East Coast vs. West Coast : Career in P.E. vs. Founder

[Anonymous]

Please help educate me. DS (smart, mathy, CS, yada, yada, yada) is into tech, wants to start a company eventually. He thinks going to a California school will help him achieve that goal. Stanford is the dream (yes, a lottery ticket) but he's willing to go to any California school (UCs, SLACS, whatever) just to be close to other company founders. The risk-averse parent in me wants him to explore fintech and go the p.e. route just in case the founding a company route doesn't pan out. For p.e. route, is it better to be on the East Coast, closer to NYC recruiters? Or, does it not matter? I am concerned options will be limited on the West Coast??

[Anonymous]

The fact he thinks school matters as far as becoming a founder tells me he should go to PE fintech goal.

[Anonymous]

i am not in these fields but spouse is and he pitches to lots of pe in the silicon valley area

[Anonymous]

Physical education teacher? Certainly doesn't matter.

[Anonymous]

Fin Tech and PE not just in NYC and it seems like VC is more aligned with his goals and lost of VC is centered in the Bay area. That being said, for any of those to be realistic, he does need to get into a lottery ticket school or do well enough in math or CS or physics to get requited as a quant.

[Anonymous]

BU and MIT are other options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fin Tech and PE not just in NYC and it seems like VC is more aligned with his goals and lost of VC is centered in the Bay area. That being said, for any of those to be realistic, he does need to get into a lottery ticket school or do well enough in math or CS or physics to get requited as a quant.

agree with this, and often vc will place executives into the start ups so even just interning/making connections at vc firms could help long run with his goals

however, if he truly just wants to start his own company, like a pp said it wont matter where he goes to college. but it does matter if he wants to get into pe/vc. those are pretty different personality types- he should take a myers briggs or enneagram test (I think these should be required of all 18 year olds!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Physical education teacher? Certainly doesn't matter.

Private equity.

[Anonymous]

Santa Clara is an under-the-radar school that flows into the Silicon Valley infrastructure. Obviously, Stanford would be great, but Santa Clara is a nice back up if they're obsessed with the Valley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Santa Clara is an under-the-radar school that flows into the Silicon Valley infrastructure. Obviously, Stanford would be great, but Santa Clara is a nice back up if they're obsessed with the Valley.

Agree.

UPenn-Wharton for fintech ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fin Tech and PE not just in NYC and it seems like VC is more aligned with his goals and lost of VC is centered in the Bay area. That being said, for any of those to be realistic, he does need to get into a lottery ticket school or do well enough in math or CS or physics to get requited as a quant.

agree with this, and often vc will place executives into the start ups so even just interning/making connections at vc firms could help long run with his goals

however, if he truly just wants to start his own company, like a pp said it wont matter where he goes to college. but it does matter if he wants to get into pe/vc. those are pretty different personality types- he should take a myers briggs or enneagram test (I think these should be required of all 18 year olds!).

OP here, thanks all. This was my risk-averse thinking, as well. He thinks going to a California school will help with being a founder. But my concern was if he was on the West Coast, he would be closing off PE/VC options. But good to know that going quant route can also pave way for PE/VC. What does that path look like? Quant at PE -> MBA --> PE ??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fin Tech and PE not just in NYC and it seems like VC is more aligned with his goals and lost of VC is centered in the Bay area. That being said, for any of those to be realistic, he does need to get into a lottery ticket school or do well enough in math or CS or physics to get requited as a quant.

agree with this, and often vc will place executives into the start ups so even just interning/making connections at vc firms could help long run with his goals

however, if he truly just wants to start his own company, like a pp said it wont matter where he goes to college. but it does matter if he wants to get into pe/vc. those are pretty different personality types- he should take a myers briggs or enneagram test (I think these should be required of all 18 year olds!).

OP here, thanks all. This was my risk-averse thinking, as well. He thinks going to a California school will help with being a founder. But my concern was if he was on the West Coast, he would be closing off PE/VC options. But good to know that going quant route can also pave way for PE/VC. What does that path look like? Quant at PE -> MBA --> PE ??

tell him to think on this- if he is a founder, he’ll need to pitch to pe/vc for funding, and many of those folks will be from non-west coast colleges

he may (not necessarily) meet more entrepeneurial minded peers at elite west coast colleges than elsewhere, but if he has a great idea and the skills to execute on it, it is more important that he have contacts in the pe/vc world to secure funding so he can actually get it off the ground

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fin Tech and PE not just in NYC and it seems like VC is more aligned with his goals and lost of VC is centered in the Bay area. That being said, for any of those to be realistic, he does need to get into a lottery ticket school or do well enough in math or CS or physics to get requited as a quant.

agree with this, and often vc will place executives into the start ups so even just interning/making connections at vc firms could help long run with his goals

however, if he truly just wants to start his own company, like a pp said it wont matter where he goes to college. but it does matter if he wants to get into pe/vc. those are pretty different personality types- he should take a myers briggs or enneagram test (I think these should be required of all 18 year olds!).

OP here, thanks all. This was my risk-averse thinking, as well. He thinks going to a California school will help with being a founder. But my concern was if he was on the West Coast, he would be closing off PE/VC options. But good to know that going quant route can also pave way for PE/VC. What does that path look like? Quant at PE -> MBA --> PE ??

tell him to think on this- if he is a founder, he’ll need to pitch to pe/vc for funding, and many of those folks will be from non-west coast colleges

he may (not necessarily) meet more entrepeneurial minded peers at elite west coast colleges than elsewhere, but if he has a great idea and the skills to execute on it, it is more important that he have contacts in the pe/vc world to secure funding so he can actually get it off the ground

Good points, thanks!

[Anonymous]

I can’t believe we’re talking about a 16-17 year old kid who dreams of private equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe we’re talking about a 16-17 year old kid who dreams of private equity.

This is the new world of money worship