Financial analyst to venture capitalist
A financial analyst already meets 31% of what the venture capitalist role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.7/ 100
1 How much of what a venture capitalist is expected to do is already part of a financial 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 this move works
A venture capitalist role treats 6 of its required skills as things a financial analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse financial risk
- assess financial viability
- create a financial plan
- management consulting
- perform business analysis
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 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 financial analyst background worth leading with.
- 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 develop investment portfolio management skills
- already held financial forecasting business, administration and law
- already held analyse financial performance of a company information skills
All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the venture capitalist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 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.
- still to learn investment analysis required
- still to learn business 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 international business optional
- optional, not held modern portfolio theory optional
- still to learn apply technical communication skills required
- still to learn build business relationships required
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held review investment portfolios optional
- still to learn decide on providing funds required
- still to learn make strategic business decisions required
- optional, not held establish investment funds optional
- optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- still to learn analyse business plans 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
- optional, not held foreign languages for international careers optional
- optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional
1 further area in the appendix
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.
- 01 decide on providing funds practise this
- 02 investment analysis study this
- 03 analyse business plans practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held management consulting knowledge
- already held perform business analysis skill
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held financial forecasting knowledge
- already held investment banking knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held actuarial science optional
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- 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 examine credit ratings 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
38 held skills the venture capitalist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax planning skill
- not needed by the target role asset management knowledge
- not needed by the target role business analytics knowledge
- not needed by the target role business processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making skill
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a financial report skill
- not needed by the target role develop transportation cost metrics skill
- not needed by the target role digital data processing skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role empirical analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information skill
- not needed by the target role explain financial jargon skill
- not needed by the target role financial management knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial products knowledge
- not needed by the target role fundamental analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role game theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role green bonds knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle mergers and acquisitions skill
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role macroeconomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role mergers and acquisitions knowledge
- not needed by the target role microeconomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor loan portfolio skill
- not needed by the target role monitor stock market skill
- not needed by the target role offer financial services skill
- not needed by the target role perform business research skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial projections skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role public offering knowledge
- not needed by the target role quantitative analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role stock market knowledge
- not needed by the target role sustainable finance knowledge
- not needed by the target role treasury management system knowledge
- not needed by the target role use business simulation tools skill
11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn investment analysis required
- still to learn business 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 foreign languages for international careers optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held modern portfolio theory optional
Other moves recorded from financial analyst
- corporate investment banker 43% covered · substantial
- investment analyst 41% covered · substantial
- securities analyst 39% covered · substantial
- investment manager 37% covered · substantial
- investment adviser 35% covered · substantial
- actuarial consultant 33% covered · substantial
- mergers and acquisitions analyst 33% covered · substantial
- investment fund management assistant 32% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a financial analyst become a venture capitalist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A financial analyst already covers 31% of what a venture capitalist is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the venture capitalist role treats as required.
What skills does a financial analyst need to become a venture capitalist?
9 required skills are missing, plus 20 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 financial analyst to venture capitalist?
Its learning distance is 67.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.