Research Associate

Medical Excellence Capital LLC (“MEC”) is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on the life sciences and healthcare industry. MEC provides company creation, seed, and early-stage capital to innovators in precision medicine such as cell therapy, gene therapy, AI/ML applied to drug discovery, synthetic biology, and regenerative medicine. MEC invests solely in high potential companies where its expertise, insights, and global network can promote acceleration and maximize value creation. Our team is comprised of seasoned, successful investors and healthcare operators, supported by an established global network of physician/scientists and VCs/Family Offices that provides a valuable platform for due diligence and portfolio acceleration.

Position Overview

We are currently seeking a candidate for the Research Associate position to join our team, reporting to a Managing Partner. The Research Associate work product is core to our investment and operations team, and the role has tremendous opportunity and exposure for the right candidate. The focus of the role is to operate from a deep and fundamental understanding of the therapeutics and diagnostics ecosystem and to become an expert on our portfolio companies. There will be opportunities to originate new portfolio ideas in the private investment space and creatively work on forward-looking initiatives that support our long-term thematic perspective.

The ideal candidate will show unbounded curiosity and passion for investing in precision medicine. We are seeking an individual orientated to the capital markets possessing strong scientific aptitude and a commitment to the study of science or research in their prior academic and work experience. We highly value a deep curiosity about the business models in the life sciences space; an understanding of the technology that underpins the advancement of the field; and how that will impact the end markets and the future of healthcare.

Responsibilities

When you join our team, your core responsibilities will include supporting the ongoing deep fundamental analysis of our investment portfolio and the universe of potential investments by:

• Looking after the interests of a venture fund and its portfolio companies. Conducting and overseeing valuation analysis on existing portfolio and new portfolio ideas.
• Monitor and synthesize financial metric, operational conditions, and industry/competitive dynamics of assigned portfolio companies.
  • Overseeing company progress and catalyst reporting.
  • Ensuring all inputs into the portfolio management processes and systems are accurate.
  • Support team with quarterly reporting of portfolio performance.
  • Support existing portfolio company investments through ongoing analysis and review with other investment professionals in the firm
  • Prepare prospect briefing/investment synopsis in advance of company presentations
• Converting industry knowledge into understandable investment opinions.
  • Utilize industry-leading technology and data to create insightful analysis
  • Generate ideas and strategies to enhance portfolio returns and manage risk.
  • Assemble, organize, assess, and complete due diligence on prospective private companies
  • Conduct primary/secondary market research and competitive analysis within subsectors of healthcare
  • Develop financial models to project market size, investment returns, and valuations
  • Produce clear and concise investment theses and memos
  • Join with the wider team to generate and support investment thesis development.
  • Follow current events and attend conferences in respective industry groups to keep the investment team informed about critical issues relevant to current and prospective investments.
• Provide support to the Managing Partners in the execution of a variety of transaction types throughout the entire capital lifecycle.
• Build relationships within the industry to connect with the best entrepreneurs, the top syndicate investors, the brightest scientists, highest quality executors, and be able to identify the ideas that will succeed.
• Leverage personal/firm relationships, knowledge sources, and industry contacts to assist firm diligence and investments throughout the portfolio

The work at MEC is highly collaborative, so it is critical that the candidate is prepared to work in a team environment.

Requirements/Qualifications

• Candidates will have 2-5 years of experience in investment banking or sell-side equity research, venture capital or private equity, industry corporate development, or buy-side investing.
• Candidates should have at least a master’s degree such as MBA, Ph.D., or M.D. with a bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Science, Biology, or a related area
• Ability to creatively build ideas around business combinations, underappreciated assets, and other ways to create value, seeing opportunities that are not obvious to many.
• High degree of intellectual curiosity, problem-solving skills, and the ability to quantify qualitative insights.
• High technical proficiency in financial modeling and valuation skills. (i.e., comfortable with three-statement financial analysis, can perform valuation analysis, quickly and effectively build P&L and market risk models for our portfolio companies)
• Can work independently with minimal supervision, and with equal effectiveness as part of our team Effective communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Strong interpersonal skills and desire to work in a highly collaborative team environment.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, especially Excel.
• Familiarity with databases and similar platforms for information management. Quick learner and can learn/adopt new systems and technologies
• Self-starter, creative thinker, organized, and detail-oriented in a fast-moving and iterative environment. We greatly value speed of communication and an “always on” mentality.
• The ideal candidate perceives this role as more than just a standard 9 to 5 position, recognizing that dedication and a proactive approach are key factors in gaining a competitive edge.
• Able to synthesize existing visual and written data into highly structured investment memos and presentations.
• High ethical standards in handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Team player with high integrity.
• An appreciation for and ability to connect with business builders and entrepreneurs.
• Locations required: Eastern time zone with preference for New York City, Greater Philadelphia/New Jersey, or Boston.

The minimum and maximum base annual salary for this role is $100,000 to $140,000. Actual base salaries may vary based on factors including experience, past performance, education, and other job-related factors. In addition to base salary compensation, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, and successful candidates are eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus.