While welcoming a new class of MBA candidates to Grounds, we took a moment to catch up with 2024 graduate, Daniel Vernic. How are things going now that he has transitioned out of Charlottesville and into his post-grad career? On reflection, Daniel’s journey truly illustrates the power of Darden’s collaborative approach to supporting students in achieving career success.
Darden Venture Fellows Program
During his time here, Daniel connected to the Darden private equity and venture capital community through the Darden’s Research Centers, founded a student club, forged close relationships with Darden’s renowned faculty and blazed his own path to career success.
So, how did he end up where he is today? Recruiting into venture capital, Daniel knew “it was an untraditional path to pursue, and [he] knew that no one would be holding [his] hand the whole way. That said, the opportunity [he] got…was all made possible because of Darden.”
The Darden Venture Fellows Program, supported by the Venture Capital Initiative, Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management, and managed by the Darden Career Center, provides First Year students access to internship opportunities within several venture capital funds. Through this program, Daniel was introduced to Harmonic Growth Partners, a growth-stage venture capital firm, where he was connected to one of the General Partners and Darden alum, Brian Matthews (MBA ’08), and successfully secured a position for the summer.
Following his internship summer, Daniel’s proactive approach to recruiting included taking advantage of Darden’s independent study program. With Professor Richard B. Evans’ sponsorship, Daniel was able to work with Harmonic throughout his second year while earning course credit and valuable mentorship. This flexibility and faculty support was crucial in securing and solidifying his post-graduate position on the investment team at the firm as a Principal.
Putting Purpose in Motion
One of the highlights while interning for Harmonic was working on three separate investments, a rare experience for an MBA student graduating in the class of 2024 given the market conditions. This hands-on experience, including working on one Series B and two Series C growth investments, allowed Daniel to be a part of the full investment life cycle from day one—working on both the diligence and execution of those transactions and now monitoring and helping those companies on a day-to-day basis with Harmonic.
Daniel’s current role as a Principal on the investment team at Harmonic is multifaceted. He is involved in the sourcing, diligence, and execution of new investments, as well as helping to manage and monitor Harmonic’s existing portfolio. His responsibilities also extend to fundraising, where he actively helps in pitching and introducing his team to new prospective limited partners.
When asked about this “jack of all trades” role Daniel said, “Both the General Partners and Operating Partners at Harmonic have pushed me to be entrepreneurial and make stuff happen. I view my role as an extension of theirs, whatever they’re focused on I’m focused on, and I think it really suits my skillset to be at a firm where that is encouraged.”
Advice for the Class of ’26
Entering the first month of business school can feel daunting. Whether you jump into the structured recruiting pathways of investment banking and consulting or have your eyes on general management leadership development programs and tech, the options can feel overwhelming. For Daniel and many others, one of the keys to success was maintaining a clarity of purpose and taking active steps to make use of the rich Darden ecosystem.
He also offers this valuable advice for those new to the recruiting process: “There are awesome MBA internship opportunities that will pop up in private equity, venture capital and the start-up ecosystem in [the spring] of your First Year, and the same can be said for full-time opportunities in the spring [of your Second Year]. So, if…you want to pursue some of these untraditional paths, just know that opportunities will arise.”
For students at the start of their own journey, the Darden Career Center is equipped to guide students toward achieving their own clarity of purpose and help navigate the many opportunities and resources available here at Darden. We encourage students interested in pursuing PE/VC to meet one-on-one with Paul Reeder, Managing Director, Darden Career Center.
Support from the PE/VC Initiatives and Faculty at Darden
Daniel’s career outcome success reflects his personal achievements and the impact of Darden’s valued student-faculty relationships, career center support, student-led activities, strong alumni network and institutional investment in industry initiatives.
As the conversation came to a close, Daniel expressed gratitude to MJ Toms, Director, Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology for “de-risking my path into the world of venture and entrepreneurship” and Pedro Matos, Academic Director, Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management, for his efforts to increase private equity presence at Darden. He also credits Professors Rich Evans whose support and flexibility were instrumental in his journey and Professor Les Alexander for “his mentorship on how to be the most useful to my [General Partners] while I was interning.”
