ZINC
Zinc has built a successful venture builder ecosystem since 2017, focusing on bringing talent together to build and grow ventures through its mission driven approach. Having worked closely with dozens of academics and researchers, and having validated a gap in the early stage, deep tech ventures market, Zinc has launched a new business unit focused on IP and knowledge related venture building – Zinc Deeptech Ventures.
Our vision is that IP and knowledge can be better unlocked and built into commercial ventures to achieve great impact and solve some of the most important societal issues globally. We believe that by building the right ecosystem of management teams, partners and capital we can help take these assets to the next level and make them investment-ready to launch in the world. The deeptech team is focusing on ventures being spun out of academic and industry institutions as well as independent deeptech developers to build up as successful startups and enterprises, while still aligning to the core of Zinc, its mission-driven venture building.
This is a new business unit, with a newly appointed Managing Director with a background in Venture Building, and will ultimately be led by co-Managing Directors in Venture Building and Venture Capital. We’re looking for a Senior Associate to work hands on with the ventures in the program. The current deeptech ventures are based on the Healthy Ageing Catalyst grant funding program in partnership with UKRI, and the business and programs will build on this work but extend well beyond in terms of mission focus (e.g climate, mental health) and geographies (we have a global scope).
The Senior Associate will design and implement the program of work with the venture Founders, which may include working closely with them on product development, team development, business development and finance development, as well as certain cohort-based activities. This will be an opportunity for you to design, build and implement a program of venture building from the ground up, working in a small hands-on team, but with the support of the larger Zinc operation.
Requirements
The successful candidate will:
- Work closely with the Leadership team to help design and implement the program of venture building for the venture Founders, based on existing plans and based on Zinc’s strong expertise as a talent-led venture builder.
- Work hands on with the cohort ventures in the program to see them through a 6 month accelerator program, which includes product building, business model building, team building, and financial model building.
- Spend 1:1 time with individual ventures, managing them closely through the process, as well as help run certain workshops for cohort-based activities (securing speakers, organizing, etc).
- Network within the Zinc network to leverage required expertise.
- Move ventures forward through the commercialization path towards success.
- Collect metrics from ventures and feed to portfolio management and evaluation of the programs.
- Support ventures to build out their team from the Zinc talent pool.
We’re looking for people who have:
- A VC/tech transfer background with previous experience of working with technology-led ventures, university academic Founders, or startups.
- A ‘founder’ mentality, and thrive in building new programmes and products from the ground up.
- Passion for commercializing technology focused on Zinc’s missions.
- Ability to build good relationships with Academic Founders/scientists, strong communication skills and ability to build rapport quickly, at all levels.
- Expertise in designing and running programs for startups. Event planning/management.
- Excellent operational/project management skills to work successfully in fast-paced, agile environments and tight deadlines.
- Technical PhD ideal.
Benefits
This is an exciting opportunity to work win our established, interdisciplinary, growing team, to build on our track record and momentum, and help to grow a new, ambitious agenda at Zinc. This role will provide the opportunity to:
- Work directly with talented and highly motivated founders and new technologies.
- Grow a new, exciting initiative within Zinc that has huge potential for scale and impact.
- Engage with leading experts in technology, business, design and research.
- Be part of a mission-led, ambitious, evidence-based and high-growth commercial organisation with an enormous sense of urgency to experiment and solve hard problems at scale.
This is a full-time role, starting in immediately with a salary of £70K p.a. This role will be primarily in-person from our base in Central London, with scope for hybrid working.