(Posted on Medium: https://zachfirestone.medium.com/how-why-i-broke-into-vc-zf-6da78be22bf2) Anyone trying to get into venture capital knows: there’s no set path. This isn’t undergrad bio major –> MCAT –> medical school –> match –> residency –> career as a doctor. Which is good, because I’d hate that. There ARE common steps: founding/operating startup(s), investment banking, investing as an LP, getting an MBA, etc. But these don’t guarantee placement either. Really, it’s luck. Serendipity. I don’t think that’s 100% right either. I believe it’s creating serendipity. You must do the things that increase your odds of luck presenting itself (and then you have to take it). First: Why? I love entrepreneurship. I love the excitement of creating something from nothing — of taking an idea and running with it — everything