Daring Ventures’ Post

Gold Stars for Showing Up? Why VCs Need to Raise Their Hiring Bar   I attended a VC panel this morning where the moderator asked, "What's your view on traditional versus non-traditional backgrounds when thinking about hiring?"   Most started with the predictable "it depends" dance before revealing their true colors: traditional pedigrees win. Every. Single. Time.   Am I surprised? No. Am I rolling my eyes? Absolutely.   But what really made me snort-laugh? One investor claiming his consulting background landed him his VC gig because it proved he could "complete a process end-to-end and deliver every time."   Seriously? That's the gold standard?   What this actually tells me: he checked a comfortable box for VCs who want "safe" hires, not someone who's proven they can source killer deals, earn founder trust, or bulldoze through brick walls when deals get complicated.   Completing processes isn't impressive—it's the baseline expectation for having a job. You know what actually impresses me?   1️⃣ The student working full-time while acing college classes 2️⃣ The D1 athlete balancing 5AM practices with engineering exams 3️⃣ The founder who skipped college, bootstrapped a business, and refused every "no".   These are people who think creatively, make magic happen with nothing, and double down when things get brutal. These are the talents VC desperately needs   At Daring Ventures, we live this. Our team and founders reflect it. The more zigzags in your career path, the more interesting your perspective tends to be.    The VC world needs non-traditional backgrounds like these industry disruptors:   Cyan Banister (Long Journey Ventures): High school dropout → self-taught coder → tech support → early Uber/SpaceX angel investor   Arlan Hamilton (Backstage Capital): No degree, formerly homeless, music tour manager → self-taught VC fundamentals and built Backstage Capital from scratch with zero connections   Mac Conwell (RareBreed Ventures): Navy veteran → self-taught coder → launched RareBreed Ventures for overlooked founders   What other non-traditional VCs deserve recognition? Drop names below.   #VentureCapital #NonTraditionalTalent #VCHiring #DaringVentures