Do you make more money in venture capital or private equity?
Private equity (PE) firms deal with bigger companies, like buying a whole castle. Venture capital (VC) focuses on startups, more like a lemonade stand. Since PE deals are bigger, they have more money to pay their people. So, PE jobs generally pay more than VC.
Compensation: You'll earn significantly more in private equity at all levels because fund sizes are bigger, meaning the management fees are higher. The Founders of huge PE firms like Blackstone and KKR might earn in the hundreds of millions USD each year, but that would be unheard of at any venture capital firm.
If you would like to make money in the short term and work in transaction deals, then a PE job might suit you. On the other hand, if you ultimately want to start a company of your own or enjoy the startup space, then a VC job will suit you better.
Thus for a typical portfolio—say, $20 million managed per partner and 30% total appreciation on the fund—the average annual compensation per partner will be about $2.4 million per year, nearly all of which comes from fund appreciation. And that compensation is multiplied for partners who manage several funds.
In short, if you're at a top mega fund, then you can expect to get paid between $350-$400k per year. These numbers reflect total compensation paid to private equity associates in 2022.
Common Challenges Faced by VC Professionals Moving into PE and How to Overcome Them. Transitioning from venture capital to private equity can be a challenging process, and there are several common pitfalls that you'll need to navigate in order to be successful.
| Annual Salary | Hourly Wage | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $165,500 | $80 |
| 75th Percentile | $119,500 | $57 |
| Average | $103,821 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $71,500 | $34 |
Working in venture capital (VC) can be exciting, rewarding, and challenging. You get to invest in innovative startups, shape the future of various industries, and earn attractive returns. However, you also face a lot of stress, uncertainty, and pressure.
Jobs in Venture Capital are notoriously hard to land. They don't come by often, and they are seldom advertised—except in large VC firms, mainly for entry-level positions. Aspiring VCs often don't understand Venture Capital well enough to apply at the right type of firm, or one that is interested in their skillset.
Get a master's degree
Many people who work in private equity have master's degrees in finance or MBAs from top institutions, so even if you can't directly enter the field after graduation it can still help you later on, after accumulating a few years of experience in a related field.
How much do VP in venture capital make?
As of Mar 11, 2024, the average annual pay for a Venture Capital Vice President in the United States is $157,532 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $75.74 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,029/week or $13,127/month.
Venture capitalists make money from the carried interest of their investments, as well as management fees. Most VC firms collect about 20% of the profits from the private equity fund, while the rest goes to their limited partners. General partners may also collect an additional 2% fee.
| Position Title | Typical Age Range | Base Salary + Bonus (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Associate | 26-32 | $250-$400K |
| Vice President (VP) | 30-35 | $350-$500K |
| Director or Principal | 33-39 | $500-$800K |
| Managing Director (MD) or Partner | 36+ | $700-$2M |
$274K. The estimated total pay for a Vice President, Private Equity is $274,362 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $175,834 per year.
Heidrick & Struggle's data suggests that at the top end, a managing partner in a private equity firm with at least $1bn in Assets Under Management (AUM), can expect to earn at least $3.5m in salaries and bonuses, plus around $35m in carried interest over a fund's lifecycle (typically around five years).
But the fundamental reason behind private equity's growth and high rates of return is something that has received little attention, perhaps because it's so obvious: the firms' standard practice of buying businesses and then, after steering them through a transition of rapid performance improvement, selling them.
Private equity investors tend to invest in older, more established companies that have the potential to increase profitability with the help of investors. On the other hand, venture capitalists tend to invest in young, growing startups with unproven, yet promising, value.
The finance sector offers prestigious career paths, and two prominent options are working at a venture capital (VC) firm or an investment bank. While both roles are highly esteemed, they have different focuses and perceptions.
Work Environment
Many venture capital and private equity professionals—typically associates and analysts, but sometimes managers—work more than 50 hours a week.
Long Working Hours: This really should not be a surprise and you are probably used to intense environments in Consulting or Banking or in a startup. However, it has to be said that VCs often work long, unpredictable hours. The job requires a lot of research, analysis, and meetings, which can be time-consuming.
Are Shark Tank venture capitalists?
The sharks are venture capitalists, meaning they are "self-made" millionaires and billionaires seeking lucrative business investment opportunities. While they are paid cast members of the show, they do rely on their own wealth in order to invest in the entrepreneurs' products and services.
The average age of a senior associate at a venture capital (VC) firm can vary depending on the specific firm and the individual's career path. In general, however, a senior associate at a VC firm is likely to be in their late 20s or early 30s.
Although an MBA degree is not mandatory for individuals interested in private equity or venture capital tracks, it can prove advantageous, especially for those pursuing a post-MBA career in private equity. With an MBA degree, one can avoid constantly proving their social skills and foundational knowledge.
VCs prefer to recruit presentable, highly articulate professionals with a passion for startups over number crunchers with limited interest in startups. This is especially the case at early-stage firms, which focus on sourcing, building networks, and setting up meetings to win deals and raise capital.
And importantly — note that these days, it can be pretty hard for VCs to truly fire a founder CEO. There are generally enough control provisions, and with less dilution (and thus control) common, oftentimes, the VCs have no legal or contractual rights here, anyway.
