just started writing a venture capital eBook

Follow it here and let me know what you think!

New Venture Capital Careers Page on johngannonblog.com

Wanted to let everyone know that I have a VC careers page up at http://johngannonblog.com/vc-careers. I plan on posting tips and advice as well as some random job postings that I see in my travels.

VC internship

If you are looking for a VC internship in NYC, please contact me on LinkedIn. I know of at least one firm locally that is looking for multiple interns who are passionate about VC and early stage tech ventures.

launching new blog johngannonblog.com

Hey all -- I have just launched a new blog (http://johngannonblog.com) that will be focused on VC, technology, innovation, and probably include a bit about my life as well. I hope you all continue to stick with me and follow along with the new blog. I won't be updating this blog any longer but I will keep responding to comments here, so feel free to reach out if one of my old posts seems interesting and you want to discuss!

Evaluating startup offers and comp packages

The guys from Venture Hacks just posted regarding how individuals can evaluate job offers from startups. There are two parts (Part 1 and Part 2).

I thought this post was interesting because this past year I fielded similar questions from classmates who were evaluating opportunities with startups versus bigger, established companies. One thing I have seen fairly frequently in the past (and something I myself have done) is people who over-value their options. Most startup companies do not sell for Google or VMware-like prices, so you have to assume a moderate outcome (and therefore a moderate payout). Heck, some of them never sell and just go under. Just the nature of the game.

BTW, if you are really fired up about going to work at a startup after school, you might think about taking a VC class. It helps you understand the financing side of the startup world, and also comes in handy when you are thinking about how to value a startup's offer of employment.

Tech careers post-CBS

There was a comment made on my last post and I thought I would devote a post to the comment. (Thanks for reading and for asking the question, mystery commenter! :)

Here is the comment:


Hi John,

How are you doing Big Daddy? I have few questions about CBS. I am a technology professional working in West Coast. I want to apply to CBS for fall 09. I am looking to move into business development in Technology firms. I am fascinated by CBS for its New York location. Any inputs on "how often do you see CBS students pursuing career in technology? even if they write technology in essays, does adcom suspect that applicant is seeking an admit through back door and finally wants to go to IB because we are in NY?"


And here is my response:

Big Daddy is doing great, thanks for asking :) We're at 32 weeks and counting.

CBS does have a strong, core group of folks who are pursuing careers in new media and technology. Admittedly, that group's size does not rival the number of future i-bankers and management consultants, but it is a pretty vibrant group and one that in my experience is very passionate about the sector.

I can't really comment on what the adcom is thinking related to your admissions essays, but I would recommend to just be yourself and be truthful about what you want to do once at CBS, and afterwards. If you're able to tell a logical account of "why CBS, why now, and why the future career path given your past experiences" I think you will be fine.

What you end up seeing the 1st year is that many people decide that what they came to school to do (i.e. in their app they said they wanted to become a management consultant) was not as exciting as something else they were exposed to early in the 1st year (i.e. they change their mind and decide they want to work at a hedge fund). I think that potential for change is somewhat expected and understood, although you definitely want to go in with a fairly defined vision and plan of what you want to do at CBS in your application.

There are a variety of classes that are tech and new media focused as well as activities (like the Silicon Valley Trek) that cater to applicants and students who are interested in taking that kind of career path.

Does this help? Feel free to post some follow up questions in the comments and I'll try to answer them as best I can.