- Neal Mintz beat over 500 applicants to get his dream job at Wischoff Ventures.
- Mintz said that during the hiring process, he offered to set up the firm's payroll for free.
- Mintz says he thinks people who want to succeed as a VC must be ready to go all-in.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Neal Mintz, 26, a senior associate at Wischoff Ventures. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his education and employment history.
I have wanted to pursue a career in the venture capital ecosystem since I was in college.
While pursuing my bachelor's degree at Washington University's Olin Business School, I spent two summers living and working in Tel Aviv, which has an incredible startup ecosystem.
It was difficult to break into venture capital straight out of college. Instead, I started my career in consulting with Ernst & Young, where I spent two years in their digital strategy consulting practice.
At EY, I worked with clients that included Fortune 500 companies. I did everything I could to align my interests with my work, but I recognized that it would be harder to jump into an investing role as I became more senior.
That was when I knew that I really needed to start looking elsewhere.
After EY, I landed a role at a venture studio working with start-ups. That was where I learned how to perform due diligence on early-stage business opportunities.
I then moved on to Ground Up Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. I was the only employee there besides the fund's four partners, so I had to learn quickly on the job.
After nearly two years at Ground Up Ventures, I wanted to try working at another fund to see if there was room for upward mobility.
That's how I ended up at my current job at Wischoff Ventures, a firm started by a woman whose work I admired — Nichole Wischoff.
I went through three weeks of interviews and pulled out all the stops
I wanted to work for Nichole because I knew that as the fund's first full-time hire, I would have the opportunity to work with her directly and learn the ropes.
The competition for the role was intense, and Nichole said I'd beaten over 500 candidates to get hired.
The interview process took about three weeks, including three one-hour calls and an in-person meeting. In addition to the interviews, Nichole also asked me to weigh in on some due diligence opportunities and startup investments.
Throughout the process, I did everything I could to show Nichole I knew how to do this job and that she wouldn't need to handhold me.
At one point, Nichole mentioned she would need to set up a payroll provider for her first hire. Even though we were still in the interview process then, I offered to do it for her for free.
People think I'm a try-hard, but that's just what it takes
Some people have criticized my approach to securing the job at Wischoff Ventures.
I recognize that the prospect of putting in so much effort to get a job may be discouraging. But we must remember that venture capital is an extremely competitive industry. The interview process is indicative of what working in venture capital is really like.
If you want to succeed as a junior investor, you'll get a lot of rejections from founders all the time. If you want to thrive, you have to think creatively about how to get in front of founders. On top of that, you have to do your due diligence and research if you want to land a deal.
Even after spending dozens of hours with a prospect, you could still get rejected, but that's just how deals work. So, for better or for worse, there are just so few roles within this industry. And you will have to go above and beyond if you want to make a mark.
I offered to set up payroll for Nichole because I wanted her to know I was willing to do whatever it took. So whether it's implementing a customer relationship management system or planning happy hours — I'm all in.
Breaking into venture capital is a long game. It took five years of my career to get in the door. But while the journey may sound intimidating, it's attainable for anyone who's excited and committed to what they're doing.