What are the key factors to research before a Venture Capital interview?

Researching the VC firm will, first and foremost, enable you to determine whether they are a potential fit for your venture and if a meeting is relevant at all. At the very least, you would want to verify that they have a strong track record of investing in the sector and growth stage you are in. Knowing more about the firm during the meeting will allow you to build trust and rapport quickly, which is highly important, as most initial meetings are short. Being able to articulate why you think this particular firm is a good fit will demonstrate a level of maturity that is highly desired by VCs. Avoid empty platitudes in an effort to be liked; instead, identify one or two genuine points of interest and focus on those.

In my experience, the very best VC investment funds are made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds who bring diverse perspectives to the team. As an interviewee, it can be very helpful to research the profiles and expertise of the existing team. This gives you the platform to discuss the valuable insight and/or network you could add if you join them.

Most VCs have specific investment theses - be sure to understand what they are and how you can add value through your past work experience. Good to ask the portfolio founders about the kind of terms that the VC gives (VCs' termsheets seldom change) how the VC and their team work and their roles (some VCs have portfolio value creation team and some don't for example) and adds value to the founders (certain partners' working style may not be compatible with yours).

Passion and enthusiasm are important but so are pragmatism and realism. If this is your first move into VC be sure that you’re comfortable with the hardest parts of the job. Don’t come across as naive in the interview process. Remember that most startups fail so you will have a lot of “bad news days” in VC.

Find an obsession. A great VC Partner is known and respected for a given field. They can pick companies before others have conviction and can spot patterns. You’ll be there next. Show interviewers your obsession and how that relates to startups innovating. A hunger to deep dive goes a long way.

Listen to the EUVC podcast!!! Just kidding (but kind of not). Many VCs participate in many podcasts, write thought leadership pieces, or might even have their own sort of newsletter/blog. Researching these can prove to be extremely useful as you'll get a lot of information about the firm and funds they manage, but also on the personality and culture of the VC firm/investor.

It’s a cliche but overnight successes are often years in the making. Investing in early stage businesses requires a long term mindset and a lot of patience. This also applies to your own career in VC. If you want to be really successful, you need to think of VC as a 10 year commitment.