Scout Ventures | What is a VC Scout?

Scout Ventures — What is a VC Scout?

Scout Ventures — Venture Capital

Venture capital is a competitive industry. VC firms are money management organizations that raise money from different sources and invest the collective capital into startups. There are many approaches to breaking into venture capital. One path that has become very popular among new and aspiring venture capitalists is the role of venture scout.

What is a VC Scout?

Venture scouts or VC scouts are the resourceful connectors who can help venture capitalist firms find hidden, great companies and founders to invest in before everyone else. Some VC scouts have a full-time job when they operate in an incentives-based model while others take this role with a goal to acquire the knowledge and tools to become venture capitalists themselves in the long run.

Types of Venture Scouts

Venture scouts are generally considered interns. They connect a fund to promising founders and companies in their network in hopes of making a deal happen. There are two kinds of VC scouts:

Internal VC Scouts

Internal VC scouts get to work as a full-time team member inside a fund or under the VC scouting program of a venture capital firm, e.g. Scout Ventures. They basically focus on meeting as many entrepreneurs as possible and linking them to the firm’s crowdfunding ecosystem. Internal venture scouts are characterized by a strong sense of karma; when they see an opportunity and know early on that it won’t fit, so they do their best to redirect other investors that they know will be more suitable.

External VC Scouts

External VC scouts are people under a fund-led program. They are not full-time employees but they are given a small allocation of funds. In most cases, they are entrepreneurs selected upon application. Some VC firms encourage external scouts in their venture capitalist scout programs as a side project, hence giving them an opportunity to kickstart their own investing career.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Venture Scout

The role of a venture scout may vary depending on the VC firm. But generally, VC firms like…