Lewis & Clark Ventures
About Lewis & Clark Ventures
- Lewis & Clark Ventures is an early-stage tech fund focused on B2B software companies
- Our firm was founded by former operators with conviction that innovation and entrepreneurial talent are plentiful outside of traditional capital centers
- We most often lead late Seed/early Series A rounds, are deploying our second fund, and generally invest $2-3 million in each portfolio company
Position Summary
The mission of the Associate role is to help Lewis & Clark Ventures source, build relationships with, and analyze the highest-potential prospective investments. The role takes a lead in understanding markets and discovering spaces ripe for investment, identifying potential targets, spearheading diligence, and assisting senior team members with investment execution and portfolio company support. Associates are also expected to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders (entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, etc.) in the early-stage tech ecosystem.
Core Responsibilities:
- Deal Flow: Proactively source and screen potential companies in which to invest based on the fund’s established criteria. This includes finding and building relationships with entrepreneurs, reviewing pitch decks, updating CRM information, and participating in deal flow meetings
- Building Themes/Theses: The Associate will be tasked with developing new themes/theses and finding the best companies in these spaces. Thesis development includes secondary research, building and maintaining relationships with key opinion leaders in the sectors being studied, and creating internal reports
- Diligence: While not a 100% modeling role, Associates are expected to analyze unstructured data, define company KPIs, and build and understand operating models and returns analyses. Further diligence examples include researching and articulating competitive landscape, market size, industry trends, etc. Additionally, Associates will play a key role in managing internal and external diligence streams and crafting internal investment memorandums
- Making the Case for Investments: A core responsibility of the Associate is to build fact patterns and argue with confidence for and against potential investments. Our process is highly deliberative. Every member of the team is expected to bring thoughtful and nuanced opinions to table
Additional Responsibilities:
- Support portfolio companies with ad hoc industry, competitor, or financial analyses; and in select cases join company boards as an observer
- Assist with fund valuations and reporting
- Become an active participant in the early-stage technology ecosystem
- Create/assist with fund marketing efforts
- Support fundraising and investor relations activities
Candidate Characteristics:
- A top performer with 2+ years investment banking, consulting or direct investing experience (tech experience preferred)
- Strong preference for St. Louis or Midwest ties
- A track record of extraordinary professional, academic, and extracurricular achievement
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- The ability to connect and leave a favorable impression with people from all backgrounds and walks of life
- A demonstrated interest in venture capital and technology
- First-rate analytical skills and careful attention to detail
- A high level of familiarity with financial statements and the ability to build financial models
- Self-starter with comfort working in a relatively unstructured environment
- A naturally curious mind
Belonging & Accommodations
Lewis & Clark Ventures provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.