What to expect your 1st year in venture

Hi! I’m glad you’re here. You’ve made it to issue #38 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.

As someone who is based in LA now, I’m sending love to those affected by the fires. If you’re able to, two ways to help are to volunteer or to donate ❤️.

Today’s deep dive: The 8 things I found most difficult as a newbie in the VC world

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 across my socials for those of you who prefer those channels.

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The 8 things I found most difficult as a newbie in the VC world

Breaking into venture capital is tough, but navigating your first year is a whole different ballgame.

It’s one thing to secure a spot at a VC firm, but it’s another to actually thrive and carve out your place in the industry.

If you're eager to understand what the first 12 months in venture really look like—the challenges that aren't often talked about, the skills you’ll need to sharpen, and the mindset shifts that will push you to think bigger—this post will give you the raw, honest insights I wish someone had shared with me from day one.

So, it’s been a while since I hit my first full year in venture back in March 2022.

As I reflect on that whirlwind of a year, there were definitely some hard lessons and unexpected challenges along the way.

Here are the 8 things I found most difficult as a newbie in the VC world:

1. Sourcing: The Struggle is Real

Sourcing deals isn’t a walk in the park, and sourcing quality deals is even tougher. The best VCs have incredible sourcing funnels that took years of thoughtful effort to build. Learning the ins and outs of creating your own engine for sourcing good deals is a whole process that takes time, trial and error, and a lot of patience. Honestly, I’m still figuring it out.

Tip: You can use platforms like LinkedIn to help find great startups.

2. Learning to Trust Your Gut

VC is all about picking the right investments and backing them up. But "picking right" isn’t something you can exactly learn from a book. It takes practice to trust your instincts and stand by your decisions—especially when others might not see what you see. It’s a critical skill, and being able to hold onto your conviction even when people disagree is key.

3. Nurturing Your Network

It's not just about who you know; it’s about who knows you, and who you’ve built genuine relationships with. A strong network isn’t something you can just set up and forget—it requires constant nurturing and effort to keep those connections meaningful while also trying to meet new people. Balancing the two can be tricky.

4. Building a Personal Brand

I’ll admit, my first six months on Twitter (X) were rough. I knew having a strong online presence was important, but since I’d never really used social media in a professional capacity, I found it hard to get the hang of it. It was a struggle to get comfortable putting myself out there and figuring out how to present myself to the world. But hey, here you are reading this, so I must have done something right!

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