Pros
OpenView is probably one of the best-kept secrets in Venture Capital. This is a firm that was founded almost 10 years ago with an overarching unique mission to help founders build great companies with actual resources and hands-on support before most VCs even talked about providing value-add. The Firm has grown from a team of 6 full-time employees to over 40 team members today, with a successful and growing portfolio of technology companies that have weathered the last downturns and are enjoying the fruits of the current tech boom, but it has never deviated from that mission, and that is one of the great motivation for working here. If you want to work with great technology companies and have an impact on their success, OpenView is the right place for you. If you are young and want to learn a lot about finance and business operations, working at OpenView is like getting an MBA. You will grow very quickly because they will challenge you every day you come to work to be better, to be more innovative, and to make more impact. At the same time, the firm is very tightly knit and truly cherishes teamwork and collaboration, so you will learn a lot from your team members and can very quickly become a great team player. If you are already an accomplished technology professional, OpenView provides the platform to let you amplify your impact through working with the portfolio companies and elevating your profile as an industry expert. You will find a lot of satisfaction working with a young, smart and dedicated team that really go to bat for you and for the Firm. I joined the Firm in its early days and had enjoyed every single day of the many years I worked there. I was fortunate to learn from the best in the business (thank you, Dr. Maxwell et. al.), and worked with some of the most exciting technology companies across the whole world. The experience at OpenView could not have prepared me better for my current operating role at a technology company, and just as importantly, gave me the lifelong mentors and friends whom I respect and love.
Kontras
The Firm is very selective - they want to hire the very best team member and once they hire someone, they provide them with the best opportunities to grow and succeed but also expect the very best outputs from team members. Again, you will find yourself challenged every day because that's the culture of the Firm and you should be ready for direct feedback, rigorous debate and be very open-minded to new ideas. Because the Firm's portfolio companies are located across the US while most employees are based in Boston, the senior team members are constantly traveling, which makes it harder to get one on one experience with them, which are great learning opportunities. But if you are motivated, you will find that everyone is very open and welcoming, and will make time for you.