VC Lead @ Simple Ventures in Toronto, Canada

Simple Ventures

We founded Simple Ventures (SV) with the mission of building great Canadian companies. Our thesis is simple: Canada is overlooked and under-appreciated. Most companies around the world ignore Canada because of perceived market size, regulation, language, and powerful oligopolies. As a result, Canadians miss out.

But we know better. Canada is a top 10 global economy with many of the same consumer and business pain points as other markets. This creates an opportunity to bring the best product ideas to Canada – to see what’s working around the world and be first to execute for Canadians.

We’re funded and supported by Canada’s top leaders including the founders and leaders of Wealthsimple, Shopify, Ada, MindBeacon, TD and many more.

Our Approach

We are experts in sourcing, vetting and launching new companies. Once we have conviction in a specific concept, we find the best fit CEO for the company and partner with them to accelerate and scale the venture.

For CEOs, we significantly de-risk the prospect of starting a company. In particular, we help by: (a) validating the idea, (b) funding the concept, (c) unlocking a distribution advantage, and (d) bringing an extensive support network across product, engineering, marketing, and growth.

For LPs, we seek to drive returns through disciplined validation and capital efficiency. Our approach is industry agnostic, with a focus on: (a) market validation, (b) speed to insight, (c) attractive unit economics, and (d) defensibility in the Canadian market.

The Opportunity

This is a core builder role focused on validating new venture concepts from idea to conviction.

You will operate like a founder – sourcing ideas, testing them in-market, and determining which should become real companies. You’ll run multiple concepts in parallel and be responsible for quickly separating signal from noise.

This role is high ownership, high intensity, and fast-paced. You will be expected to move quickly, operate with limited structure, and push ideas to conviction.

There are three main aspects to the role:

1. New Venture Origination

  • Ideation: Generate high-quality venture ideas from global trends, AI-driven shifts, and uniquely Canadian gaps
  • Sourcing: Build your own pipeline of concepts through research, network, and non-obvious channels
  • Point of View: Develop strong opinions on what should exist that doesn’t

2. Rapid Validation

  • Run tight validation loops: customer interviews, landing pages, MVPs, and experiments
  • Use AI tools to accelerate research, prototyping, and outreach
  • Talk to users constantly and stay close to the market
  • Kill weak ideas quickly and double down on promising ones

3. Investment Case Development

  • Synthesize insights into clear, opinionated memos
  • Define the wedge, GTM, and early economics
  • Build “CEO-ready” opportunities that can be handed off for execution

About You

We’re looking for a high-agency builder with strong judgment and a relentless drive to win.

You are energized by 0→1, thrive in ambiguity, and move quickly from idea to action. You care about getting to the right answer faster than others and are willing to do the work required to get there.

You should have:

1. Relevant Experience

  • Experience building something from scratch (company, product, or meaningful side project)
  • Exposure to early-stage environments (0→1 or 1→10 phase)
  • Bonus – experience at a high discipline + intense environment such as in consulting or banking

2. Product & Market Judgment

  • Strong intuition for what makes products and businesses work
  • Ability to identify real problems and non-obvious opportunities
  • Comfortable forming opinions with incomplete information

3. High-Velocity Execution

  • Operates with urgency and intensity – you move quickly and don’t get stuck in analysis
  • Bias for action – you’d rather test something this week than debate it for a month
  • Ability to run multiple workstreams in parallel

4. AI-Native Mindset

  • Actively use AI tools to research, build, and move faster
  • Comfortable prototyping MVPs or workflows without heavy engineering support
  • Strong awareness of how AI is changing company building

5. Ownership & Drive

  • Relentless drive to win – you push until you reach an answer or outcome
  • Extreme ownership – you take responsibility for results, not just tasks
  • High standards – you care deeply about the quality of your thinking and output
  • You are not a 9–5 operator – you are intrinsically motivated and think about problems beyond assigned work

6. Communication & Thinking

  • Clear, structured thinker with strong writing ability
  • Able to synthesize messy inputs into sharp, opinionated insights
  • Comfortable defending your point of view

This Role is Not for You If

  • You prefer structured environments with clearly defined scope
  • You need constant direction or approval to make progress
  • You optimize for stability or work-life balance over building
  • You are primarily motivated by process, title, or predictability

To apply for this job please visit jobs.lever.co.