The Wonder Years
The long road, a summer in India, and why I became AND remain a VC.
“What would you think if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me?”
That’s how every episode of The Wonder Years started.
And for a long time, that’s what my career felt like: a little off-key, a little unexpected—but mine.
I didn’t follow the obvious notes. But I found my own rhythm.
And that’s exactly how I became—and remain—a VC.
Let me take you back to the moment that changed everything.
It was the summer between my first and second year of business school. My plan was simple: either work for a startup or punt the decision and do a consulting internship. Safe bets. Clean lines. But then I struck out—six final rounds, no offers.
Venture wasn’t even on the list… until I stumbled into it.
Through the Kellogg MBA program, I secured an internship at a hybrid venture and nonprofit firm in India, specializing in edtech and the future of work. And just like that, I was dropped into a totally new function, new verticals, and a new country.
And I loved it.
I traveled from city to city, meeting founders solving gnarly, high-stakes problems—how to educate rural communities, how to build employment pathways through tech, how to support distributed workforces. Despite the thick humidity in the air, I was absolutely enthralled by every conversation. This wasn’t just a good summer. It was a portal.
It clicked for me in Bangalore, after a day filled with meetings with tech executives and early-stage founders.
This was everything I liked about equity research—truth-seeking, thesis-building, figuring out where long-term value lives—but more alive. More direct. More exposed.
Because in research, you’re making recommendations. In venture, you’re putting your name—and money—on the line.
And something about that thrilled me.
I began to see how the jagged path I’d taken made perfect sense in hindsight.
My first job wasn’t in IBD or trading—it was in equity research at a Canadian firm, digging deep into the structure and strategy of REITs. I’d already started my own nonprofit using machine learning to help people build stronger networks. I chose India over a consulting gig in Cleveland.
But to the insiders, I looked vanilla. Too safe. Too packaged. Another MBA with a finance background.
What they couldn’t see were the zags. The scrappiness. The rooms I had to navigate. The edges I’d already had to sharpen just to get here.
From Arkansas to Columbia to Bangalore, I was learning how to navigate between worlds—and discover the value others had overlooked.
I wasn’t trying to be a carbon copy of anyone.
I’ve always just tried to out-Earnest the fxxx out of everyone else.
And maybe most importantly: I wasn’t here to play the game. I was here to build something real.
That’s how I’ve approached every role since.
Because in venture, you're not just managing money—you’re managing ambiguity. You’re betting on people before the world believes. You’re reading the signals in the noise.
And I knew deep down: I could be the signal.
Becoming a VC didn’t happen overnight.
It happened over time. Through rejection. Through reflection. Through the wonder of showing up in a new place and realizing—this is it.
And that’s why I’m still here.
—eiv
That zag to India sounds incredible! What a life changing experience that must have been.