Thread by @SahilBloom

If I were starting my career again and I wanted to optimize for:

(1) Foundation-building experience
(2) High probability of $10m by age 30

Here’s how I’d do it:

Run a simple Google search for the top 10 venture funds investing in your given country or market.

Go to their websites and scan their team pages.

Write down the names of 2-3 junior or mid-ranking investment team members at each fund.

Compile a list of ~20-30 names.

Use Twitter (or LinkedIn if you’re brave) to search for each individual.

Send a thoughtful, concise cold DM or email to each person you are able to find. The guide below might help.

Have a clear CTA: request a 30-minute call to ask them a few questions about their portfolio.

https://twitter.com/sahilbloom/status/1452375554825486336

Assume you’re able to convert ~10-20% of these outbounds—with some degree of persistence where necessary—and you have a handful of calls scheduled.

On the call, ask a few questions:

(1) What early investment are they MOST EXCITED about?

(2) What are the clear early winners?

Use this information to create a list of the early-stage startups in your given country or market.

Research the list of companies:
• Founder and story
• Mission and vision
• Open roles and needs

Create a “dossier” on each company. Rank them based on your interest and fit.

Reach back out to the VC that named each company.

Cite your research, excitement about the vision, and potential fit for any open roles. This shows your ambition and self-starter mentality.

Request an intro to one team or company.

Warm intros are invaluable.

Work the interview process to the best of your ability. The guide below might help.

With any luck (and enough lines in the water), you should be able to find a fit for a junior role at a high-growth startup.

https://twitter.com/sahilbloom/status/1399375061111382022

In your comp discussion, prioritize equity over cash.

Not only does this signal belief in the vision, it also sets you up for a big future reward if the company takes off.

You’re de-risked by the fact that the VCs—who have great inside info—noted this startup as a winner!

If I were starting my career again, I’d follow a process like this to try to land a role at a high-growth startup.

With a small team, you’ll get a broad-based, foundation-building experience.

And with equity in a winner, your probability of a payday is high on a relative basis.

Those are just my thoughts on how to use a bit of finesse, but I’m curious what others think. What would you do differently?

Follow me @SahilBloom for more threads on business, finance, careers, and growth.

The broader point I’m getting at here:

There are smart ways to finesse the system and draw out more signal and information than traditional hiring pathways allow.

Get creative! Use the tools at your disposal…

Given the reception here, I’ll write a deeper dive into this topic in the future.

Subscribe and join 64,000+ others so you don’t miss it. sahilbloom.substack.com

By the way, if you’re one of the rocketship startups that is looking for ambitious, self-starter talent, comment or share this to find them here!

Getting a lot of questions about this strategy and whether it works at age 30, 40, etc.

Short answer: yes.

If I wanted to hit reset, this is basically the exact path I would follow. It might work even better, since presumably you would be able to land a more mid/senior role…

I have a long running list of these finesse tricks and hacks that I’ve thought about over the years.

I’ll start sharing them more regularly if people find value in them.

Follow along for more…