| Topic Name: |
What after Private Equity? |
| Message Name: |
Wealth Management |
| Date Posted: |
06/04/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
I am considering taking a Wealth Management position, but my long term goal is to join a VC firm. Are the contacts I gain in private equity a plus in pursuing a VC career later? |
| Message: |
As someone who works in wealth management, i.e. traditional and alternative investment management for high net-worth individuals, I would say that "wm" is not the best of paths for a VC career. It seems most VC's look for operational or engineering experience as relates to their investment focus (software, telecomm, healthcare, etc.).
WM is generally much too generic to be directly applicable unless you are structuring direct investment opportunities for a family office. For example, you work at a small investment firm (i.e. family office) founded by an ultra-wealthy entrepreneur to manage his/her assets. The entrepreneur has decided to target direct investments in seed or startup companies, thus requiring you to perform both due diligence and operational oversight for him/her. In this case wm experience would be valuable to a VC firm, however, I still assume that an engineering or pure operational background would be most desirous.
Another option may be to use wm to focus on fund level investments in specific pe/vc funds. THere is a significant need for such alternative investment oversight although the vc fundraising process (i.e. demand) is generally dead for the foreseeable future.
|
|
