Variant recently closed our second institutional, first-check crypto fund investing in the ownership economy. We are scaling our investment team to keep pace with rapid growth in the space.
Variant is a startup, and we are looking for a tenacious, low-ego, empathetic partner who is willing to roll up their sleeves to grow in the role and help grow the firm. You’ll gain a unique experience working closely with Li, Spencer, Jesse—the firm’s co-founders, GPs, and growing investment team—in order to help cement our position as the marquee seed fund for supporting builders in crypto at the earliest possible stages.
What is an Investment Partner at Variant Fund?
As a consumer investment partner, you’ll work closely with GPs and the investment team to analyze opportunities with a focus on consumer-facing protocols and applications, for instance: marketplaces, NFTs, DAO infrastructure, crypto wallets, decentralized social networks, etc. Ideally, you have a product management background and expertise dissecting consumer products and apps, and ability to hone in on how to improve them.
Your role will be to help support the full lifecycle of the investment process, from sourcing, diligence, informing our investment decisions, to portfolio support. The candidate should be excited to do rigorous, structured, and creative, first-principles analysis of projects and trends at the bleeding edge of crypto. To succeed in the role, the candidate needs to be organized, analytical, able to context-switch effectively, have extreme attention to detail, and most importantly, be a first principles thinker who can synthesize their ideas concisely.
The candidate will be responsible for:
- Developing points of view on emerging market categories: why we should invest in a particular category and the thesis on characteristics of a desirable investment.
- Conducting deep research and diligence on new investment opportunities.
- Presenting research and diligence analysis to the investment team, including analysis on market category, go-to-market, team, data, and other relevant information.
- Ensuring coverage of deals in categories of interest: staying on top of and meeting entrepreneurs and making sure Variant sees all the deals that matter.
- Sourcing new investment opportunities through cultivating networks of entrepreneurs and other investors, and by spending time in the community.
- Investment partners will often be a founder’s first exposure to Variant, and so will be responsible for ensuring a positive experience for founders, that gets them excited about the prospect of working with us.
- Sharing public thinking that develops your personal brand, and makes you a magnet for entrepreneurs.
- Supporting builders post-investment by leveraging our birds-eye view and network to support the portfolio.
QUALIFICATIONS (NEED TO HAVE)
- High EQ and ability to build and cultivate a network of long-term relationships
- Be excited to interface with some of crypto’s most knowledgeable founders, builders, researchers, and independent analysts
- Intellectually curious: eager and able to learn new concepts and frameworks and keep on top of a rapidly-evolving space
- Ability to quickly synthesize complex, disparate sources of information and form a point of view
- Ability to communicate concisely, in writing as well as 1:1 and in group settings
- Thrive off of new ideas and push our thinking through rigorous and structured processes.
- Extreme attention to detail, with ability to switch contexts gracefully.
- Be a detail-oriented self-starter, intellectually curious, with strong, demonstrated organizational and communication skills
- Able to operate independently at a high level with limited oversight.
- High-energy, high-integrity. We need a team player that is willing to roll up their sleeves and get things done and get them done right the first time, every time.
- Demonstrated history of being an ‘owner’ or high-level of initiative in a prior activity.
ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (NICE TO HAVE)
- A consumer product management background with experience taking a new product or feature from 0-1
- Obsession with consumer products: what makes them good vs. great and what differentiates the best consumer experiences from okay ones. You are always downloading/trying out new apps.
- A unique network that makes you a magnet for talent.
About Variant Fund
Variant is a first-check crypto fund investing in the ownership economy. We are remote-first and welcome candidates distributed in the U.S. We provide competitive salaries and benefits including:
- Premium health/dental coverage.
- Generous PTO.
- Opportunity to grow alongside a leading firm in a fast-growing market.
- Energetic, kind and mission-driven co-workers.
If interested, please apply here.
