Associate / Senior Associate (Brand Capital Fund)
XRC Ventures
WHO WE ARE
XRC Ventures is an early stage venture fund for the next generation of disruptors in retail technology, consumer healthtech and consumer goods. Our investments span the entire end-to-end consumer experience: commerce enablement, nextgen commerce channels, consumer healthtech, sustainable commerce, supply chain & logistics and consumer brands. See all of our portfolio companies here. Our firm runs a family of funds including: XRC Ventures accelerator program (currently on XRC Fund IX) the Opportunity Fund for tech-enabled follow-on investments and direct investments into equity rounds, and the Brand Capital Fund leading equity rounds in consumer brands.
OUR EVOLUTION
XRC Ventures has gone through numerous iterations since our inception as the XRC Labs accelerator in 2015. From the onset, we brought together a retail and consumer ecosystem of Wall Street thought leaders, retailers, brands and founders to inform and accelerate the growth of innovative startups. Through those relationships and our over 140 companies invested, XRC Ventures has grown in the number of funds and assets under management (AUM).
We migrated from traditional accelerator sourcing, which is often characterized as ‘spray and pray’ or ‘fund and forget’ to a pre-seed investing model that identifies and delivers the bespoke services needed to ensure that the startups achieve their next round of funding effortlessly.
We are actively investing in experienced talent to grow the fund into our next phase of growth. We have learned many lessons, and our most important is that human capital is the most valuable asset. We are prioritizing excellence and people that can hit the ground running from day one. XRC Ventures is a small team, and we give our employees ownership to enable them to contribute across the organization in a meaningful way.
WHO YOU ARE
The Associate/Senior Associate will join XRC Ventures’ Brand Capital Fund’s Sourcing Team, which is responsible for originating and evaluating new emerging brands for our investment committee. This role offers candidates the opportunity to quickly gain experience and domain expertise, with exposure throughout the investment process. You will report directly to the fund Principal.
This position involves being abreast of trends and emerging brands across CPG, Beauty, Personal Care, and Consumer Health. You will need to be social media savvy and continuously finding ways to leverage databases, tools, and other resources to identify trends to source deals. It is a highly visible role and you will be expected to lead discussions with XRC Partners, prospective founders, and senior Fortune 500 executives.
WHAT THIS ROLE IS
Leading sourcing for XRC’s Brand Capital Fund to find the next great XRC portfolio companies (90% of role)
- Thesis generation – identifying key trends before they become mainstream in consumer market
- Category market size and growth (quantitative analysis)
- Identifying which startups within a given thesis are worth investment prioritization
- Connecting with founders to understand their growth journey, funding needs, and if XRC can be a valuable partner
- Creating visually persuasive content to present to both XRC partners and external retail executive sponsors
- Driving quantitative due diligence of near-term opportunities (prior to closing investment rounds)
Supporting business development and thought leadership, advancing XRC’s voice to address the future of consumer (10%)
- Develop business development materials to prepare for conversations with potential external partners
- Generate original content for publishing under XRC Ventures’ banner
SKILLS TO DRIVE SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE
Specific skills that will suit this candidate:
- Strong in Powerpoint (Google Slides) design
- Seasoned communicator – capable of independently leading discussions with senior executives
- Financial modeling skills (Google Sheets);Â building models from scratch
- High familiarity with P&L, 10k, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows
- Capable to critically evaluate a founder’s financial plan to assess risk
- Highly creative in problem solving / solutioning (the most convenient answers are often not the best ones)
- Proactive, self-starter mentality who can manage multiple work streams concurrently
- Consumer-obsessed; this role focuses exclusively on consumer/retail categories
- Unconditional willingness to support other XRC funds when needed
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Graduated from an accredited 4-year university (Minimum: Bachelors; MBAs welcome)
- Associate: Minimum 4 years full time work experience (more expected to qualify for a Senior Associate role)
- HIgh preference to prior venture, consulting, or PE/IB backgrounds.
- Strong presentation skills, both in developing powerpoint, and live communication, required
- Ability to capture thoughts and bring them into a coherent set of visual messages
- Track record of effectively interacting with senior management
- Highly organized and detail-oriented
- Ability to translate ambiguity into discrete action
- Proactive, action-oriented
- Ability to work strategically and collaboratively across departments
- Versatile team-player
- Passion for consumer startups and the disruptive nature of this industry
EMPLOYMENT TYPE
- DOL Status: Exempt, Salary
- Full Time: 40 hours per week
- Hybrid: (1-2 day in office, 3-4 days remote per week)
- Location: Los Angeles-based, we are not open to fully remote
COMPENSATION
- $90,000 – $130,000 (dependent on years experience)