Mergers and acquisitions analyst to venture capitalist
A mergers and acquisitions analyst already meets 51% of what the venture capitalist role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
50.9/ 100
1 How much of what a venture capitalist is expected to do is already part of a mergers and acquisitions 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 8 of its required skills as things a mergers and acquisitions analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse business plans
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse financial risk
- apply technical communication skills
- assess financial viability
- business valuation techniques
What stands in the way is 7 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 19 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 mergers and acquisitions analyst background worth leading with.
- already held holding company activities business, administration and law
- already held business valuation techniques business, administration and law
- already held investment banking business, administration and law
- already held apply credit risk policy assisting and caring
- already held budget for financial needs management skills
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
All 19 carried skills, including the 8 the venture capitalist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 5 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 management consulting required
- still to learn business analysis required
- still to learn funding methods required
- 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
- still to learn perform business analysis required
- optional, not held analyse loans optional
- optional, not held maintain client debt records optional
- optional, not held obtain financial information optional
- optional, not held perform debt investigation optional
- still to learn decide on providing funds required
- optional, not held establish investment funds optional
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- still to learn build business relationships required
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- optional, not held foreign languages for international careers optional
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 management consulting study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held business valuation techniques knowledge
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held apply credit risk policy skill
- already held budget for financial needs skill
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held holding company activities knowledge
- already held investment banking knowledge
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held review investment portfolios skill
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held establish investment funds optional
- optional, not held analyse loans 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 liaise with financiers optional
- optional, not held maintain client debt records optional
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- optional, not held obtain financial information optional
- optional, not held perform debt investigation optional
16 held skills the venture capitalist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role assess risks of clients' assets skill
- not needed by the target role business loans knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle financial disputes skill
- 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 maintain financial records skill
- not needed by the target role manage financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role mergers and acquisitions knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide legal advice on investments skill
- not needed by the target role provide support in financial calculation skill
- not needed by the target role securities knowledge
9 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 management consulting required
- still to learn business analysis required
- still to learn funding methods required
- 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
Other moves recorded from mergers and acquisitions analyst
Common questions about this move
Can a mergers and acquisitions analyst become a venture capitalist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mergers and acquisitions analyst already covers 51% of what a venture capitalist is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 8 of which the venture capitalist role treats as required.
What skills does a mergers and acquisitions analyst need to become a venture capitalist?
7 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 5 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 mergers and acquisitions analyst to venture capitalist?
Its learning distance is 50.9 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.