Contrary to popular mythology, venture capitalists are just regular guys who make bets on big opportunities like anyone would in the stock market. They do everything in their power to make sure their bets pay off, but ultimately, even the best ones miss far more often than they hit.

While there are a handful of titles that are thrown around, such as General Partner and Principal, what matters the most is that you talk to a “Partner.”

A venture capitalist is charged with finding a relatively small number of investments (usually less than a dozen per year) to make over a 7 – 10 year period. While the venture capital firm may look at thousands of deals in a given year, they can only pick a handful of deals to pursue.

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