How to Build a Personal Brand in the World of Venture Capital

hether you are a startup founder or investor, branding is key in venture capital. If you are a founder that people know and respect, it will make your life so much easier in terms of getting in front of investors. 

At the same time, investors with great reputations are likely going to get approached by startups earlier in the process, while investors with a not-so-great reputation may have a hard time getting the most sought-after startups to take their money. 

With branding such a big part of the industry, it only makes sense that aspiring venture capitalists need to build their own personal brands as well if they want to break into the industry. Let’s take a look at some practical ways aspiring venture capitalists can get their name out there and start to build their personal brand.

Social media is your friend

As we’ve mentioned in the past, social media platforms like Twitter, as well as content platforms that allow you to make podcasts, videos, and newsletters are your friends when trying to build your brand and break into the VC industry. You can create content from anywhere these days and it doesn’t cost anything but your time to do it. 

If people in the VC ecosystem enjoy the content you produce then they are much more likely to engage with you. This will not only get your name out there but also likely lead to networking opportunities. 

Some idea of content you can create includes interviews with founders and VCs (everyone loves talking about themselves) and startup profiles and sourcing. Or get on top of all pertinent VC and startup news and become the go-to destination for industry coverage. Who knows, maybe your podcast or newsletter will turn into a small business.

Sometimes, you don’t even need to have a plan. The best accounts on Twitter to follow are those tweeting without any particular agenda but simply post because they are genuinely interested in what they are talking about and want to provide value to others. 

If people can see your passion, they will engage with you. And while life is not all about building followers, people in any ecosystem are going to be more likely to converse with you if they see that you have a decent following and regularly engage with others in the industry and tweet out engaging content.

The content you create should serve as a conduit. If someone in the industry engages with you, try to set up a phone call or grab a coffee with them with no agenda other than just to talk. That way they get familiar with you and as your experience builds, you’re on their radar if a job opens up or if they hear about one. These days, jobs are more likely to be found through random networking than by filling out an application. 

Get yourself out there

While social media is an excellent tool for building a brand, call us old fashioned, but the best way to build your brand is still through actual human interaction.

This means getting yourself out in the startup ecosystem at pitch competitions, meet and greets, and other various startup events that should be easy to find if you do a quick search online for startup events in your area.

While you can meet people on social media, you’ll definitely meet people at these events including startups and other investors. You’re not just getting your name out there but you are learning the business by seeing a range of different startups startups and by observing which ones investors take to or question. People may also be easier to talk to with a few drinks in them, too;)

Getting out to these events will also give you content ideas whether it’s summarizing pitch events, interviewing folks and talking about their strengths and weaknesses, and learning about new industry trends or different sectors.

In VC, in-person networking is a big part of the job because it helps with finding new startups, so you might as well get used to it and learn how to better socialize at these events. We could all brush up on our public speaking and social skills, especially after the pandemic.

Remember, you don’t need to have the job to do the job

The unfortunate reality in most skilled industries today is that nobody wants to have to hire someone they have to train from scratch – they want someone that can do a lot of the job on day one. If you show investors at VC firms and startups that you can do the job, or at least part of the job, you’ll be able to develop a pretty good reputation.

There are a few ways to do this. You can go source startups and do the research and due diligence on them yourself. Then make a pitch on a startup you think investors should be looking at. This can be done through a Medium post, by cold emailing people, or by simply posting your thesis in a Twitter thread. 

Work like this (if done thoughtfully of course) can turn into a public advertisement for yourself. If investors stumble upon your post and like the research you’ve done and the way you think they might remember you the next time they go hire an associate. VCs and funds also regularly higher scouts to source startups, so work like this might land you a scout role.

If you’re going to get noticed, you’re going to need to do good work, so don’t skimp on the research. Spend a lot of time and try to knock the socks off of investors with your work. You want people to think: “Who is this? Wait, they don’t even work in the industry, yet?” 

Breaking into VC isn’t easy and there are lots of skills one will need to develop but if you want to get noticed, you will likely need to build a brand. It’s part of the job anyway, so it’s never too early to start.