If you’re interested in working with the private equity and venture capital industry: there are relatively few jobs directly inside private equity and venture capital funds, and those jobs are highly competitive. However, there are many other ways you can work with and earn money from the industry. Not surprisingly, the tighter your relationship with the firm, typically the more money you will earn. Here is the range of options you have:

Historically, most people working in private equity were former investment bankers and other finance professionals. However, as the industry has evolved, more people realized that value cannot be created through financial engineering alone. A BCG study of 121 investments found that operational improvement drives 48% of value creation in PE-backed companies. PE funds now often upgrade and/or complement management.

Below are a presentation and video on how you can work with private equity/VC funds.

To identify funds that you might work with, we suggest you start by identifying the firms which are investors in companies with which you have  a history. Second, more broadly, look for investors in the industries in which you have expertise.  You can identify institutional investors through one of multiple online databases:

For further reading: 

• Should Your Startup Pivot, Persevere, or Plank?
• I Asked 100 Founders, CEOs and VCs About Career Transitions — Here’s What I Learned
• How Second Time Founders Can Win and Avoid Common Mistakes
• Salary or startup? How do-gooders can gain more from risky careers
• The Burden of the Nondiversifiable Risk of Entrepreneurship