
Ask HN: Career path for founder of a failed venture backed startup? - anoncto
Hi guys, this is anonymous for obvious reasons.<p>Say I'm the founder and CTO of a venture backed startup. We had a good run but, for a variety of reasons, the company fizzles after a few years (and series A and B).<p>Now I'm a 26 year old college drop out (from a top tier school), with some pretty cool experience (I've written huge software from the ground up, ran a company, hired/trained a dev team, etc).<p>So, what are my job options? I have the contacts/team/etc to start another company, but I don't have an idea that really excites me and I feel like I need a few years without the huge ups and downs of a startup. (I have offers to go be 'director of engineering' or something similar at a few other startups, but I'd like something a little slower paced for a while ...)<p>Without a college degree can I go to the big guys (Microsoft, Google, etc?). Can I go become an associate at a VC firm (it actually seems pretty fun, and I think I could do a better job than a lot of the associates I interacted with ...)? Any other career ideas?
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teuobk
Have you considered going back to finish your degree? If you think you might
want to finish it at some point, the sooner the better, because it will only
become more difficult to go back to an academic environment. Also, school
could give you a chance to step back and "relax" while you figure out your
next play.

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teej
I've been thinking about my prospects in 5 years and finishing up school is on
my radar. What exactly is the process for this? Do I roll into Stanford with
burnt VC cash in hand, looking for a degree?

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dhouston
I've known a few people in this situation. If you're feeling completely burned
out, you might want to chill out and travel around for a few weeks (or
whatever) to clear your head. After that:

\- If you want, go back and get your degree (it only gets harder as you get
older)

\- Do an entrepreneur-in-residence gig (instead of an associate.) From what
I've seen, EIRs do anything from hanging out and shooting the shit all day
(i.e. very little) to reviewing investments/networking/helping portfolio
companies to actively incubating their next idea (or a bunch of ideas
simultaneously)

\- Join a growing startup that is past the ramen-fueled-fight-for-survival
frenzy, which might be a good balance of upside vs expected value. A lot of
former YC founders do this if their companies don't work out. As a current
venture-backed founder/CEO, I can say with certainty that your startup
experience would be highly valued.

\- Join Google, Microsoft, or Facebook, check your dreams at the door, and
ride out comfortably into a middle-aged sunset (I kid, I kid.)

Feel free to email me at drew at dropbox[dot]com if you want stories or intros
to people who have been through this.

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anonceo
I had a similar experience. I'm also 26. Are you in the Bay Area? It doesn't
matter, though I'd love to meet in person.

Drop me an email at M8R-c9rbgg@mailinator.com and let's talk.

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maxklein
Maybe you guys could get together and start a new company!

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maxklein
Go back to school and finish what you started. It will be harder later, and
you don't want to spend your life justifying why you don't have a degree.

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jeffmould
Not sure on Google, but I know first hand that Microsoft will hire without a
college degree. All depends on what your skill set is and how well you can
sell yourself to them.

On the other hand, I would recommend going back to finish your degree if you
can afford to. While getting a technology job without a degree is not all that
difficult, the degree will only help you in the long run and can be the make
or break difference between two candidates with some companies. It is also can
be seen as a sign that you follow through and complete tasks at hand.

Trust me though, going from a startup environment to "corporate" America can
be a bit daunting. While you say you want a slower pace, when confronted with
that slower pace you will probably start to pull your hair out. I would
recommend going to a startup, if you are not in a founder/cofounder role you
will find it to be a lot slower while at the same time the enjoyable fast pace
of a startup environment.

My best recommendation would be to complete your degree part-time while
working for a startup.

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msort
Google will value your startup experience. As long as you can prove your
problem-solving and programming skills in the job interview, you will get a
job offer as a Google software engineer.

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eugeneiiim
If you're considering Google, you should also check out software engineering
and business development jobs at Palantir Technologies. We have similar perks
and compensation, top-notch engineers, and lots of interesting problems to
solve.

<http://www.palantirtech.com/careers/positions>

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biji
Contact me. bijan.pourriahi@gmail.com

I have an idea for you

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aditya
What do you want to do? You can definitely go to one of the bigger companies -
which is a great way to network till your next startup idea hits, and there's
also the EIR gig that's been talked about here a little bit slightly better
than being an associate.

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wavesplash
You have plenty of options right now (the market is hot). Some thoughts:

\- Take a 2-3 week vacation somewhere else far away from the valley

\- Come back and see how you feel afterwards

\- <http://founderdating.com> (not quite what it sounds like)

Don't do the EIR thing. Better to go moonlight for free for a week at
companies that seem interesting to you. It's amazing how spending time around
a healthy/functional startup will cause you to recover from burnout.

And yes, without a college degree you can work for some of the big guys. As
long as you have relevant experience on the resume to fill in the time gap,
you'll be fine.

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andrew1
> ...can I go to the big guys (Microsoft, Google, etc?). Can I go become an
> associate at a VC firm?

If you're interested in these kind of jobs then why not try and get one. If
you want to work at Google, apply to Google. If you want to work at a VC
company, get in contact with some of them and discuss it with them.

In my experience (of both being an interviewee and an interviewer) a degree
helps get you in the door, but it's your ability and experience that decides
whether you get the job or not.

Good luck!

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anoncto
Thanks!

For what it's worth, I'm still winding down the startup (and will be for a
while ...). I've just started to think about what to do next.

When I know a little more about when I'm leaving, etc, I'm sure I'll start
pushing more aggressively on things I'm interested in. I just don't really
know what's available/feasible since I don't have many precedents to work off
of.

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CoreyReese
I did a three year stint as an associate at a venture firm. Drop a line:
c.reese@gmail.com if you'd like perspective.

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thedob
I have an idea and ongoing project that I'd love to run by you in case you're
interested. Drop me an email at petkanics@gmail.com

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dnsworks
Once you've failed at one VC-backed startup, it's usually fairly easy to get
funding for an infinite string of other failed VC-backed startups. I have
quite a few friends with no less than 1/2 dozen startups under their belts
over the past 12 years which never profited, and often never brought in
revenue. Think of Venture Capital as upper middle-class welfare.

~~~
smikhanov
In Europe we don't have this high tolerance for failure. As far as I know,
blowing someone's investments here makes you an "investment corpse". If you're
in the US, you're real lucky then.

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dnsworks
Ironically I know a handful of Europeans & Australians who are working on
tanking their 2nd & 3rd US-based VC-backed startups. I wonder if that's
because they're un-fundable back home now.

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authentic
You _will_ be doing another startup.

My experience is that once you have worked for yourself/equity the mere
thought of being employed by other people becomes impossible to bear.

