VC Stories from UCLA students
UCLA alum investor at Billion Dollar VC fund
When did you start recruiting for VC?
I wasn't officially recruiting since I was already working at a VC but got some inbound from a couple of firms between December-February that were asking about post-grad plans.
What was your recruiting process like?
There were three firms in my top five that I spent the most time with. I was also engaging with about seven other firms at various levels, but I was intentionally moving more slowly with them to prioritize the top three.
The three firms were good multi-stages so I’ll generalize the process since their approaches were fairly similar. Typically, the first meeting was with a lead partner—the investor I’d ultimately work under. From there, I’d meet other investors on their specific team (e.g., consumer, enterprise, AI infrastructure, or growth). Each conversation could technically be an elimination round if any red flags came up, but usually, there were about 2–5 calls at this stage.
Around this time, most firms introduce a case study. Some will ask you to present a few companies you think are exciting and a good fit for the firm to consider an investment. Others might ask for a full investment memo on a single company, often including a financial model. You’ll typically walk through this case with the partner leading the hiring process, and it serves as a filtering point as the team assesses how you think through markets, taste, and deal judgment.
After that, depending on the firm, you may have a few additional meetings with principals or other partners. Some will ask for another case study or sourcing exercise. One firm had me walk through how I actually find companies and leverage my network to source deals. A tip here: any material you put together for one firm can often be repurposed and shared with others. It’s good to establish more touch points with firms and helpful context overall.
Toward the end of the process, most firms will have a “superday,” similar to banking, where you meet with general partners or very senior members of the investment team. By this point, you’ve likely completed all the relevant casework and interviews, so this step is mostly about assessing culture fit and team chemistry.
From here some firms will have you meet a couple more principals/partners and/or do another type of case study. One of those firms had me prepare material on how I actually find companies and source with my network. The benefit here is that any material you produce for one firm is something you should share with others just to keep momentum going and more context is always helpful.
Some firms move fast, others take their time. Overall, the process can take anywhere from 2 to 5 months, depending on how urgently the firm is looking to make a hire.
Why did you choose to pursue VC? Do you see yourself doing VC long term?
I found it as a very intellectually stimulating role that allows you to learn about new technologies, meet some incredibly smart people, and hopefully plan a small part in helping some great companies get built. VCs aren't the founders and it's important to call out that distinction but good board members can make helpful partners who can help change the trajectory of a company positively.
What did you do over summers before recruiting for VC?
I worked at a couple of startups and interned at a VC fund.
What is a day-in-the-life like?
Meet a lot of companies raising seed or A rounds, people working at companies that are thinking about leaving to start something new, diligence on deals we're considering which includes a lot of Excel work/customer calls/market diligence + mapping, and supporting the team with other work.
Meet ALICE YANG, Previous VC INtern at Anthos Capital!
What company did you work at?
Anthos Capital (intern over summer 2024)
What was your position at the company?
Investment Analyst (Consumer Sourcing)
When did you start recruiting for VC?
December 2023
What was your process like?
I discovered the Anthos Capital internship through LinkedIn and applied in December 2023. The lead recruiter at Anthos then reached out to schedule a 15-20 minute introductory call. I advanced to the next round, where I met with an investor from the consumer team and was tasked with creating a deck to pitch two companies I would invest in. After that, I spoke with the Head of Research before being invited to the Santa Monica office for a super day, which included meetings with the recruiter, Head of People, and a Senior Investor. The entire recruitment process took about two weeks.
Why did you choose to pursue VC and/or do you see yourself doing VC long term?
I think it's so fulfilling to be able to support founders scale their businesses and yes, I do see myself in the field long term!
What did you do over summer?
I sourced various consumer companies in their growth stage, met with and interviewed founders, reviewed pitch decks, created and presented investment memos to senior executives.