Avantages
Above market-level comp, autonomy in sourcing, nice office views, gym
Inconvénients
WORK - As a junior investor, your role is similar to that of a telemarketer. You will spend 95% of your time making cold calls, filling out cold email templates, and talking to mediocre, uninteresting startups with little exposure to dealmaking. The call/email grind, in addition to lack of any formal mentorship structure, means there are almost no opportunities to develop real skills. You’re better off starting your career in ibanking or consulting. That’s why most analysts in recent years have gone on to lower-tier firms, no-name startups, or left the industry altogether. The slight edge in pay is not worth the long-term career setbacks. || CULTURE - Insight has the most unprofessional and toxic workplace environment I have ever encountered: Gossip-Girl level backstabbing, competition, snaky behavior, and rumor-spreading from a bunch of adults. People regularly make inappropriate comments about women’s looks. Racist and classist remarks are tossed around left and right in the office and in after-work events. In a normal workplace, you’d expect harassment claims to be filed immediately, but at Insight, this behavior is the status quo. Not surprised at all by the recent media coverage around its virulent environment. || DEI: My experience was that the bar to succeed at Insight was much lower for people who are white and/or come from high SES backgrounds. It markets itself as open to applicants from diverse backgrounds, but if you’re not privileged, you will have trouble finding mentorship, a support network, and real opportunities to rise in this extremely homogenous firm. Those from diverse backgrounds in leadership positions are lateral hires or exceptions. || TO STARTUPS SEEKING FUNDING: If you received an email from Insight, it probably from a random intern who knows nothing about your company / space and reached out to boost their daily call volume. Minority founders - women, POC, etc. - should seriously reconsider working with a firm that is so not inclusive and hypocritical about its DEI efforts.