Thread for folks looking for roles in biopharma VC. Nearly every week I speak to someone who wants to get into biopharma VC. One high-level theme: even for entry roles, you *generally* need to check the box “understands science” as well as the box “can do basic financial... 1/9
...modeling”. Often ppl who reach out to me have substantial scientific creds but don’t have any finance experience. That’s not a deal killer for every firm or role – with a very strong scientific background and some other form of business training (non-finance business...2/9
...roles, MBA or relevant undergrad major, even being self-taught) many people can do just fine in biopharma VC (I wouldn’t try to do healthcare services VC/PE, though, unless you’re a whiz at financial modeling). Others may enter the industry from an entrepreneurial /... 3/9
...operational background. And we are hopefully reaching a point where there’s a push for greater diversity in the industry – including diversity of work experience. (As we expand the backgrounds of ppl in the industry, we can look at more training to help bridge the gap.)... 4/9
...But… the reality is that some sort of finance training will make you much more competitive for VC roles. This can include i-banking, equity research, consulting, bus dev, or corp dev. Or of course, an investing role at another VC, a hedge fund, a mutual fund… There... 5/9
...are also folks interested in the industry who don’t have explicit scientific / medical training. They may have started in financial roles outside of biopharma and have been drawn to the space. Some of the smartest ppl I know in the business don’t actually have advanced... 6/9
...science degrees. BUT, again, if you aren’t finding that you’re competitive for these roles, you may need to up your scientific creds even to get an interview to show what you know. It’s worth pointing out that sometimes ppl’s CVs don’t actually lay out all the relevant...7/9
...experience from prior roles or schooling, and these elements just need to be made more prominent / dominant in the “narrative” your resume tells. Bottom line: if you are looking for investing roles and not finding doors open, find an investor who will look at your CV and...8/9
...give you frank feedback about what might be missing from your background and how to supplement (or better explain) your experience. 9/9
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