A Day in the Life of a Venture Capitalist

Name: A Day in the Life of a Venture Capitalist (English version)
SKU: E-444

Strebulaev, Ilya; Gouw Ranzetta,Theresia; Hoyt, David

Product #:E-444

Supplier:Stanford University

Discipline:Entrepreneurship

Setting:United States

Details:Case (PDF) • 21 pages • 2014-01-13

Subjects:

Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial finance Partnerships Start-ups Venture capital

Geography:

United States North America

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$9.71

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This note describes the tasks that fill the working day of a venture capitalist. Those functions involved in investing (deal sourcing, due diligence, and related tasks) often receive the most attention from students. However, interviews with experienced venture capitalists found that as much or more time is spent working with existing portfolio companies. This note provides insight into each aspect of a venture capitalist's job: making investments, working with portfolio companies, and managing the venture capital firm as a business. The note is written heavily based on quotes, allowing experienced venture capitalists to describe their activities in their own words.

Learning Objectives

This note is intended for a course on venture capital, or more broadly, financing of early- or growth-stage companies. It can also be a supplemental reading in courses that deal with businesses funded by venture capital, such as a course in entrepreneurship or start-up enterprises. The teaching objective of the note is to provide context for future discussions of the job of a venture capitalist, or the role of the VC in start-up companies.