Why Harpoon Ventures: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

Harpoon Ventures Overview

Harpoon Ventures is a venture capital firm which focuses on early-stage investments.

They primarily invest in businesses that build advanced technology in the areas of cyber security, AI, and enterprise infrastructure.

Aside from providing capital, Harpoon Ventures also offers operational expertise, strategic guidance, and support.

Harpoon Venture was founded in 2018 by Larsen Jensen, a former US Navy Seal and two-time olympic medalist.

The firm is based in San Diego, California.

Harpoon Ventures AUM

Harpoon Ventures has $300 million in assets under management according to their records published on their official LinkedIn profile.

Harpoon Ventures Interview Process & Questions

Firms can make modifications in their interview process for each candidate. However, when you interview at Harpoon Ventures (or similar firms), you can expect the following:

• 4-6 rounds of interviews
• Junior investment professionals supervise the initial rounds, while the senior staff handle the later phase of the interview.
• The whole process can take multiple weeks – unless it’s an on-cycle or on-campus recruiting

Interviews at Harpoon Ventures will be a mixture of a set of questions: fit, behavioral, and technical / investing.

Need help preparing for interviews? My Growth Equity Interview Guide is right for you.

Why Harpoon Ventures

The most common question you’ll receive during interviews is “Why this firm”.

If you’ve done networking prior to your interviews, this is your chance to mention whoever you’ve met and how they’ve positively influenced your decision to apply at their firm.

Also, I would recommend learning more about the firm. A great way to do this is to listen to interviews with its founders, investors, and employees.

To start, check out this interview with Larsen Jensen, Founder and GP at Harpoon Ventures:

More Interview

• Larsen Jensen of Harpoon Ventures at MVS 2024

Harpoon Ventures Case Study

Case studies almost always show up during interviews at firms like Harpoon Ventures. The reason is firms use case studies to evaluate each candidate’s technical and communication skills – both crucial to investor’s success.

Most case studies revolve around investment recommendations and financial modeling. But for junior roles, cold calling case study may also be required.

For case study preparation, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Harpoon Ventures Salary & Compensation

According to the recent job listing of Harpoon Ventures, associates at their firm can earn an estimated total pay of $150,000, while there’s no recent data for analyst hires.

Figures may vary depending on several factors such as experience, location, and education.

Harpoon Ventures Careers, Jobs, & Internships

To stay updated with open roles at Harpoon Ventures (or similar firms), visit our job board which features opportunities for them and other growth / VC firms.

Harpoon Ventures Portfolio & Investments

According to Crunchbase, Harpoon Ventures has made 28 investments across one fund. Some of their notable deals include Glyphic Biotechnologies, Oso, and Graphiant.

Notable Transaction: Tarsal

Security teams are facing a major challenge. Their systems can’t keep up with the rapidly changing data landscape. With the help of Tarsal’s solution, teams now have a platform to run security analytics.

Tarsal also provides flexibility to security teams to send data to their most suitable destination which makes their operations more cost-efficient.

In March 2024, Tarsal secured $6 million from a Seed round led by Harpoon Ventures and Mango Capital, with participation from Abstract Ventures, Y Combinator, and Backend Capital.

Next Steps

If you decide to send your application and build your investing career at Harpoon Ventures, I would highly recommend that you check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide first before attending interviews.

Growth Equity Interview Guide helps professionals get a good grasp of topics that are typically covered during interviews such as financial modeling, case studies, and more. Check it out and start learning today!