VC Associates are wicked smart. I wanted to be one straight out of college. But they are absolutely hated by the tech community.
Why Founders Love to Trash VC Associates
The Elite Role
The Associate job is very hard to land, even with experience and an MBA. They basically hire the top 0.01% and pay very high salaries. It's the most sought after entry-level job out there.
It's also a very disrespected job.
Working for GPs
They work for General Partners who sit on the boards of huge companies or who have been successful founders themselves. Naturally, the egos in the room are out of this world. They treat their Associates like crap.
The job role is just a glorified SDR. Basically, bring in deal flow for the VC firm. So they DM Founders all day long, try and set up meetings and gather intel.
Most Founders who get outreach from Associates routinely tell them to F off unless they bring the Partner to the meeting.
Do I Feel Sorry?
HELL NO.
Being a Founder is WAY WORSE. We don't get paid. We get told to F off by everyone including:
- Our customers
- Job Candidates
- Potential Acquirers
- Journalists
- VC Partners
- Anthropic
- Other startup founders
- Our own co-founders
- Our spouses
The Bottom Line
VC Associates have a tough job. They're smart, they're well-paid, and they get zero respect from the people they're trying to help. But founders? We get all the rejection without the salary.
If you're thinking about becoming a better CEO, understand this reality. The startup world is full of rejection at every level.
This is why we love to trash on VC Associates.