Madeline Lawrence
Madeline is an analyst at Peak Capital - one of the leading Venture Capital funds in the Netherlands. “Venture Capital is one of those terms you hear but do not really know the meaning of. The best way to describe it is high-risk investments in early-stage startups”. We interviewed Madeline to find out how she ended up in Venture Capital as a PPLE law major.
Madeline graduated in 2018. During her last year of PPLE, Madeline interned full time at Rockstart - a company that supports young startups to succeed through access to capital, network, and expertise. “Initially, I was only involved in internal business operations. I was exposed to Venture Capital for the first time when I got engaged with Rockstart’s fundraising.” She remembers googling “what is Venture Capital'' in her first meeting and loved the idea, that is: helping founders bring their big ideas to life. After Rockstart and PPLE, she did a board-year at student-run Venture Capital fund ASIF Ventures to learn more about investing and entrepreneurship. ASIF is real stakes and real money - it’s a great opportunity to get your feet wet. “I got a seat at the table, signing actual contracts and transferring thousands of euros alongside professionals in the field.” She got to know Peak Capital when they invested in a company together. Through her time with ASIF, she got to know other venture capital companies, but Peak capital seemed like the best fit for her. In her experience, other funds were either too corporate, too pretentious, or worked remotely. Madeline felt a strong cultural fit with Peak Capital.
“A bachelor’s degree like PPLE can is rather theoretical. It teaches you how to be a generalist, rather than a specialist,” she remarks, “which can make students question to what extent they are prepared for the labour market.” It’s not a clear cut career path, but that’s “okay” in her eyes. Looking at Madeline’s career progress, the steps she made always required her to gain more knowledge while being on the job. “Everyone is bluffing! Your competence is not tied to a degree, but to your learning curve. If you are confident you can learn quickly and are willing to put in the time, you will make it”. In the end, a PPLE degree does not provide you with much technical knowledge on a topic as specific as Venture Capital, but it lays a foundation that will take you far, by teaching students to think coherently across different industries and embody a rigorous work ethic.
Madeline may pursue a master’s degree related to her current job at some point. Right after PPLE, she was not sure in what field she wanted to specialise, “why would I do a master’s, if I’m not sure what I want to be a ‘master’ in?” Her advice to PPLE students is to expose yourself to the industry you are interested in (and others!) before rushing into a master’s degree. “Think of open days, electives, jobs, internships, or even having coffee with someone working in the field- hell, even try youtube!”. She noted that most people will study for a couple of years and work for many. What you learn in a classroom can be very - or totally - different than the actual job or wherever you end up.
