila the rest is history.
LESSONS:
1. Be courteous and nice to everyone you meet online and offline for they may have a job lead or job offer down the line.
2. Be prepared - do your homework - what is the industry like, what are vcs looking for, etc.
3. Market yourself as if there was a YOU, INC. and your survival depended on it and it does!
4. Network, network, network (build up that rolodex/PDA)
As I was recently told at the vc I'm interning with - what really matters after all is said and done is the "Human Capital" which is why relationships are paramount in the private equity business!
Good luck!
-Lissette
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| Message: |
Lisette:
It is really refreshing to hear such optimism about an industry that is being looked at with a microscope as of late. I congradulate you on your position and wish you all the best. If you wouldn't mind sending me your day in the life I would appreciate it.
Best,
venturearm@hotmail.com
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