[FREE] Skills to Master in a VC Career

The ultimate guide for skills you need to master across seniority levels in a VC career - based on Andreessen Horowitz's hiring rubric!

Are you hiring for your VC fund and need a rubric to grade your candidates? Or curious what skills you need to improve to advance your career as a venture capitalist?

We broke down in a multi tab excel model what you need to know at each level of seniority at a VC fund into 9 categories.

1. Financial Concepts
   • Financial Accounting
   • Excel Work
   • Multiples / Comps
   • Macro Drivers
   • Unit Economics
   • Returns Math
2. Industry Knowledge
   • Industry Landscape of Your Niche
   • New Investment Narratives
   • Industry-Specific Success Drivers
   • Industry News
   • Industry-Specific Risks / Considerations
   • Rigorous and analytical diligence (no stone unturned)
3. Network
   • Dealflow Inbound
   • Due Diligence Network
   • Post-Investment Value Add Network
   • Network for Downstream Funding Rounds
4. Dealmaking
   • Negotiation
   • Understanding Terms & Concepts
   • Position Management (Adding / Cutting Shares)
5. Investment Acumen
   • Knowing What "Makes a Good Business"
   • Understanding Public Market Impact on Privates
   • Portfolio Construction
   • Ability to Add Value on Boards
6. Operations Processes
   • Hiring / Team Building
   • Fundraising
   • Investor Relations
   • Fund Level Budgeting & Cash Flow
   • Investment Systems & Processes Design
   • Fee Negotiation (e.g., Legal)
7. External Brand and Thought Leadership
   • Deep Expertise in a Domain (Defined a Zone)
   • Library of Thought Leadership Content Pieces
   • External Branding
   • Key Opinion Leader
   • High NPS Score and Well Recommended
   • Ability to Discover New Trends
8. Internal Influence
   • EQ and Intangibles
   • Internal Charisma and Presence
   • Team Player, Go-to-Expert for Domain 'X'
   • Embodies Firm and Fund Culture
   • Strong Processes and Consistently Hits Core KPIs
9. Core KPIs
   • Number of Deals sourced (net new and not in firm's CRM)
   • Number of New Initial Review Meetings
   • Number of Meetings with GP / IC member
   • Number of Meetings with Full Partnership
   • Number of Deals You Sourced that became a Partnership Meeting
   • Number of Deals you Sourced that became an Investment
   • Number of Deals that Exited above cost
   • Number of Deals that were major winners: 3x+
   • Number of Deals that were home runs: 10x+ External NPS Score with Founders
   • Number of Thought Leadership or Content pieces per quarter

Feel free to reach out if you have questions - check out the latest updates on my Twitter & LinkedIn.