Employers

Marketing specialists are employed by venture capital firms, marketing firms that provide services to VC firms, and the portfolio companies of VC firms. They also work for corporations such as Google and Intel that have VC departments.

Venture capital firms are located throughout the United States, with most located in or near large cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. Many VC firms have offices abroad, especially in Europe and the Far East. For example, Accel (a VC funder of Facebook, Etsy, and Spotify, among many others) is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, but it also has offices in San Francisco, California, and in the United Kingdom and India.

Starting Out

A good way to break into the venture capital industry is to apply for entry-level jobs with the portfolio companies of VC firms or at marketing firms that provide services to the VC industry. In these positions, you’ll work closely with VC partners and get to know the typical marketing needs of the firm. In time, this combination of networking contacts, experience, and industry know-how will allow you to transition into a job at a VC firm.

Visit the Web sites of venture capital firms and VC-related employers to learn about internship opportunities and full-time jobs. Be sure to create a LinkedIn profile and become active on its marketing and venture capital message boards. You can also learn about job opportunities through your school’s career services office, at career fairs and other networking events, and at the job boards of marketing association Web sites.

You can access a list of venture capital firms and corporate venture groups that are members of the National Venture Capital Association by visiting http://nvca.org/about-nvca/members.

Checking out “best” or “top” company lists is another good strategy to identify potential employers. Here are several best/top company lists:

• Entrepreneur’s VC 100: The Top Investors in Early-Stage Startups list: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242702
• Fortune’s various industry best lists: http://fortune.com/rankings (some of these companies have venture capital divisions)
• CB Insight: Healthcare’s Top Venture Capital Firms:  https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/healthcare-venture-capital-top-mosaic
• Tech.Co’s 25 Top VC Firms list: http://tech.co/top-vc-firms-to-pitch-your-startup-to-2015-02

Large venture capital firms are most likely to have dedicated marketing departments. At smaller firms, there may be just a marketing partner or marketing manager to handle all the firm’s marketing needs. At a large firm, entry-level marketing associates can advance to become marketing coordinators/managers. Highly skilled and experienced managers may be asked to become marketing partners, who make investment decisions and get a share of the firm’s profits. 

Check to see if your college has a chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon (https://www.pse.org), a coed marketing and sales fraternity that offers networking opportunities, competitions, and conferences.

Attend the American Marketing Association International Collegiate Conference to participate in professional development opportunities, competitions, and networking events. Visit https://www.ama.org/events/general/2020-ama-collegiate-career-fair for more information. 

Visit the following Web sites for job listings:

• https://www.efinancialcareers.com
• https://www.pehub.com
• https://nvca.org/resources/careers-in-vc
• https://www.linkedin.com