The secrets to succeed in your VC internship

Hi! I’m glad you’re here. You’ve made it to issue #64 of VC Demystified🪄.

My name’s Nicole - I’m a Principal at an early stage venture fund, and I know firsthand that VC can often be a black box. Breaking into the industry may feel daunting and resources can seem scarce and inaccessible. I wanted to put together a newsletter to give others the playbook I wish I had when I first started.

Today’s deep dive: How to stand out and turn your VC internship into a launchpad

^{My personal mission is to open as many doors as possible for other people and this newsletter is just one avenue to do that. As always, I will continue to post VC insights daily for free across my socials.}

Read time: 4 minutes

How to stand out and turn your VC internship into a launchpad

VC internships are competitive. But landing one is just the first step.

The real question: How do you stand out once you’re in the door?

Venture firms don’t expect you to be an expert on day one. But they do expect you to contribute meaningfully. Interns who convert to full-time or leave with glowing recommendations are the ones who understand what firms value and deliver on it consistently.

Here are 6 things that set you up to be a top VC intern:

1. Master the Unsexy Work

VC involves a lot of research, list-building, and CRM updates. It’s not glamorous, but it’s foundational.

Top interns:

• Take ownership of sourcing lists and consistently add high-quality companies.

• Turn around research requests quickly with clean, well-organized outputs.

• Ask clarifying questions before starting a task to ensure alignment.

If you can’t execute the basics reliably, you won’t be trusted with more advanced work.

Do the simple things well.

2. Develop a Point of View

Don’t just report facts. Analyze them.

When building a market map, go beyond listing companies:

• What trends are you seeing in the space?

• Where do you see whitespace or emerging opportunities?

• How are the top players differentiated?

• What opinions do you have based on your past experiences?

VCs value interns who can think critically and form opinions, even if they’re still early in developing them.

3. Learn the Technicals

In order to fully do a VC job well, you have to understand the most difficult concepts. Learn these as an intern to impress your team. Don’t wait

Here are some technicals to study:

• VC exit math

• Revenue builds

• Public comparables

• Market sizing

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