Landing a Student Role in Venture & Startups: Fireside Chat w/ Alison Kaizer, Talent Partner | WVG x Golden Ventures
Most startup and VC roles don’t go to the “best” resumes. They go to the people who show ownership, judgment, and impact. That part usually isn’t explained.
This is a rare, off-the-record–style conversation with Alison Kaizer (Partner, Talent @ Golden Ventures) about how early-stage teams decide who gets closer to the work — and who doesn’t.
We’re talking about:
Why strong corporate or technical experience doesn't always translate in startup recruiting
What “ownership” really means when titles matter less than decisions
How venture and founders spot impact early (sometimes in 30 seconds)
How you can earn trust and best position yourself without venture experience
If you’re trying to get into startups or VC and keep feeling like you’re almost there, this is probably the missing layer.
You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to position your experience, tell a stronger story, and take the next step toward roles where you’re trusted with real responsibility and impact.
Come ready with questions — and your resume, LinkedIn, or portfolio if you want to pressure-test how you show up on paper.
About Alison Kaizer
Driven by the simple belief that great people build great companies, Alison works hand-in-hand with some of the most ambitious early-stage founders across North America - helping them navigate the messy, mission-critical terrain of team building.
Alison specializes in talent strategy from pre-seed through Series B: everything from crafting the right interview process to making strategic, high-leverage introductions that accelerate company-building.
As Partner, Talent at Golden Ventures, she's helped place founding engineers, first marketers, heads of product, and operators who’ve gone on to transform companies.
Before joining Golden, she built and scaled talent programs at some of North America's top VC-backed startups, advised as an independent talent partner, and earned a reputation for understanding what it really takes to build early teams that endure.
About Waterloo Venture Group
WVG is a student venture community and talent network based out of Waterloo, providing pro-bono consultancy for founders around the world from ideation through Series A. Collectively, we’ve supported ventures in raising $2.8M+, hosted flagship programming on founder education, and curated the rooms where teams form and hires happen. Learn more.
Ready to build or partner? Contact the WVG team.