Venture Capital

An investment memo defends a debatable claim against objections. Due diligence is structured scepticism. The investors who do well hold strong views, update honestly on evidence, and can explain why the consensus might be wrong. None of that requires a finance degree.

The lay of the land

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VC firms raise money from investors and put it into young companies in exchange for equity. The teams are small, often under ten people. Juniors work as analysts and associates: finding companies, researching markets, writing memos. Principals and partners make the final calls and sit on boards. There are also platform roles, which run the fund’s community and support its companies. There is no standard entry route; funds hire ex-founders, ex-consultants and sharp generalists, which means no box to tick but also no box to be excluded by. People who get noticed usually think in public first, for example by publishing their own analyses of markets or startups.

Philosophers who’ve done it

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• Steven Robinson & Guanlan Mao — Oxford philosophy and PPE graduates leading ARKN Ventures, a blockchain-focused, research-driven VC firm. At our October 2022 workshop they talked about the move from philosophy to VC and how they use philosophical skills in the work

From our events

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• Investing in Norm-Subverting Tech with Steven Robinson & Guanlan Mao (October 2022)

Start here

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• If the technology side of early investing interests you, read this together with Blockchain & Fintech. If you’d rather build than invest, read Entrepreneurship & Startups
• Philosophy Means Business — the general case for philosophical skills in commercial settings
• The opportunities board — analyst and research roles surface there