<p>i'm going to be starting my phd at a top 10 university where a lot of grad students pursue business careers after earning their phds. i have a similar goal in mind, and i am particularly interested in breaking into venture capital after getting my phd. however, i am unsure of how exactly to do so. would i need to plan for an mba after my phd, or would it be more beneficial to forego postdoctoral work for a career in business (consulting, possibly vc)? any ideas would be helpful.</p>
<p>Get a JOB if you want an MBA.</p>
<p>If you are doing a management Ph.D, I know most schools will award a masters while you are working on your Ph.D. My Entrepreneur professor i worked for graduated with his Ph.D at UIC while their working on his degree he completed all the requirements for a MBA because it was the same work load. So they gave him a MBA. </p>
<p>Also you can take time off from your Ph.D to get a job most likely a consulting one. That would give you experience. </p>
<p>What is your Ph.D by the way?</p>
<p>it’s in computational biology. i am interested in the pharma / biotech industries.</p>
<p>Just wanted to share a quick anecdote. My husband has his PhD in Physics from Caltech and went straight into management consulting after finishing up. He had offers from BCG, McKinsey and Bain. He was given offers at BCG and McK to start at the same level/salary as someone who just finished their MBA. He ended up going to BCG and they ended up doing a 2-3 week mini-MBA program where they brought in professors from top 5 schools to do mini-courses in accounting, finance, marketing, etc. He spent two great years at BCG before leaving to start his first company. So, main point is that it’s more than possible to go straight to consulting from a PhD in science (especially if you’re at one of the school’s they recruit at).</p>
<p>As far as VC goes, my husband is on his 3rd venture backed start-up and I’ve worked for and consulted to a number of other small start-ups with VC financing, so we know a lot of VCs and know a lot about who gets jobs in VCs. Honestly, I don’t think a PhD combined with an MBA gives you a great edge at getting a job with a VC firm. Analyst positions tend to go to either younger executives with industry experience, recent top MBA grads with industry experience and/or to people who know people 
I think networking/contacts is actually the biggest factor in getting a job with a VC fund and next is industry experience. They want their partners (and to a lesser extent their analysts) to have actual been there done that experience in the trenches of a small, growing company. If VC is truly where you want to be and your focus is biotech (an obviously great field), I would focus on finishing up your PhD, getting some great industry experience (preferably in a company in a line role, but maybe working for a consulting firm and focusing on biotech) and working to build your network. </p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>