The way we invest in ideas is broken. Nearly half of all venture capital in the world is invested in just three US states. In 2016, women received just 2% of venture capital funding. Entrepreneurship has the potential to transform society and spur dramatic social change, but the vast majority of mainstream capital goes to a small number of entrepreneurs of similar backgrounds based in just a few places.
At Village Capital (LinkedIn, Crunchbase), we’re building a different system. Over the last seven years, Village Capital’s unique “peer selection” approach has changed the conversation and brought new transparency to investing in entrepreneurs. We’ve supported over 600 companies and made 80 early stage investments around the world. 90% of our portfolio is based outside Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston; nearly 40% of our companies are led by women; and 100% of our companies are pursuing solutions to expand economic opportunity or drive environmental sustainability around the world. To date, 90% of these ventures are still operating, and a dozen have already exited profitably.
Village Capital is seeking a Director of US Ventures to lead the firm’s efforts to transform the way we find, train and invest in entrepreneurs solving problems in economic opportunity and environmental sustainability here in the United States. Reporting into the Managing Director of Village Capital and serving as a member of the senior leadership team, you will play a crucial role in growing the network of partners who share our passion to democratize access to capital for early stage entrepreneurs, designing our program strategy in the US, and overseeing a team of talented individuals focused on finding and training entrepreneurs that are often overlooked by the current venture capital system.
In this role, you will help democratize entrepreneurship as the leader of Village Capital’s US Ventures team. This includes:
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- Set the US Strategy to align investments, programs, and partners while leading the US Ventures team to execute on this strategy, supporting 50+ new startups and delivering ten new investments each year.
- Establish and secure new relationships with major funding partners; maintain and deepen ongoing relationships with major funding partners and clients, in order to secure financial support needed to run programs that grow great companies and make successful peer-selected investments across the US
- Build Village Capital’s brand through public speaking opportunities, engaging related regional or industry communities, and otherwise adding value to relevant stakeholders.
- Develop and test new ways of adding value to funders, investors, and entrepreneurs, as a key part of Village Capital’s learning culture.
Traits we’re looking for:
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- You’re passionate about the role that entrepreneurs play in solving major global problems and are always learning about new startups who are addressing those challenges.
- You’re excited about collaborating with a range of existing and potential partners to help us fulfill our mission.
- You’re a leader: you enjoy leading teams, aligning them for success, as well as demonstrating leadership in the larger entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Desired Qualifications
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- You believe in our mission and can clearly communicate our work. In this role you will constantly be explaining the value of the program to entrepreneurs, pipeline partners and fellow team members.
- You have experience working with or for startups and investment firms – understanding how to assess investment opportunities and leading a team to do so.
- You’re an influencer – you have a track record of securing six figure partnerships and have a strong network to tap into.
- You are committed to delivering only the highest-quality results and love exceeding expectations.
- Your writing skills are impeccable.
- You have experience in planning, leading, and managing, including coordinating with peers to achieve desired outcomes, and tracking and reporting on progress to senior leadership/board of directors
Qualifications
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- Minimum of a B.A., ideally with an MBA or related degree
- 10+ years of overall professional experience
- 5+ years of proven fundraising experience
- Investment and/or social business experience preferred
- Excellent written and verbal communications skills
If interested, please apply here.
