"Choose your non-negotiables." I heard this piece of advice a few times as I was going through my recent job search. I was lucky enough that I had multiple options of companies I could join and I was trying to sort through the different opportunities. As I met with venture capitalists along the way - to get suggestions on companies and other tips - I heard this particular tip on how they think about investing and how I could think about choosing my next role.
There's no perfect opportunity. No perfect role at a perfect company that has the perfect team, perfect market, perfect product. Every opportunity has its winning attributes as well as some things it lacks. The same goes for investments. One startup might have the most experienced and promising team. Another might have a great product with incredible traction and revenue growth. There are a number of different factors by which to evaluate a potential investment.
- Team - experience, intelligence, passion, industry insight
- Growth - customers/users, revenue
- Industry - market size, growing industry, competition
- Terms - deal (compensation package for the job seeker, investment/valuation for the investor), role (day-to-day responsibilities for the job seeker, board involvement for the investor)
