What's a good VC?

What would be a good VC to work for?

There are nearly 1000s of Venture Capital firms in Europe and in the US. If you narrow it down to the most prominent/active ones, you still get to about a dozen choices in each market.
This was my shortlist when I made the move:
- Quality of portfolio companies and track record. I needed to be excited and really like the type of investments the VC was doing, and the subsectors they focused on. The difficult thing is, that a lot of VCs ahve a herd mentality, and tend to do similar investments in the same sectors
- Quality of the people / fit. Well, that's an obvious one. If personalities don't stick, it's not going to work. Again, a lot of VCs tend to have people with similar personalities to its a tough choice
- Fundraising status: that's a big differentiating factor. If the VC has raised a big fund, this will give you a lot more opportunities and also job security
- The hierarchy - watch out for inverted pyramid. If the fund is top heavy, this will limit your opportunities for growth and potential responsabilities. This is quite important especially if you're joining as an experienced hire and are on the "partner track"
- Global reach. Also a major point. I like firms that have offices in key regions i.e. The West Coast + Asia (China or India) because they can watch out what technologies are emerging across the globe and also access big markets
- The pay/carry? Well, it depends. If you join a great fund, the money will come naturally, but I wouldn't join a fund that pays below market because that tells you something about the people working there. If they're not flexible on a couple of Ks and want to save money on their most important assets, do you really think that getting promotions and carry will be smooth down the line? Unless you are confident that you can bring deals and make yourself invaluable to the company, that is a red flag!!!