23 (M)
Hey everyone,
I’d really appreciate some honest advice here.
I recently graduated in June 2025 with a GPA of ~2.9/4. Not the strongest academically, I know.
However, alongside college I founded and scaled a startup that’s now doing ~$3M ARR and still growing. I’ve been running it since first year, so most of my real learning has come from actually building and operating a business.
Now I’m at a point where I want to transition into working at venture capital or growth equity firms — specifically in investing roles where I can evaluate companies, work on deals, and back founders.
I’m a bit stuck on the best way to get there:
Option 1: Go for a master’s
- Considering places like:
- National University of Singapore
- Maybe even London Business School / Europe finance schools (if i can get in)
The idea would be to use the program for network + recruiting into VC/growth equity roles.
Option 2: Skip masters and try to break in directly
- Target VC firms / growth equity funds / family offices in India or Singapore
- Use my founder background as the entry point
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My main questions:
- Given my profile (low GPA but strong startup), is a master’s actually worth it for breaking into VC/growth equity firms?
- If yes, which geography/schools make the most sense for these roles (Asia vs UK)?
- If no, how realistic is it to break directly into VC/growth equity without IB/consulting background?
- How do VC/growth firms actually view operator-founders moving into investing roles?
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I’m trying to be realistic here — not chasing prestige for the sake of it, just want the most effective path into working at a VC or growth equity firm.
Would really appreciate any insights, especially from people currently in VC/growth or who’ve made a similar transition.
Thanks 🙏