Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Business analyst to venture capitalist

A business analyst already meets 32% of what the venture capitalist role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From business analyst
32 % overlap
Distant match
To venture capitalist
8 You already bring
8 Still to learn
38 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

66.7/ 100

1 How much of what a venture capitalist is expected to do is already part of a business analyst’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the venture capitalist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A venture capitalist role treats 7 of its required skills as things a business analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • analyse business plans
  • analyse financial performance of a company
  • build business relationships
  • business analysis
  • make strategic business decisions
  • management consulting

What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A venture capitalist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a business analyst background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held management consulting business, administration and law
  • already held investment banking business, administration and law
  • already held perform business analysis information skills
  • already held business analysis business, administration and law
  • already held make strategic business decisions management skills
  • already held analyse business plans information skills

All 8 carried skills, including the 7 the venture capitalist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 business, administration and law 3 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn investment analysis required
  • still to learn business valuation techniques required
  • still to learn funding methods required
  • optional, not held holding company activities optional
  • optional, not held credit control processes optional
  • optional, not held debt systems optional
  • optional, not held financial forecasting optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held modern portfolio theory optional
02 information skills 2 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn analyse financial risk required
  • still to learn assess financial viability required
  • optional, not held analyse loans optional
  • optional, not held analyse market financial trends optional
  • optional, not held examine credit ratings optional
  • optional, not held maintain client debt records optional
  • optional, not held obtain financial information optional
  • optional, not held perform debt investigation optional
03 management skills 2 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn decide on providing funds required
  • still to learn create a financial plan required
  • optional, not held establish investment funds optional
  • optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
  • optional, not held develop investment portfolio optional
  • optional, not held make investment decisions optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn apply technical communication skills required
  • optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
  • optional, not held manage contracts optional
  • optional, not held review investment portfolios optional
05 arts and humanities 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held foreign languages for international careers optional
06 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a venture capitalist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 8 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse business plans skill
  • already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
  • already held build business relationships skill
  • already held business analysis knowledge
  • already held make strategic business decisions skill
  • already held management consulting knowledge
  • already held perform business analysis skill
  • already held investment banking knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held actuarial science optional
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held establish investment funds optional
  • optional, not held actuarial science optional
  • optional, not held holding company activities optional
  • optional, not held analyse loans optional
  • optional, not held analyse market financial trends optional
  • optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional
  • optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
  • optional, not held credit control processes optional
  • optional, not held debt systems optional
  • optional, not held develop investment portfolio optional
  • optional, not held examine credit ratings optional
  • optional, not held financial forecasting optional
  • optional, not held foreign languages for international careers optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
  • optional, not held maintain client debt records optional
  • optional, not held make investment decisions optional
  • optional, not held manage contracts optional
  • optional, not held modern portfolio theory optional
  • optional, not held obtain financial information optional
  • optional, not held perform debt investigation optional
  • optional, not held review investment portfolios optional
45 held skills the venture capitalist role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise client on technical possibilities skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on communication strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on organisational culture skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on personnel management skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
  • not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse external factors of companies skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse internal factors of companies skill
  • not needed by the target role apply change management skill
  • not needed by the target role business analytics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role business communication knowledge
  • not needed by the target role business intelligence knowledge
  • not needed by the target role business law knowledge
  • not needed by the target role business process modelling knowledge
  • not needed by the target role business strategy concepts knowledge
  • not needed by the target role conduct qualitative research skill
  • not needed by the target role conduct quantitative research skill
  • not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
  • not needed by the target role data visualisation software knowledge
  • not needed by the target role define organisational standards skill
  • not needed by the target role digital data processing skill
  • not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
  • not needed by the target role identify undetected organisational needs skill
  • not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
  • not needed by the target role interview people skill
  • not needed by the target role keep updated on the political landscape skill
  • not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
  • not needed by the target role management systems standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role market entry strategies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role market research knowledge
  • not needed by the target role marketing analytics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role organisational learning knowledge
  • not needed by the target role organisational policies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role propose ICT solutions to business problems skill
  • not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
  • not needed by the target role risk management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge

5 further entries not listed here

11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn investment analysis required
  • still to learn business valuation techniques required
  • still to learn funding methods required
  • optional, not held actuarial science optional
  • optional, not held holding company activities optional
  • optional, not held credit control processes optional
  • optional, not held debt systems optional
  • optional, not held financial forecasting optional
  • optional, not held foreign languages for international careers optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held modern portfolio theory optional
Index

Other moves recorded from business analyst

Full index of moves from business analyst

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a business analyst become a venture capitalist?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A business analyst already covers 32% of what a venture capitalist is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 7 of which the venture capitalist role treats as required.

What skills does a business analyst need to become a venture capitalist?

8 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is decide on providing funds.

How hard is the move from business analyst to venture capitalist?

Its learning distance is 66.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.