Summer Associate – Seed Stage Fund

VSC Ventures

San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on March 25, 2024

Job Title: Summer Associate – Seed Stage Fund

Location: Remote but San Francisco based to attend events

Duration: Part-time beginning May 1 with the potential to be a Summer Associate that requires full-time commitment beginning mid-June after a satisfactory performance review

Who we are: VSC Ventures is built on the core thesis that it has gotten easier than ever before to start a startup, but harder than ever before for that company to break out or get noticed.

We are a seed-stage venture fund that invests in dynamic founders delivering solutions in industrial automation, climate, and their intersection – what we call Climate Automation. The urgency is palpable: legacy industries not only contribute the largest share of emissions but also face acute labor shortages.

VSC Ventures is not just an investor. We invest up to $500K checks in promising startups and amplify their impact through our award-winning PR agency VSC. Our strategy goes beyond capital; we employ our expertise in narrative crafting, storytelling, and media strategy to elevate our portfolio companies. This dual investment through capital and services underlines our commitment to a long-term partnership, sharing in the successes rather than settling for a one-off transaction.

Since launching in August 2022, we’ve invested in the growth of trailblazers like Glacier RoboticsPaintjetSesame SolarPresso, and Gaeastar. Our backers include operators and executives from Poshmark, Discord, Tinder, Krux, Osmo, Group Nine, Liftoff, and Lyft, alongside GPs from various early-stage funds.

Who you are: You are ambitious, team-oriented, and looking for a unique opportunity to spend the summer learning how to run an early stage fund. You are an entrepreneur at heart with a keen interest in start-ups and emerging technology, and a strong bias for taking action. When given direction, you can sprint without much oversight.

  • Strong academic performance and experience working in start-ups or VC in climate, robotics, AI required
  • Preferably you have an existing network of seed stage founders in our target verticals and a strong sense of where/how to source deals.
  • Previous work experience in product management, engineering, R&D, or growth marketing/sales.
  • Strong understanding of social media landscape (TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn)
  • Experience managing projects, timelines, product launches, or deals in a deadline driven environment.

What you will do: You’ll enable the team to increase deal flow, do due diligence on more companies, and expand our network with relevant founders and co-investors.

You’ll have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in sourcing new investment opportunities, assisting with due diligence processes, and conducting research.

You’ll have the opportunity to build a network in the venture capital and startup community and be mentored and guided by experienced investors and operators.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Sourcing:
    • Actively identify and evaluate new investment opportunities
    • Attend startup events and network with potential investment leads
  • Due Diligence Assistance:
    • Support the team in conducting due diligence for potential deals
    • Analyze financial models, market trends, and business plans
  • Research Project:
    • Conduct 1-2 comprehensive research projects on a topic relevant to our investment thesis (to be determined in consultation with the team)
    • Present findings to the investment team and contribute to strategic discussions

Representation matters:

  • Our GP Vijay Chattha is one of the only South Asian American communications agency CEOs in the U.S. and was recently named a Top 25 innovator in North America.
  • 33% of our founders are female founders
  • 40% of the companies we invest in are people of color as founders
  • We co-founded WorldWithoutCovid.org, the first registry to match people with trials for tests and therapies.
  • We co-founded the The100KPledge – a public social contract for accountability in the fight toward economic justice for Black communities
  • We launched Climb to devote our time to help climate tech startups access the best capital, the smartest talent, and the most strategic partners

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