Dragonfly Partner Shares: No need for prestigious school backgrounds, young people can break into the crypto VC scene like this

Author: Haseeb

Compiled by: Deep Tide TechFlow

If I were a young person wanting to enter the VC industry, I would do the following:

Writing.

Post short analysis on Twitter. Avoid writing vague market philosophy articles, as those are often seen as AI-generated junk content or secondhand research. Unless you are exceptionally talented ( but most likely you are not ), no one will read them.

Conduct original research, focusing on a specific company or niche segment. If you want to write about robots, that scope is too broad.

Narrow it down further—humanoid robots, medical robots, military robots, etc. Aim for extremely granular detail, to the point where most people wouldn’t care. If what you find through Google searches is enough, then it’s not detailed enough.

Finding a way to do “original research” isn’t easy. It’s not something you can accomplish just by visiting a university library.

You need to communicate with employees of these companies, interview reporters covering these companies, subscribe to industry-specific private research/newsletters, and follow all gossiping employees or anonymous accounts on Twitter. Synthesize a perspective that most TechCrunch readers wouldn’t see.

Then, write about this niche, including leading and emerging startups, tagging ( or DMing ) every mainstream institutional investor covering your field—those who have invested in companies within this niche ( because you can find them.

If they show interest, proactively invite everyone you can to coffee. Someone will accept the invitation.

By doing this repeatedly, you’ll build a reputation, and eventually, VC firms will offer you opportunities. You don’t need to attend business school, have an outstanding angel portfolio, or anything else.

“Getting good deal flow” is obviously great, but most people can’t do it. If you’re already part of the Stanford undergraduate circle, you might not even need VC advice. But the above strategy—principally—anyone can do it. It just requires extraordinary execution and a willingness to do the work of a junior VC without being asked.

) While doing this, the best option is to work at a company within the niche you’re pursuing. But depending on your background, that’s not always feasible. The good news is, VC doesn’t require any specific background. The VC world has many oddballs, including myself. (

I guarantee everyone wants to hire someone capable of doing the above. But very few candidates have that level of execution.

VC is not a “standardized” profession. Hiring is informal, organizations are usually small and don’t expand, and there’s no fixed career path. If you’re willing to be a “weirdo,” that’s a good thing. What all VCs share is a passion for startups and understanding emerging industries. If you demonstrate that you already possess this, the path to VC will open for you.