Everything I Learned in my 2nd Year in Venture - by Dez

I recently passed the two year mark of working here at FirstMark and I wanted to memorialize the milestone by reflecting on everything I’ve learned in the past year. Working in VC has exceeded my expectations. Two years ago I expected to join a fast paced, intellectually stimulating, and competitive environment. All of those expectations have been correct. And while I had an inkling it could be like this, I didn’t fully appreciate that being a great VC, is an all encompassing profession. To be great at what we do you have to have either A) an underlying interest in the frontier of innovation, or B) an innate passion for the pursuit of opportunity. If you want to be great, there really isn’t an “off” button for the job. Every day, every week, every month changes and every day, every week, and every month is an opportunity to improve. So in the spirit of continuous improvement, I wanted to share all the things I’ve learned in my second year of working in venture capital. Pursue the non-c

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• Andrew Xu