Damian M.

Damian M.

5.0

(8)

Investor @ Level Up Ventures | VC Recruiting Coach (ex‑Volvo Tech Fund, US)

1,065 min coached

24 followers

Tsinghua University Logo

Studied at Tsinghua University

Level Up Ventures Logo

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 .

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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

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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

Level Up Ventures Logo

Investment Analyst

Level Up Ventures

September 2025 - Present

In charge of sourcing, due diligence, and investing in Pre-Seed to Seed Startup Companies

Volvo Cars Logo

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

The Bureau of Creative Intelligence Logo

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.

ByteDance Logo

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

Thurgood Marshall College Fund Logo

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.

F-Prime Capital Logo

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.

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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.

M12 Logo

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 Logo

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 Logo

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 Logo

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

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Damian M.

Damian M.

5.0

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