
Damian M.
5.0
(8)
Investor @ Level Up Ventures | VC Recruiting Coach (ex‑Volvo Tech Fund, US)
1,065 min coached
24 followers
Studied at Tsinghua University
Works at Level Up Ventures
Successful clients at
Available Sunday at 11:00 PM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Damian's Coaching Offerings
Custom hourly · $50/hr
Get help with Venture Capital Strategy, Deal Sourcing, and .
Damian’s Venture Capital Qualifications
Experience level: Analyst
Open to working with clients outside the U.S.
I’m an active investor at Level Up Ventures, backing pre‑seed and seed founders who’ve historically lacked access to capital. Previously, at Volvo Cars Tech Fund global CVC. I operated across the U.S., Europe, and China, sourcing and diligencing early‑stage deals and working with portfolio teams. I’ve also held roles with Microsoft’s venture fund (M12), F‑Prime Capital, and ByteDance, and I bring an operator’s lens from time at an early‑stage startup. I’ve supported multiple early‑stage investments end‑to‑end from market maps and thesis work to diligence, deal memos, and post‑investment support. I’ve completed two formal VC training fellowships (HBCUvc and the Black Venture Capital Consortium) and now volunteer coach in those communities. Having seen venture from the LP perspective (as a pension fund analyst), corporate VC, independent VC, and the operator seat, I know what hiring teams look for and how candidates can demonstrate investor judgment. I translate that into practical coaching: sharpening your investor narrative, building theses and market maps, preparing take‑home memos, and running partner‑style mock interviews.
Damian can help with:
Venture Capital Strategy
Deal Sourcing
LinkedIn Review
Resume Review
Networking Strategy
Investment Evaluation
Behavioral Interview Prep
General Exploration
About Damian
Damian Murray is an investor at Level Up Ventures, where he backs founders who have historically lacked access to pre‑seed and seed funding. On Leland, he coaches candidates on breaking into venture capital and earning admits to master’s and graduate programs, including the Schwarzman Scholars program. Previously, Damian worked at Volvo Cars as an Investment Associate with the Tech Fund and as a Pension Fund Analyst. His experience also includes internship roles and fellowships with ByteDance, Microsoft’s venture fund, F‑Prime Capital, HBCUvc, and the Black Venture Capital Consortium. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Jackson State University, an M.S. in Technology Management from Columbia University as an HBCU Fellow, and an M.A. in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar.
Why do I coach?
The paths into VC and elite master’s programs are competitive and often gatekept unposted roles, warm intros, and opaque rubrics. As an investor and Schwarzman Scholar, I coach to demystify the process, provide high‑signal feedback, and build the proof points (theses, memos, market maps) and stories that win offers and admits especially for nontraditional and underrepresented candidates. VC focus: investor narrative, sourcing strategy, market maps, theses, take‑home memos, and mock partner interviews Admissions focus: program selection, essay strategy, résumé/application game‑plan, and interview prep incl. Schwarzman Scholars Values: access, clarity, accountability no gatekeeping, just the playbook
Work Experience
Investment Analyst
Level Up Ventures
September 2025 - Present
In charge of sourcing, due diligence, and investing in Pre-Seed to Seed Startup Companies
Finance Analyst, M&A and Corporate Development
Volvo Cars
August 2023 - August 2025
Global International Rotation Program - 2% acceptance rate Corporate VC Fund, Pension Fund, and Strategic Global Projects
Division Head
The Bureau of Creative Intelligence
July 2022 - July 2025
The Bureau of Creative Intelligence is exploring ways to help organizations navigate the intersections of the Metaverse, Web3, learning, skill acquisition, and professional development. Actively integrating extended-reality (XR) technology into physical world experiences to heighten engagement and information retention.

Strategy Research Intern
ByteDance
January 2023 - June 2023
I analyzed emerging technologies in North America and Europe on the corporate strategy research team. Topics researched include Artificial Intelligence, Gaming Cloud technology, Consumer Tech Products, and Merger & Acquisitions. Based in Beijing, China
Program Manager, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Consultant
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
February 2020 - September 2022
Responsible for building and coordinating innovation & entrepreneurship programs targeted at students from historically black colleges in partnership with fortune 500 companies.
Investment Analyst Intern
F-Prime Capital
May 2022 - August 2022
F-Prime Capital is a venture capital firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The firm Invests globally in seed-stage, early-stage, and later-stage companies across Biotech, Healthcare, and Technology.
Program Fellow
Exponential Impact
August 2021 - December 2021
Exponential Impact works with early-stage entrepreneurs focused on emerging technologies. In developing founders and startups by equipping them with resources and expertise, by strengthening their connections to create rich environments of innovation and collaboration.

Investment Analyst Intern
M12
June 2021 - August 2021
M12 is Microsoft's venture capital fund, investing in early-stage technology companies disrupting the enterprise.
Education
Tsinghua University
Master's degree, Schwarzman Scholarship, Global Affairs
2022 - 2023
Selected for 7th class of Schwarzman Scholars: a scholarship program designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders – acceptance rate 3%
Columbia University
Master's Degree, Technology Management
2020 - 2021
Selected for the 2020 class of HBCU Fellows: a scholarship program to prepare high-performing HBCU graduates for professional industries – acceptance rate 15% - Full-Ride Scholarship for an advanced Master Degree in Technology Management
Jackson State University
Bachelor's Degree, Finance
2015 - 2019
I studied at one of the best historically black colleges in the country. At JSU, I was also fortunate enough to study in Shanghai, China and Bangkok, Thailand. I also held internships at multiple fortune 500 companies during my time at JSU.
8 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
Knowledge
5.0
Value
5.0
Responsiveness
5.0
Supportiveness
5.0
Damian has helped clients get into these schools:
Damian has helped Leland clients get into ByteDance