Inside the World of Venture Capital: A Conversation with Alexandra Sukin `15

Alexandra Sukin graduated with an interest in venture capital investing. With that in mind, she headed to the east coast where she attended Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with a concentration in government. Alexandra now works as an investor for Bessemer Venture Partners in the company’s New York office. We (virtually) sat down with Alexandra, who was just recently named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list, to find out what it is like to work in the compelling world of venture capital investing.

Tell us about your role as an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners. 
“We are a multi-stage venture capital firm, which means we invest in companies as they are beginning to show signs of exciting potential and partner with those companies and their founders on the journey of working towards turning them into very large companies. I work with my team to look for companies that are taking advantage of certain industry or technological trends. Once we identify one of these companies, we learn more about their industry, what their product does, who their target customers are, and so forth. Once we make an investment, we then become serious, meaningful partners with that company.”

What is the most challenging part of your job? 
“The trajectories of most companies aren’t linear. It’s easy to get caught up in the week-to-week, or month-to-month basis of what’s going on with the companies you’ve invested in.  But I think the best venture capitalists are patient and good observers, and know when the right time is to step in and help make strategic decisions.”

What is your favorite part of your job? 
“I have a few favorite parts of my job. One is that I think the Bessemer team is truly amazing. In our Monday morning meetings, we get to hear people from all over the world talk about deals they are considering and what excites them. It’s an incredible learning event to hear from really smart people about the interesting spaces they are spending time in. It’s an amazing aspect of the job.

I think it takes incredible discipline, confidence, talent, and some luck to be a successful entrepreneur. And to be able to help – even if it’s in small ways – someone along their journey and achieve their dreams, it’s a special and exciting feeling. That’s my other favorite part about my job.”

Is there a memorable pitch from a company that stands out in your memory? 
“I was involved with a company called Truebill and a key element of their product is that they help people negotiate down or reduce their subscriptions and monthly expenses. I think their pitch, in hindsight, still stands out to me because they operated in a competitive category – consumer fintech – but they identified this light-bulb moment for their customers by actually helping them save money and I just think that’s really powerful.”

Were there any lessons you learned at Country Day that you feel helped you get to where you are now? 
“Country Day taught me one of my guiding principles in my work life: find mentors. All the teachers at Country Day were teachers you could learn from and look up to. I really respected them. In order to succeed in school, at work, or in life in general, it’s really helpful to find mentors who will help you cultivate your passions and interests. That was something I really benefited from in the Country Day community.”

Was there a teacher or staff member at Country Day that encouraged your academic interests? 
“There were so many, such as Ms. Deborah Floyd, Mrs. Patricia Dunn, Mr. Merle Black, and Mrs. Sarah Beyreis, who I’m very appreciative of for encouraging me. I also really credit Mrs. Sarah Beyreis for being supportive in the college admissions process.

How did Country Day prepare you for your career/post-high school life?  
“I do a lot of writing in my job, so Country Day’s writing-focused curriculum was extremely helpful. I was also appreciative of the education in computers. Technology is such an important part of how we do our jobs and interact with each other. Country Day trained me to be digitally native and computer proficient. It really set me up well to work in a technologically oriented and enabled world.”

What advice do you have for any current student who is thinking about pursuing a career as an investor? 
“I would say that being entrepreneurial is not just for entrepreneurs. If you're interested in any business-oriented career, I would highly encourage you to think about how you can be entrepreneurial. I think bringing that mindset to how you approach any career, whether it's at the beginning or throughout your career, is incredibly valuable because it's this unique skill set that you can bring that isn't restricted by the amount of experience that you have.”