Should Founders Talk to Junior VCs? The Advice Is Right — and Also Wrong

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Founders hear this early and often: “Don’t waste time talking to junior VCs.”

In fact it wouldn't be a day on LinkedIn if I didn't see a post written by a founder sharing this very belief. And truthfully, the logic isn't wrong. Founders are time constrained, junior investors don’t write checks, and there’s nothing more discouraging than a strong 30-minute conversation that leads to nowhere. This advice wasn’t born from nothing — it’s rooted in real frustration. The very nature of navigating different VC firms all with unique titles and processes while also building a business can be exasperating. 

But like most shorthand advice in venture, it sounds right and also ignores all nuance. 

Junior VCs are often cast as the bottleneck. Well-meaning but powerless, eager but non-influential, and sometimes that’s true. But more often, that frustration gets misattributed. What determines whether a first meeting is a waste of time or the start of a real partnership has far less to do with title and far more to do with the firm itself: where power actually sits, how the fund is structured, what patterns the team has earned the right to recognize, and how clearly the firm knows what it’s built to invest in. From the outside, these firms can look identical. From the inside, they couldn’t be more different. Understanding those differences, and learning how to spot them early, is what actually helps founders decide which conversations are worth having, and which aren’t.

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What actually is a ‘Junior VC’?

For our purposes here, junior is not meant to disregard seniority, but to describe non-partner roles. It's also designed to acknowledge the quirky and elusive staffing and hierarchy within VC firms.

The point is, Junior VC is not a role. It’s a label founders use when they don’t yet understand a firm’s internal dynamics. This label can describe vastly different levels of responsibility and influence from a sourcing-only associate with no IC exposure, to a senior associate or principal who drives deals, to a first hire at an emerging fund, or an influential platform-plus-deal hybrid.

In any case, taking in the whole picture of a firm will better guide who to talk to and when.

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The Nuance: Evaluating a VC Firm

In an effort to avoid getting on my soap box and defending my title as Associate or ‘Junior VC’ I thought I’d share some of the ways I would evaluate a firm from the perspective of a founder.

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1. Positioning & Power Inside a Firm

The number of investment professionals at a firm and how authority is distributed among them, has a direct impact on how quickly an opportunity moves from first conversation to a check-writing decision maker.

In a traditional pyramid-shaped firm, senior decision makers sit at the top in small numbers, supported by a wide base of junior investors. In these organizations, opportunities often need to pass through multiple layers before reaching someone with real decision-making power, which can slow momentum and introduce friction along the way.

Contrast that with an inverted or flat structure, where there are more senior investors relative to juniors, or where a single junior works closely alongside partners. In those environments, it’s reasonable to expect faster feedback loops and clearer ownership. In some firms, juniors function primarily as filters. In others, they operate as trusted extensions of the partners themselves. An easy and simple look at a firm’s team page on their website will give you an idea of the structure you’re dealing with. 

Regardless of structure, junior investors are rarely incentivized simply to “make the intro.” They are evaluated on the quality of opportunities they source, their ability to build internal conviction, and how effectively they advocate for a deal once it’s inside the firm. The summaries circulated internally, the way a company is framed in deal flow meetings, and which opportunities get prioritized are often shaped quite meaningfully by junior and mid-level investors. A strong junior advocate can carry a deal further than most founders realize.

In the right context, junior investors can be a founder’s edge. They can surface objections early, translate what the partnership actually cares about, and advocate on your behalf when you’re not in the room.

Pro Tip: It’s okay to ask who you’re talking to and what they actually do. Are they primarily sourcing (effectively a BDR), or are they an analyst who will stay with the deal through diligence and funding? One is not better than the other, but it will help you understand what the order of operations will look like. 

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2. Fund Economics & Constraints

This may feel obvious, but because junior VCs are often incentivized on sourcing and because identifying the next great investment is inherently a numbers game, doing your own research on a firm can go a long way in determining whether a conversation is likely to be productive.

At many firms, junior investors are measured on pipeline volume and the number of “actionable” opportunities they surface. As a result, their criteria for taking introductory calls can be broader than the firm’s actual ability or willingness to invest. Even the most enthusiastic investor can be structurally constrained by fund size, check economics, stage focus, or reserve strategy.

Before saying yes to a meeting, it’s worth testing the firm’s investment thesis against your company. What size is the fund? What is the typical initial check? Are there revenue or traction thresholds? Do they concentrate on a specific industry, vertical, or strategy and does your company truly fit within that box? If the answers don’t line up, that’s usually a signal to prioritize a different introduction.

Pro Tip: If a firm’s fund size and check economics don’t make sense for your current fundraise, no amount of interest will turn that meeting into an investment.

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3. Pattern Recognition & ICP Fit

In the common situation where you do end up on an introductory call with a junior VC or come across cold outreach from one, a great way to quickly evaluate fit is to ask or listen to how this person communicates their interest in learning more about your company.

Some quick mental checks that are good to validate include: clear communication of the firm’s ICP and how your company fits that, examples of successful deals funded in the space and learnings they can share, or a thoughtful understanding of the problem you are solving.

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Pro Tip: When speaking with a junior investor (or anyone at a venture firm), listen for a clear introduction to the firm, its thesis, and their specific interest in your company. That initial framing is a surprisingly strong indicator of whether the conversation has real momentum.

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4. Speed, Process, and Respect for Founder Time

Regardless of who you’re speaking with, the process always reveals priorities. If you’re unsure whether a junior investor has the ability to move an opportunity forward or even assess whether the company is truly a fit for the firm, the most effective move is simply to ask.

Rather than resist the reality that interactions with non-partner roles are likely, founders are better served by baking process-oriented questions into their introductory calls. Can this person clearly articulate what happens after this meeting? Do they understand how a deal moves through the firm’s investment evaluation? Are they proactive in defining next steps and moving the process forward?

If those answers are vague or inconsistent, it may be worth asking who else you should expect to speak with and when. Clarity around process is often a better indicator of real momentum than enthusiasm alone.

Pro Tip: Ask ‘what does the process from intro to funding look like at your firm’ early. The specificity of the answer will tell you a lot.

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The Midwest Difference

The Midwest venture capital ecosystem, and the investing landscape more broadly, is in a new chapter. Over the last five to ten years, an influx of junior investors has helped shape how capital is sourced, evaluated, and deployed. With that shift comes more first meetings with… you guessed it: junior VCs. Fortunately for founders, that’s not a bad thing.

Midwest firms tend to be lean, intentional, and deeply tied to their communities. When a junior investor is brought onto the team, it’s rarely for optics or volume alone; it’s because the firm believes that person can meaningfully extend its reach and judgment. What junior investors may lack in operating experience or a long list of exits, they often make up for in genuine curiosity, conviction, and a real commitment to making the Midwest a place people choose to build enduring companies.

I was (and still am) that junior investor. I joined Straylight Capital (formerly Plymouth Growth) nearly three years ago. Straight out of undergrad, with limited experience but a strong belief that Detroit and the broader Midwest are forces to be reckoned with. Through thoughtful mentorship and constant repetition, I didn’t always have the answers, but I learned quickly what makes something a Straylight deal, how decisions actually get made, and where our firm can be most impactful.

That experience is what shapes this perspective. Junior VCs can be the problem, or they can be the solution, but more often, they’re a reflection of the firm behind them. For founders, the real leverage comes from understanding the structure, incentives, and priorities of the fund itself. When you do, junior investors stop feeling like a barrier and start becoming what they’re often intended to be: a catalyst, an early advocate, and sometimes, your strongest ally.

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Caroline Wolanin is an Associate at Straylight Capital, a growth equity firm for “the magnificent middle”, based in Detroit. As an associate, she helps source and vet deals for the firm. Outside of her work, she writes pieces like the one here and was once a pastry chef.