Introduction
Hi, I am so happy you are here! My name is Nadia Koritareva and I grew up in a charming corner of Eastern Europe -- Sofia, Bulgaria. When I was 19, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to move to New York City and pursue a degree at New York University (NYU).
At that time, 19-year-old me believed that she was making a sacrifice. All throughout high school, I had imagined that I would study Law in the United Kingdom (where, unlike the United States, you can get an undergraduate law degree). Then, I got accepted to NYU with a scholarship and moving to NYC just felt like the right thing to do, in an inexplicable way that I still look back to with awe of what life would have been had I made a different choice. The one tradeoff that came with that choice was that I had to put my law school plan on pause for at least four years.
Being in New York, I got whirled into the world of STEM, economics, business, and finance, and early on in my time at NYU, I chose Quantitative Economics and Econometrics as my major with a minor in Business Studies. After the most vibrant four years, hundreds of hours in the library, dozens of networking sessions, and a global pandemic, I got a job as an Investment Analyst for Cornell University’s Office of University Investments. On my first day of the job, I had little to no idea what a university’s endowment was, let alone the principles and models that went behind investing one. After two years of rotating teams and asset classes, I had a pallet of experience across equities, bonds, hedge funds, alternative investments, private equity and venture capital investing, and a strong network within institutional investors.
In 2023, I stepped into my current role as a Venture Capital Associate for AngelList’s GP relations team. (GP = General Partner or in other words, the formal term for venture capital investors). My day-to-day role is a combination of venture capital advisory, internal strategy and process improvement, and startup operations. I work with the country’s top emerging investors who power the next wave of startups and innovation via private fund investing.
Finance Fellow
career options
Finance Fellow
skills
What are the main hard skills you use on a daily basis in your current job?
Developing market research skills and the ability to analyze how macroeconomic movements and market events affect my area of work is a key skill I have utilized in all of my roles, past and present. As an Investment Analyst, market research informs your investment and portfolio management decisions. In my current role, staying current with market data is of crucial importance when advising & supporting venture capital money managers.
Financial models power the industry and inform decisions such as valuation and performance. Having strong modeling skills is often a prerequisite for many roles within finance. I obtained most of my modeling acumen in university and while preparing for the CFA exams and have used them in various ways such as assessing portfolio performance, determining company valuations, and stock scenario analysis.
Careers in public markets or institutional investing are often founded in the principles of portfolio theory. The CFA certificate exam preparation taught me the fundamentals of portfolio management. In my work, these concepts help me think critically about private portfolios, assess risk, and model out potential outcomes.
What are the main soft skills you use on a daily basis in your current job?
I work in a client-facing environment where sharp verbal and written communication skills are key to successfully managing client relationships. One of the most valuable communication skills one can have is the ability to clearly and concisely express otherwise complex ideas.
My day-to-day work is dynamic and my days are often long. I face competing deadlines and given the client-facing aspect of my role, I often receive last-minute urgent requests. Being able to implement a sound prioritization system is extremely important in a work environment like that to ensure no deadlines are missed and no clients are left unsatisfied.
While there may often be a formulaic answer to certain questions and requests, private venture capital fund managers often face ambiguous situations and problems. Being able to think critically about such cases and break down a problem into actionable components is an important skill which has helped me build trust with my clients.
No strong performer ever succeeded entirely on their own. While individual drive and grit are important, being able to effectively work in a team and collaborate with others to ensure efficient and holistic results is an important skill I practice every day in my role. I work with various cross-functional internal teams such as tax and legal to ensure the goals of my clients are met and that we have analyzed risk from all angles.
Nadia
’s personal path
Tell us about your personal journey in
Finance Fellow
:
Every individual goes through a unique experience in their job search journey. My biggest challenge throughout my career has been my immigrant status, which in many instances has led to doors being closed for one reason alone – my need of additional visa support from an employer. Whatever an individual’s challenge, a job search is rarely easy and straightforward but at the end, if you stick with it, the hard work will pay off.
When I was looking for my first full-time job after college, I had to send hundreds of applications to even land an interview. The most common reply I’d receive from companies is that the need for visa sponsorship leads to an automatic inability to consider my application. I pride myself on my intellectual ambition and grit and facing a challenge that was entirely outside of my control was difficult and discouraging. Just as with many things in life, I chose to focus on the aspects of the job search that I can control – networking, curiosity, keeping an open mind, expanding my scope, and perseverance. Eventually, I landed my first job as an Investment Analyst at Cornell’s Office of University Investments and I loved every aspect of it. The rough path to landing the opportunity made the achievement itself even more fulfilling.
Two years later, I was reflecting on several personal and career decisions and ultimately decided to consider other roles. I had a high bar and a set of expectations I was looking for in my next career move, which layered on top of my existing immigration considerations. While this made my job search funnel limited, I could also recognize all the growth within myself and how I had refined my approach with time and experience. I was more intentional with my networking efforts, and I had improved my interview stills with practice. I never gave up on keeping the bar high and only considered opportunities that would truly excite me and align with my longer-term goals. At the end, in the most serendipitous way, I landed what I consider my dream opportunity with my current employer, AngelList.
What would you tell your younger you regarding building your current career?
The most important piece of advice I would have given my younger self is that it is infinitely more important to consider whether the day-to-day responsibilities of a job excite and motivate you and whether the work fits your strengths and ambitions rather than how the company or role would look on a resume or be perceived by others.
Another valuable lesson I wish I could relay to my younger self is that some things would only make sense in hindsight. When you are going through a tough period and receiving rejection after rejection, it is easy to lose sight of your long-term vision and sometimes, even your motivation. One of my mantras that I have always reminded myself of in tough times is that rejection is redirection. That is one of those lessons which you can only truly learn looking backwards and reflecting on how all the “no’s” led you to some of your biggest successes. Dear younger self, some of the toughest rejections led you to make some of the most formative decisions in your life and career.
Final thoughts & tips
Trying to break into lucrative industries like tech and finance often means young professionals must navigate a competitive job market. The key to a successful career search is that there is no “one-size-fits-all" solution. While there are objective best practices like intentional networking, polishing and always improving your resume, practicing your interview skills, and always putting in time and effort into researching the ins and outs of a dream role or company, there is no correct formula that will work for every candidate or professional. Rely on data but always recognize that the job search is just as much of an art as it is a science. Tailor your efforts towards your own individual strengths and weaknesses. Focus on what is within your control. Don’t take the rejections personally – seek feedback and incorporate it moving forward. Always keep an open mind and reevaluate your approach if needed. At the end, all it takes is one job offer that truly motivates and fulfills you to consider your job search a success!
Resources to dig in more
PitchBook
The top provider of global financial data, research, and insights in private equity, venture capital, and M&A.
Corporate Finance Institute
Corporate Finance Institute is an online training and education platform for finance and investment professionals.
CFA Institute
The CFA Institute is a global professional organization that provides investment professionals with finance education and training. The CFA Institute offers a widely recognized professional certification.
eFinancial Careers
A global job-searching platform for finance professionals.
