Driving positive change in VC one GP relationship at a time

Tell us about yourself.

I got my Bachelor’s degree in Quantitative Economics from New York University, where I also minored in Business Studies. After NYU, I joined Cornell University’s Endowment as an Investment Analyst, where I covered Private Equity and Real Estate investments from the LP/allocator perspective.

In my free time, I love cooking, running, taking my dog on long walks or (when I get the chance to get out of the city) hikes. I love watching and trying out different sports - I’m a big tennis and baseball fan (go Yanks!).

What attracted you to AngelList?

I was ready for a new challenge and wanted to align my career more closely with the innovation economy. AngelList stood out not only with its mission but also with its fantastic, driven, and positive team. I saw a lot of transferability between my old role on the LP side and the Venture Associate seat where I could utilize my understanding of the GP business model to help AngelList’s clients grow and operate their Funds with as little friction as possible.

Describe the associate role in one sentence.

Venture Associates help enhance the GP experience on the AngelList platform - from fund formation and fundraising to deal deployment and handling edge cases - by coordinating cross-functional processes and facilitating communication.

How did your previous job at Cornell’s Investment Office prepare you for the role?

My previous role allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the PE and VC industries and the market trends that drive them, helped me understand the relationship between GPs and LPs, and it exposed me to a variety of Fund structures and their underlying markets and investments. Having a deep understanding of an institutional LP’s perspective has been tremendously helpful in my role as a VCA.

What’s the most important skill that has helped you be successful on the Customer Relations team?

Communication. Your work as a VCA, both internally and externally, is crucially tied to your ability to synthesize complex issues and communicate solutions timely and effectively.

What have you learned working as an associate?

VC investors are not in the business of investing in companies, they are in the business of investing in people - founders are the true driving force of a startup’s success, the GP is the true driver of good deal selection and capital sourcing. Venture capital is at an inflection point in its evolution. As access to the industry increases, the importance of relationships and community is growing proportionately, which positions AngelList at an extremely interesting point in venture’s evolution, and I cannot be more excited to be a part of it.

What do you hope to accomplish at AngelList?

My goal is to build strong, mutually elevating, and long-lasting relationships in my role as a VCA, both internally and externally. Internally, my goal is to continuously add positive value through my collaboration with the AngelList team. The way I define it, even if I made someone’s day 1% better by giving them a genuine compliment, I would consider that a success of the same caliber as a completed project. Externally, I hope to bring a unique and fresh perspective to the fund managers I work with, be a catalyst for their growth, enable their success, and be seen as a trusted partner.

What is your top life hack for associates?

Develop your internal organizational infrastructure early and lean onto the AngelList team heavily - the team is your biggest resource for all intellectual curiosities and development opportunities! We are in the innovation economy and innovation is best achieved through collaboration.

What advice would you give applicants?

Familiarize yourself with our products and the value we add through our offerings. Be curious and asks questions - about AngelList and our business, the VCA role and what it really entails, ways to grow here, and your interviewers as people. Be authentic and don’t forget to smile!