VC Managing Principal @ Pit Road Fund in Notre Dame, IN

The Managing Principal of Notre Dame’s $23M Venture Capital Fund (Pit Road Fund) is responsible for the follow-on investments of the fund into portfolio companies and works with the fund portfolio companies to provide support as needed. The Pit Road Fund is a seed fund established by the IDEA Center at the University of Notre Dame. The Fund invests in companies in the Notre Dame ecosystem.

Key responsibilities include:
(1) Managing the day to day operation of the fund in coordination with IDEA Center leadership.
(2) Organizing and scheduling all Fund meetings to include pitch sessions, operations meetings & quarterly updates with the Advisory Board.
(3) Coordinate execution of investment documents including legal and operational review.
(4) Is an Ex-Officio Principle in the Pit Road Fund and responsible for making funding decisions as part of the investment committee.
(5) Works with University leadership and back-office support firm on preparation and issuance of quarterly management reports and financial statements to the limited partners. Provides oversight and coordination of the annual audit to ensure timely and complete reporting to all constituents. (6) Maintain a list of seed and series A investors to help our portfolio companies raise additional
funds.
(7) Help IDEA Center startups raise pre-seed and seed investment capital.

Though the U.S. is home to the world’s premier higher education systems and an incredible entrepreneurial business culture, these two forces are often disconnected by what is known as the “Valley of Death” – a narrow space in the life of a University invention when it is too mature to be eligible for research funding, yet simultaneously is too immature for venture capitalists, talented entrepreneurs or established companies to fund or license. Traditional Technology Transfer offices have tried to fill this gap; however, those models are outdated and show limited results. At Notre Dame, the managing principal of the Pit Road Fund drives the translation to market of University technologies, ensuring that the life-changing potential technologies at the University of Notre Dame can be developed and launched.

Education: Bachelor’s degree (4 years) or advanced certification beyond Bachelor’s

Experience: 7 or more years

Skills: Team player with ability to interact with professionals and students at various levels. Aptitude to understand and analyze startups through market traction, technical evaluation, and financial metrics. Capacity to work efficiently, with designated aggressive timelines. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Maintain confidentiality with a high degree of professionalism.

Master’s degree

For appropriately qualified candidates, it may be possible to combine this position with a non-
tenured teaching professor position in the finance department of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. Members of the finance faculty are expected to demonstrate outstanding teaching across undergraduate and graduate programs. Thus, candidates with demonstrated excellence in teaching and/or strong interest in teaching combined with appropriate qualifications are strongly encouraged to apply.