Although a fair amount of overlap exists between venture capital, private equity, and investment banking, all three sectors differ in significant and unique ways – some of which include the roles and responsibilities bestowed upon employees. If you were to pursue a career in investment banking, you might find yourself working on trades, mergers, and acquisitions; advising in the sale of new stocks and bonds; or connecting buyers and sellers of companies. In venture capital and private equity, you could be doing anything from identifying promising new startups to evaluating a company’s marketing strategy for post-investment growth.
Although private equity providers, venture capital investors, and investment bankers may all be incentivized to sell stakes at one point or another, private equity and venture capital firms concentrate more on building and growing the companies they invest in. This, coupled with the fact that private equity and venture capital analysts evaluate companies on different factors than investment bankers, leads to some exciting opportunities for people who want to work in the field.
Recently, we sat in on a virtual event with global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners to learn more about some of the open roles that the firm is currently looking to fill. The two positions we ended up identifying as the most engaging and exciting opportunities are the Investment Analyst and the Onsite Diligence and Growth Strategy (DGS) Analyst.
Scouting for the Next Big Thing: Investment Analyst
If you’ve ever heard of a company called Shopify, then you already know of one company that an Insight analyst identified and helped scale for success. One of the most exciting parts of being an Investment Analyst is knowing that the companies you’re sourcing and evaluating could be the next big brand or household name that’s going to shake the markets. And, you could be the one who discovers them.
At Insight, you don’t have to be a partner or executive to get your hands in the mix. The firm is known for its world-class analyst program, which gets junior-level analysts and associates directly involved in deals with the most senior investors on the team.
Investment Analysts Abhi Srinivas and Nisha Rangarajan attended our virtual seminar with Insight Partners and spoke about their experience on the job with passion and pride. While listening to them speak, it was evident that they love what they do and the company they work for.
Post-Investment Prowess – Onsite Diligence & Growth Strategy Analyst
So Insight decided to invest in a company that an Investment Analyst sourced – what’s next? In come the Onsite DGS Analysts. Insight Onsite is the VC industry’s largest software-focused operations team, which works alongside Insight’s portfolio companies to help executives identify key opportunities for growth. While Investment Analysts are responsible for identifying and making initial contact with the target company, it’s the responsibility of the Onsite DGS Analysts to help the company scale and succeed post-investment.
The Onsite team is what really drew Ruth Park to Insight. In the post-investment phase, Ruth may be sinking her teeth into the marketing strategy of a company or making recommendations to company leaders on how to put their newly acquired funding to the best use.
Ruth’s point is that it doesn’t really matter where you come from – Insight is looking for minds from every walk of life and every school of thought to fill its ranks.
If you’re interested in being an Investment Analyst or an Onsite DGS Analyst who works with some of the most fascinating growth-stage technology, software, and Internet companies in the world, Insight Partners is for you.
Check out Insight Partners’ WayUp profile page to learn more about the firm and apply for open roles.
