The Urban Innovation Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in startups shaping the future of cities. The Fund provides seed capital and regulatory support to startups tackling our toughest urban problems – helping them grow into tomorrow’s most valued companies.
With 81% of Americans living in cities, and two-thirds of the world’s population urbanizing by 2050, there are a growing number of challenges facing urban dwellers. The Urban Innovation Fund invests in startups creating scalable solutions to address these challenges. We find the most promising companies at the pre-seed and seed stage, and provide them with capital and hands-on support to scale to many cities across the US and beyond.
The Urban Innovation Fund sources top investment opportunities from across the US. We are looking for a full-time Associate to join our small but energetic team and focus on growing our Fund’s presence in the Midwest.
Job description – Associate
You will be based out of the the FINNovation Lab in Minneapolis, MN and work closely with our Senior Associate and two General Partners (who are based in San Francisco, CA). In this position, you will collaborate with a passionate and tight-knit team to invest in startups enhancing the quality of life in our cities. You will have the opportunity to interact with the team in-person on a semi-regular basis (in both Minneapolis and San Francisco).
Qualifications
- You are an energetic go-getter who wants to help build a best-in-class VC fund
- You are proactive, self-driven, and comfortable working in an independent environment with a remote team
- You have strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- You have experience working with entrepreneurs and early-stage startups
- You are passionate about building the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Midwest
- You have strong Excel skills
- An MBA or other Masters degree is preferred
Responsibilities
Your primary responsibilities will include:
- Deal sourcing: Sourcing deals will form the most important part of your job (50%+ of time). This will include identifying, meeting with, screening, and performing investment due diligence on startups in the Midwest. In addition to responding to inbound entrepreneur inquiries, you will be active in expanding the Fund’s reach and network by judging startup competitions, developing relationships with accelerators, speaking on panels, making connections with other investors, etc. You will also implement procedures to make the sourcing process more efficient and systematic.
- Events: You will attend and organize events to encourage urban-focused entrepreneurship in the Midwest. This will include judging and speaking at events and conferences relevant to startups, entrepreneurship, and urban innovation. You will also be responsible for organizing quarterly events and educational content to encourage engagement with early stage startups.
- Portfolio company support: You will assist in providing support services to Fund portfolio companies. This will include organizing monthly check-ins with the companies, supporting pitch deck prep for fundraising, following up on financial or operational metrics, etc. Additionally, you will help portfolio companies strategize about how to grow into new geographic regions, such as the Midwest.
- Portfolio tracking: You will help conduct an annual survey of the Fund’s portfolio companies (evaluating both urban impact and business performance), as well as facilitate the more frequent monthly updates around financial reporting for the startups.
- Research and articles: There will be opportunities for you to take on other projects, including market analysis, research, and authoring articles on urban innovation and other relevant topics. You will also support the authoring of articles and blogs by other Fund team members.
Values
At the Urban Innovation Fund, we believe that diverse backgrounds and experiences within our team and investment portfolio make us all stronger. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants of diverse races, ancestry, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status.
Benefits and compensation
The Urban Innovation Fund offers an excellent benefits package and a salary that is commensurate with related work experience.
To apply
Please send your resume and a brief cover letter with “Associate Application” in the subject title to info@urbaninnovationfund.com.
