VC Director @ NCBioTech in Raleigh, NC

Are you passionate about life science startups, capital investments, and creating impact in North Carolina? Do you enjoy learning about innovative new technologies and helping startups to commercialization products that solve humanities biggest challenges? If you are collaborative and team oriented and want to expand your network of entrepreneurial stakeholders and investors, please let us know, we’d love to hear from you!

Purpose

NCBiotech is currently seeking a Director, Investments for the Emerging Company Development unit. This position is responsible for leading NCBiotech’s Agtech loan program to catalyze the formation and growth of innovative North Carolina companies in the Agtech, Animal Health, Food Tech, Cellular Agriculture, and Industrial Biotech industry segments. This includes:

• Making prudent investments to catalyze the economic impact of portfolio companies while providing a sustainable financial return to NCBiotech
• Coaching and mentoring life science entrepreneurs and connecting them to the resources that they need to grow their companies and create jobs in North Carolina
• Facilitating early-stage life science capital formation in North Carolina and,
• Assisting with special projects.

Essential Duties

It is expected that the incumbent will prioritize, delegate, or seek assistance as needed.

Investment pipeline development:

• Attends entrepreneurial networking events to engage with emerging life science companies.
• Establishes productive relationships with university technology transfer groups, entrepreneur support organizations, service providers, and other life science entrepreneurial community stakeholders.
• Provides guidance to applicants regarding eligibility and a fundable profile.

Pipeline management:

• Coordinates with the team to manage the investment pipeline status with focus on the Agtech, Animal Health, Food Tech, Cellular Agriculture, and Industrial Biotech industry segments
• Collaborates with NCBiotech team members to screen companies for potential investment.

Evaluates companies for investment:

• Solicits funding applications from promising companies.
• Performs detailed scientific and commercial review and due diligence.
• Identifies key risks that must be resolved or managed; evaluates companies’ potential to grow in North Carolina and to generate financial return to NCBiotech.
• Prepares 3-4 written funding recommendations per year that clearly and succinctly describe investment opportunities and presents them internally.
• Negotiates funding agreements

Coaches, mentors, and connects entrepreneurs:

• Serves as relationship manager for a portfolio of 15-20 companies.
• Provides advice and guidance to early-stage companies regarding their financial, product development, regulatory, intellectual property, and commercial strategies; helps these companies improve their attractiveness to investors.
• Coordinates company support with NCBiotech Executive in Residence
• Connects entrepreneurs to potential angel and venture capital investors, partners, governmental granting entities, employees, and service providers.

Manages partnership events in collaboration with investors and corporate strategics:

• Coordinates with team members when partnering opportunities arise.
• Plans, manages, and serves as communication liaison with corporate strategics and investors on partnering events.
• Coordinates internal resources (budgets, sponsorships, conference center)

Special Projects:

• Leads the team’s connectivity with key partners and investors in the Agtech, Animal Health, Food Tech, Cellular Agriculture, and Industrial Biotech sectors.
• Collaborates with NCBiotech’s Focused Initiative Team (FIT) to support opportunities to enhance NC’s bioeconomy, including participation in Agtech investor forums.

Represents NCBiotech at various business and life science conferences and meetings, including through presentations and panel discussions.

Supervisory Responsibility

May hire, train, direct, and supervise interns and, potentially, more junior members of the team.

Education and Experience Requirements

Preferred – An MBA or a PhD in agriculture technology, industrial biotechnology, or related field. Experience working with angel or venture-backed life science companies. At least three years specifically focused on evaluating life science and/or agriculture technologies, products and/or companies for in-licensing, acquisition, or investment.

Minimum – A BA/BS degree in a life science, agriculture technology or a related scientific field. At least seven years of life science research, product development, regulatory, investing, and/or business development experience.

Relevant combinations of the minimum and preferred education & experience requirements may be considered.

About NCBiotech

NCBiotech catalyzes the North Carolina Life Sciences industry to improve the quality of life around the world. We connect companies with university researchers and introduce entrepreneurs to potential funders. Transformation even happens on an individual level as job seekers find their dream opportunity in the life science field.

North Carolina is leading the push toward better healthcare, faster diagnostics and more sustainable food production all the while, creating jobs right here in our state. This economic transformation is why the General Assembly has funded us for over four decades and continues its commitment today