Goingvc

Want to think more like a VC?

The next time you analyze a startup, ask these four questions:

• Can the founders adapt?
• Does the team learn quickly?
• Are systems built to support innovation?
• Will this company still be creating new products in five years?

These questions shift your analysis from evaluating ideas to evaluating businesses.

That’s how many investors approach long-term venture opportunities.

Every startup claims to be innovative.

But venture investors often ask a different question:

Can this company keep innovating as it grows?

Innovation isn’t only about launching one great product.

It’s about building a team, culture, and organization that can continue learning, adapting, and creating value over time.

When evaluating startups, look beyond today’s product.

Start evaluating tomorrow’s potential.

Visit this week’s GoingVC article to learn how investors think about long-term innovation.

Saying you're passionate about venture capital only goes so far.

Showing it — through writing, research, and a consistent point of view — is what actually catches a firm's attention. In our newest post, we cover how to build that kind of presence step by step, including a 90-day plan to get started.

Breaking into venture capital rarely follows a straight line — there's no formal hiring season, and most roles never get posted publicly.

What actually gets candidates noticed is what they've built and shared online before anyone asked them to.

Our latest blog post walks through how to turn your digital presence into real proof of how you think as an investor.

Many aspiring investors focus on finding venture capital job openings.

An equally valuable exercise is developing the skills and habits that firms look for before a role becomes available.

Writing an investment thesis, following emerging markets, speaking with founders, and building a structured view of an industry are all ways to deepen your understanding of venture capital while creating work you can point to.

These activities won’t replace experience, but they can help demonstrate curiosity, analytical thinking, and genuine interest in the space.

Our latest article explores practical ways to prepare for a career in venture capital.

Read the full guide through the link in our bio.

Most venture capital careers don’t begin with a job application. They begin with understanding how the industry works.

Knowing the difference between an analyst, associate, principal, and partner role is only one part of the picture. It’s equally important to understand how funds operate, how investment decisions are made, and where your own background fits into the ecosystem.

Whether you’re coming from finance, startups, consulting, or an MBA program, developing that foundation will make every conversation, application, and interview more informed.

Most emerging managers track soft circles like they're capital. They're not. 👀

A soft circle is a conversation. A closing is a contract.

Here's what changes the moment an LP signs their subscription docs and the GP countersigns:
→ Capital becomes callable
→ Fiduciary responsibility activates
→ LPs shift from trusting your pitch to watching your process

The closing isn't administrative overhead — it's the foundation your fund is built on.

We broke down everything GPs and aspiring VCs need to know about fund closings: first close mechanics, LP equalization, capital call timing, and how to build LP confidence before you deploy a single dollar.

Link in bio 🔗

What separates a fund that launches from one that earns lasting LP trust? It often comes down to how the closing process is run.

A fund closing isn't just a legal formality — it's the first operational test of your firm. LPs watch how you handle documents, communicate timelines, and follow through on the small things. Those early impressions shape how they think about every future interaction with you.

Whether you're raising your first fund or scaling to your second, the mechanics matter. Here's what you need to know about venture capital fund closings — from first close to final close.

🔗 Read the full breakdown on the GoingVC blog.

One of the more actionable things you can do as an aspiring VC: write down your investment thesis and share it publicly.
Pick a space you're genuinely curious about. Research the market structure, the recent tailwinds, the gaps. Map the players. Talk to founders if you can. Then distill it into a clear, honest point of view — and post it.
It doesn't have to be polished. It has to be real.
A thoughtful thesis published on LinkedIn or Substack signals that you've moved beyond "I want to work in VC" into "here's how I actually think about companies."
That distinction matters to hiring managers.
→ GoingVC helps aspiring investors build exactly this kind of credibility. Link in bio.

When an LP is evaluating a fund manager, the pitch is only part of the picture.

The founders who took the fund's money have seen something no pitch deck can show — how the GP showed up when things got hard, whether the introductions actually came through, and whether they'd do it again.

Reference checking a fund manager is a discipline in itself. We've put together a full guide covering who to speak with, what to ask, how to read track records beyond headline numbers, and why the relationship you build before a fund formally raises often matters more than the diligence you do during it.