Monsanto is the world’s leading agriculture technology company focused on making a difference to sustainably improve the world’s food supply and benefit the lives of millions of farmers. Monsanto Growth Ventures (MGV) is a leading investor in leading edge agricultural technology, with a portfolio of over 12 startups valued over $105 Million, with a mandate to significantly grow our portfolio. MGV has been operating since 2011 and has built a significant presence in Silicon valley, St Louis and the mid-west region, as well as in Boston and the north east technology corridor. MGV has a well-known reputation developing new innovation-based companies across the broad swath of the agriculture vertical including digital agriculture, microbials, supply chain, chemistry discovery, and gene editing.
MGV works with Venture Capital firms, entrepreneurs, private equity groups, start-up companies and privately held growth companies to identify transformative businesses and technologies with talented management teams. Our goal is to leverage the value created by our portfolio to further Monsanto’s growth in crop sciences, leveraging our relationships to build eventual partnerships, licensing, collaborations or acquisition. We back high risk technologies and innovators to develop a risk-balanced portfolio of transformative opportunities in Agriculture.
We are committed to maintaining our technological edge with sustained, significant investment in MGV and we seek two dynamic, well networked, individuals to join us as Investment Principals.
Investment Principal:
Monsanto Growth Ventures seeks two Investment Principals with strong backgrounds in science and technology to work on the Venture Capital team. One role will be located in St. Louis and one in the San Francisco office. Regular travel between the sites will be needed. Both positions will report to the Managing Director of MGV. The Investment Lead will:
- Be a primary investment interface with Monsanto’s R&D, IT, Digital Ag (Climate Corporation), and Manufacturing teams with the goal of sourcing and analyzing new investment/partnership/M&A opportunities that can accelerate growth and enhance performance in these areas of Monsanto.
- Be a leader in Monsanto’s interactions across the entrepreneurial and investment community. Identify talent, technology and opportunities for Monsanto. Interactions would include incubators, universities, and both private and corporate VC groups
- Review and communicate investment strategy and goals for specific opportunities to the Managing Director of the Venture Group, the Global Venture Leadership Team and to interested parties across Monsanto.
- Conduct preliminary due diligence (team, strategy, financing needs, technology, valuation), with specific input and guidance from VC stakeholders and with supervision, assist in deal structuring for investment purposes.
- Communicate, negotiate and successfully interact with entrepreneurial management teams, CEO’s, scientists, and managers.
- Communicate and negotiate successfully with third party stakeholders including financing syndicate partners, attorneys, Board members, consultants and financial analysts.
- Assist in preparing Investment Memorandum’s for Deal Review Board, various approvals and the Venture Capital Investment committee.
- Successfully network within Monsanto to understand, track and manage investments for their strategic value to Monsanto.
- Lead various Monsanto Growth Ventures events including portfolio company reviews and presentations to various stakeholders.
- Represent Monsanto and MGV at various external investment events, portfolio company board meetings and various investment and innovation conferences.
This position may have additional responsibilities including:
1) Managing legacy investments of Monsanto’s.
2) Serving as a Board Member or Observer on various portfolio companies.
3) Working with Monsanto’s reputational teams.
4) Working across Monsanto on various study groups concerning sustainability, IT or farming issues.
5) Managing student interns who may participate in various aspects of deal sourcing and analysis.
The role will require gaining a general understanding of Monsanto’s global agri-business including crop protection, traits and seed industries, precision agriculture, land and agricultural-related analytic systems, emerging technologies, value chains and allied areas such as animal feed, food processing, and sustainability.
This position requires a high level of aptitude for working with cross-functional teams across Monsanto’s businesses and technology groups. Individuals must also be adept in strategy development and communication, problem-solving, dealing with uncertainty, emergent opportunities, complexity, building relationships and have strong follow-through with opportunities. Candidates must have strong business and investment acumen including financial analysis, valuation, due diligence, negotiation, contracts, equity issuances and structures, debt structures, term sheets and general VC investment processes. Candidates must be willing to work to enhance and build an external and internal network of co-workers, collaborators, experts and stakeholders to be successful. Candidates must have excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills. Clarity, precision, and dispassionate rational thinking and speaking are paramount to success in Venture Capital. The ideal candidate will be thoughtful, disciplined and detailed oriented in their approach to work. They must also be well organized, highly creative, a problem solver, goal-oriented, culturally adaptable, and focused on identifying new technologies and growth opportunities that could potentially drive success for Monsanto.
Requirements and Qualifications:
- Advanced technical degree or Bachelor’s degree AND commensurate experience in Biological sciences or IT/engineering fields.
- Prior professional investment experience in Venture Capital, Private Equity, Equity Investment/Wealth Management/ Investment Banking. A minimum of 2+ years’ experience working with emerging related technologies and/or companies.
- Sufficient fluency in technology issue to enable close interactions with teams in R&D, Climate, IT, or Manufacturing.
- Proven teamwork skills both as a leader and cross-functional team member.
- Ability to develop and leverage internal and external global relationships and networks.
- Self-motivated with high initiative.
- Ability to adapt to varied and changing situations, identify new opportunities and manage changing priorities.
- Willing to participate actively in decision making with appropriate courage and candor to accelerate decision making.
- Willing to travel about 25% of the time including international.
IF interested, please apply here.
