Why S2G Ventures: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

S2G Ventures Overview

S2G Ventures is the investment arm of Builders Vision which supports entrepreneurs who are working towards solving the world’s greatest challenges across agriculture, clean energy, food, and oceans.

The firm claims to invest in “soil to shelf” to back companies operating in the food supply chain which includes food safety & technology, restaurants, information services, infrastructure & logistics, ingredients, and agriculture.

S2G provides mentorship, capital, and value-added resources to companies that are pursuing innovative market-based solutions which help generate positive environmental, social, and financial returns.

The firm provides flexible capital solutions ranging from seed, venture funding, growth equity, debt, and infrastructure financing.

S2G Ventures was founded in 2014 by Chuck Templeton, Sanjeev Krishna, and Victor E. Friedberg, and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

S2G Ventures AUM

In April 2023, S2G Ventures launched a new fund to provide “flexible” financing solutions for cap-intensive climate-tech startups. This new fund brings S2G’s assets under management to $2 billion.

S2G Ventures Interview Process & Questions

Firms can always make changes in their interview process for each candidate. But if you’re interviewing at S2G Ventures (or a firm like it), here’s a general overview of what you can expect:

• Usually, there will be 4 to 6 rounds of interviews
• The HR team or junior investment professionals will lead the initial rounds, while the more senior staff takes charge of the later rounds
• The entire process extends over multiple weeks, except if it’s “on-cycle” or “on-campus” recruiting

Expect the interviewers at S2G Ventures to ask you a combination of behavioral questions, fit questions, and technical / investing questions.

Take a minute to check Growth Equity Interview Guide if you need help preparing for interviews.

Why S2G Ventures

The question “Why this firm?” is one of the frequently asked and important questions to answer properly during interviews.

If you’ve met people who work at the firm during your networking efforts, this is the right time to mention them and how they’ve made a positive impact in your decision to apply.

Also, it’s a good practice to research the firm before attending the interview. For this, I highly recommend listening to interviews with its founders, investors, and key personnels.

To start with, here’s an interview with Matthew Walker, Managing Director at S2G Ventures:

More interviews

• Francis O’Sullivan, PhD, Managing Director for the S2G Ventures Clean Energy strategy, discusses the urgency to invest in clean energy solutions
• Sanjeev Krishnan, MD and Chief Investment Officer at S2G Ventures, sits down to discuss the competitive changing grocery store industry

S2G Ventures Case Study

Interviewees almost always encounter case study during interviews. That’s because firms use case studies to assess the communication skills and technical knowledge of the candidates.

Most case studies at firms like S2G Ventures center around investment recommendations and financial modeling. But for junior roles, a cold calling case study may be required as well.

Learn more about case studies inside my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

S2G Ventures Salary & Compensation

According to publicly available data, the estimated median salary of professionals who work at S2G Ventures is $255,792 per year. This figure can still vary depending on the position, location, qualifications, experience, and education of the candidate.

From other public sources, the average salary of employees at S2G Ventures in the United States is $82,366 per year.

S2G Ventures Careers, Jobs, & Internships

Check out our job board to view open roles at S2G Ventures. When you visit the job board, you can also find other promising job opportunities from similar firms.

S2G Ventures Portfolio & Investments

Since inception, S2G Ventures has managed four funds and invested in 149 companies in their chosen sectors. Some of their notable deals include Growers Edge, Solarea Bio, and MEND.

Notable Transaction: Sentera

Sentera provides agricultural insights to optimize agronomic decisions and result in better outcomes. Their products make it easier to integrate in-field data via their digital ag platforms which are used by more than 80% of growers in North America.

Sentera’s sensor products and integrated softwares are used in over 70 countries, on millions of acres and at about 100 research centers worldwide.

In June 2021, Sentera received a $25 million Series C funding – which was led by S2G Ventures and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).

The said investment supports Sentere’s mission to keep the company’s position as one of the leading providers of time sensitive agricultural insights to improve outcomes for the agricultural supply chain.

Next Steps

If food, agriculture, oceans, and clean energy markets are your field of interests, S2G Ventures might be the right firm for your finance career aspirations. To ensure you’re well-prepared and confident during your interviews, in case you decide to apply for an open role at S2G Ventures, I suggest you check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

The Growth Equity Interview Guide is a self-paced online course which provides step-by-step growth equity lessons, examples, frameworks, and mental models to professionals who want to ace their interviews and get selected for the role they’re applying for.

Get the course and start learning today!