Venture Capitalist
Hear forty pitches a week, back the founders you believe in and say “we're still early” about everything. Most of your bets will fail. One will make you look like a genius.
1972 – 2029About the role
From the 1970s, a handful of firms on one road in California decided which ideas got built. Venture capitalists heard the pitches, wrote the checks and sat on the boards of companies that might, one day, be worth a great deal. Most weren't. The few that were made the whole job look like foresight, in hindsight.
At Ridgeline Partners, a replica firm with a glass conference room and a view of the hills, you'll manage a $40 million fund of replica money on behalf of members who play limited partners. Founders, also members, will pitch you every day with a deck, a demo and total conviction. You'll ask about their go-to-market, say “this is super interesting” and decide by Friday. One of them will become a unicorn. You won't know which until the quarter ends.
What you'll do
- Take eight pitch meetings a day and look interested in all of them.
- Ask “Why now?” and “What's the moat?”, then nod slowly at the answer.
- Write a term sheet before another firm does.
- Sit on four boards and say one useful thing per meeting.
- Publish a long post on why you were early, especially when you weren't.
What we're looking for
- Pattern recognition, or the confidence to claim it.
- Comfort losing other people's money, gracefully.
- A strong opinion on every industry, formed on the drive in.
- The ability to say “we're still early” about anything.
Perks
- The vestFleece, embroidered with the firm's logo and worn over a button-down, year-round.
- Carried interestTwenty percent of the profits, should there ever be any.
- Walking meetingsUp and down Sand Hill Road. You'll decide on the way down.
