why i left vc to go build.

I was on a zoom call with one of the partners at my previous fund back when I was an intern, squeezing it in between back-to-back meetings. We were talking about career paths, the usual stuff, when I asked him something that had been nagging at me for weeks: “How did you pave your way to partner?”

His answer would change my perspective on everything.

He said: “Project yourself 10 years ahead. What kind of investing partner do you want to be?”

He laid out the three most common archetypes:

The lifer - the person who climbed the ladder from analyst to partner, building their entire career on the track record of picking winners. The traditional VC who’s been in venture since day one.

The deal maker - the classic IB or consulting to VC route. Strong analytical skills, pattern recognition, a strong knowledge of financials and what metrics are needed for successful growth.

The ex-operator - the partner who had operational experience, prior exits, or worked at high-growth startups. The one who cut their teeth in the trenches of building and knew what it felt like to be a founder.

“Every firm should have some version of all three,” he said. “They’re complementary. But you need to decide which type of investing partner do you want to be alongside these entrepreneurs.”

In my heart, instantly, I knew.

I wanted to be the last archetype. I wanted to be the partner who had built before, who knew how to scale, who had expertise in a certain area of a high-growth startup, be it ops, engineering, product, or growth. The partner who didn’t just understand the numbers but understood the struggle.

And in that moment, I knew deep down: if that’s the track I want, I need to step away from venture eventually down the line and go build.

How I fell into venture

I didn’t grow up dreaming about venture capital. I fell into venture after working at various startups in the U.S. and Singapore. Being on the other side of the table, I had the chance to interact with lots of investors. And honestly, I was fascinated but most importantly curious.

There was this impending question burning in my head: How do these investors make these decisions when it comes to investing in companies? What pattern recognition were they using? What signals were they picking up that I couldn’t see?

My hypothesis was simple: going to VC would make me a better builder.

If I could understand how investors think, how they evaluate companies, how they spot winners, maybe I could use that knowledge to build better companies myself. Maybe I could shortcut years of trial and error by learning directly from the people who had seen thousands of pitches, hundreds of companies, and knew what worked and what didn’t?

So I became obsessive.

What I learned in venture

I soon became obsessive around the decision-making process these investors used when they picked their potential winners. I knew that I had to go out and solve this burning question in my head.

These experiences across the years at these various funds were nothing short of amazing.

I got to work with the brightest founders and investors. I got the chance to build meaningful communities around me. I sat in pitch meetings with founders who were building the future. I ran diligence on deals that could change industries. I helped portfolio companies with hiring, strategy, and growth.

But most importantly, I got my answer.

I learned how investors think. I learned what signals they look for. I learned the art of pattern matching, the importance of market timing, the nuance of founder-market fit. I learned how to read between the lines of a pitch deck, how to evaluate TAM, how to assess various business models.

I will forever love the venture job. Helping and serving founders in the last few years has been the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.

What now

The biggest lesson from all of this for me was to trust your gut. When I knew that I wanted to leave venture, it felt scary. I was walking away from a job I loved, a network I’d built, and a path that was working. But deep down, I knew it was right. Sometimes the scariest decisions are the ones you need to make most.

Two weeks into building at NationGraph, I’m reminded daily why I made this move. The energy, the alignment, the mission, it all validates what my gut was telling me months ago. When you make decisions aligned with who you want to become, things click into place.

If you enjoyed this, you might like lessons from 3 years at front row ventures.