How to Break into Venture Capital | Arun Pai from Monk's Hill Ventures

In this episode you will learn: 00:00 Introduction 01:28 The Prestige and Challenges of VC 03:28 Arun Pai's Journey into Venture Capital 04:08 Breaking into Investment Banking 06:17 Transitioning from Banking to Startups 07:57 Joining Monk's Hill Ventures 09:04 Advice for Aspiring VCs 11:59 The Fluidity of the VC Industry 12:29 Who Should Become a VC? 15:19 Skills and Specialization in VC 22:58 Building Relationships and Reputation 27:19 Transitioning to Quantitative Roles 27:34 Understanding VC Roles and Value 28:27 Challenges in Breaking into Investment Teams 29:39 Building a 360-Degree Skill Set 30:13 Personal Journey into VC 33:23 VC Interview Process 35:13 Importance of Partner Buy-In 36:47 Why Do You Want to Become a VC? 39:10 Monk's Hill Philosophy 41:48 Due Diligence in VC Hiring 42:22 The Excitement of Being a VC 43:42 Challenges in High Conviction Investing 47:20 The Importance of Networking and Luck 48:37 Burnout and Specialization in VC 51:16 Balancing Experience and Staying Updated 52:53 Conclusion and Final Thoughts About: Arun is a Principal at Monk’s Hill Ventures, based in Singapore and responsible for deal sourcing, due diligence and investment analysis and research. Arun brings over 15 years of experience in Finance and Tech start-ups. Prior to joining MHV, Arun spent the last 6 years in the startup ecosystem as a C-level executive. He was the Chief Sales & Strategy Officer at Flow, where he managed growth and capital raising initiatives for the company leading to its acquisition. Prior to that, he was the Chief Kristals Officer, one of the first employees at Kristal.AI. He started his career and spent just under a decade in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and, subsequently, at Nomura across New York, Hong Kong & Singapore. Arun graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. 🔗 Follow us: 🏠Website : https://understandingvc.com/ 🤝🏻LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/understanding-vc/ 🎧 Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/1q7DxW3FEyP7EhH8m0VvAD 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/understanding-vc/id1551524895   💌 Connect with Rahul:  🤝🏻 LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulthayyalamkandy/ 📩 Email : understandingvc@gmail.com 🐣 Twitter : https://twitter.com/rahul0720   📍 About:  Understanding VC is a podcast that provides founders with the knowledge and resources they need to understand venture capital. Our goal is to create the best and most comprehensive resource on venture capital on the internet, so that founders can make informed decisions about their businesses and secure the funding they need to succeed.