A Venture Capital Career Is Like Walking from Boston to San Francisco
July 26, 2018
Iâm a recent conversation with Eric Paley, he gave me an amazingly wonderful analogy for how the career of a VC unfolds. He said:
âBeing a VC is like taking a walk from Boston to San Franciscoâ
Iâd never heard that before so I said: âtell me more.â He went on an awesome ramble, which Iâll try to capture below.
You start out on a sunny day in Boston. You put on your new, clean walking shoes. Itâs just walking. Itâs fun, fresh, and exciting. Itâs a new experience, with lots of hopes and expectations in front of you. You get tons of support and encouragement from all of your friends. You meet plenty of new and interesting people. Itâs just walking.
After a few days, you feel like you are getting into a rhythm. You feel you are good at this. Itâs still easy and exciting, but now you know what to expect each day.
At some point, you find yourself in the middle of Ohio. Itâs raining. Your shoes are worn out. Youâve got blisters and a sore ankle. Your backpack smells â a lot. While itâs still just walking, itâs not much fun anymore. But you grind through it, buoyed by the occasional sunny day, even though itâs now cold outside.
By the time you get to Chicago, you canât remember why you are walking San Francisco. But you keep walking.
Iâve been doing this for 25 years. While itâs just walking, Iâve crisscrossed the country a bunch of times. And I keep walking.
Also published on Medium.