--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a final exam in venture every…" description: "\"There's a final exam in venture every four to six years. The scary thing is you need to get an 'A' in every discipline. You need to be on generational ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db1/david-sze-29092_building_there-s-a-final-exam-in-venture-every-fo_2646825.jpg" --- # There's a final exam in venture every four to six years… ![“There's a final exam in venture every four to six years. The scary thing is you need to get an 'A' in every discipline. You need to be on generational planning, need to be on great deal flow, need be on great outcomes, you need to be on great company building.” quote by David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db1/david-sze-29092_building_there-s-a-final-exam-in-venture-every-fo_2646825.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db1/david-sze-29092_building_there-s-a-final-exam-in-venture-every-fo_2646825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db1/david-sze-29092_building_there-s-a-final-exam-in-venture-every-fo_2646825.jpg) > “There's a final exam in venture every four to six years. The scary thing is you need to get an 'A' in every discipline. You need to be on generational planning, need to be on great deal flow, need be on great outcomes, you need to be on great company building.” [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success in venture requires excellence across multiple domains, demanding continuous learning and strategic foresight. **In simple terms:** Venture success needs top performance everywhere. Key Takeaway Aim for mastery in all key areas. Themes strategic growth learning leadership Mood motivational serious Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - startup pitching - career development - investment decisions - team building Key Concepts business strategy risk management Questions to Reflect On - Which area needs your immediate focus? - How can you delegate to maintain quality? A Different Perspective Balancing all demands can lead to burnout without prioritization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Exam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exam/) [Final Exam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/final-exam/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning/) ## Related quotes > [“one of those nightmares where it’s the final exam for a course”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kreider/one-of-those-nightmares-where-it-s-the-final-exam-for-a-course/) [Tim Kreider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kreider/) > [I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-was-thinking-about-how-people-seem-to-read-the-bible-a-whole-lot/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Being a teenager is the worst thirty years of your life. Peer pressure, acne, final exams, seven little tiny hairs on your upper lip.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/being-a-teenager-is-the-worst-thirty-years-of-your-life-peer-pressure/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [Whether it is to be Utopia or Oblivion will be a touch-and-go relay race right up to the final moment… Humanity is in 'final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/whether-it-is-to-be-utopia-or-oblivion-will-be-a-touch-and-go-relay/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [Transcendence is the only real alternative to extinction. This is serious. This may be the ultimate final exam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-garreau/transcendence-is-the-only-real-alternative-to-extinction-this-is/) [Joel Garreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-garreau/) > [You know that feeling when you finish a final exam and you think, 'I never want to do that again'? Well I have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-smith/you-know-that-feeling-when-you-finish-a-final-exam-and-you-think-i/) [Wilbur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-smith/) > [Lots of my dying patients say they grow in bounds and leaps, and finish all the unfinished business. But assisting a suicide is cheating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/lots-of-my-dying-patients-say-they-grow-in-bounds-and-leaps-and/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [In the final exam in the Chaucer course we were asked why he used certain verbal devices, certain adjectives, why he had certain characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course-we-were-asked-why-he-used/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Every chess game is like taking a five-hour final exam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-fischer/every-chess-game-is-like-taking-a-five-hour-final-exam/) [Bobby Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-fischer/) > [So, in life we have a one question final exam - and it's not the kind of exam you can cram for at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marci-shimoff/so-in-life-we-have-a-one-question-final-exam-and-it-s-not-the-kind-of/) [Marci Shimoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marci-shimoff/) > [If I taught a class, on my final exam I would take an Internet company and ask, 'How much is this company worth?' Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/if-i-taught-a-class-on-my-final-exam-i-would-take-an-internet-company/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [There was one moment, and it happened in school. I had a big final exam - we were supposed to write a 20-page report…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/there-was-one-moment-and-it-happened-in-school-i-had-a-big-final-exam/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [ Student: Dr. Einstein, Aren't these the same questions as last year's \[physics\] final exam? Dr. Einstein: Yes; But this year the answers are different. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/student-dr-einstein-aren-t-these-the-same-questions-as-last-year-s/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [One of the leading causes of divorce is sexual incompatibility. Why not mandate premarital sex, overseen, of course, by the Marriage Board to ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rosen/one-of-the-leading-causes-of-divorce-is-sexual-incompatibility-why/) Mike Rosen > [A professor was telling students about his colleagues class. Students in the other class had taken to tossing erasers at the clock. Each precise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-davis/a-professor-was-telling-students-about-his-colleagues-class-students/) Vicki Davis ## More by David Sze > [College is a magic time. Yes, youre young and fickle, but you want to be part of this college experience... Then you graduate from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/college-is-a-magic-time-yes-youre-young-and-fickle-but-you-want-to-be/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [When you rest on your laurels is right when you have the risk. It exists for every company, no matter how big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/when-you-rest-on-your-laurels-is-right-when-you-have-the-risk-it/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [I think that the most important thing we look for in partners is that they can help build companies and, you know, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/i-think-that-the-most-important-thing-we-look-for-in-partners-is-that/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [Founded in August 2003, MySpace would go on to be the most-visited social networking site in the world from 2005 until early 2008.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/founded-in-august-2003-myspace-would-go-on-to-be-the-most-visited/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [The best early-stage venture capital investments appear obvious in retrospect; however, very few of them are actually obvious when you make them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/the-best-early-stage-venture-capital-investments-appear-obvious-in/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [I think that it will be the mobile technologies, both from the enterprise and the consumer side, where super unicorns will come from. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/i-think-that-it-will-be-the-mobile-technologies-both-from-the/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [The best opportunities are often ones where you're being contrarian. That doesn't mean being contrarian for contrarian's sake, but it means you're thoughtful about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/the-best-opportunities-are-often-ones-where-you-re-being-contrarian/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [We reviewed our process at Greylock and discovered that the best investments are non-obvious enough that they result in a mixed vote by our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/we-reviewed-our-process-at-greylock-and-discovered-that-the-best/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [For us, whether the market is skewed from a bubble perspective or not really is mitigated by staying focused on what we do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/for-us-whether-the-market-is-skewed-from-a-bubble-perspective-or-not/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [The most important thing for us is investing and making companies great, and then they have all the options they want, whether that's to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/the-most-important-thing-for-us-is-investing-and-making-companies/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [Every social network on Earth pitches me, and I say no to nearly every single one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/every-social-network-on-earth-pitches-me-and-i-say-no-to-nearly-every/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [I think there are a lot of companies that are staying private longer. Much more of their growth is happening while they are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/i-think-there-are-a-lot-of-companies-that-are-staying-private-longer/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [When I started in the business in 1999 and 2000, we had companies that were going public in two, three or four years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/when-i-started-in-the-business-in-1999-and-2000-we-had-companies-that/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [One of the things I like about the Internet is it does force us to realize we're all humans, and it forces us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/one-of-the-things-i-like-about-the-internet-is-it-does-force-us-to/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) > [The story of Google is just when everyone concluded that a search engine would never make any money, everyone backed out of it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sze/the-story-of-google-is-just-when-everyone-concluded-that-a-search/) [David Sze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) [Explore all 18 David Sze quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sze/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a final exam in venture every four to six years. 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