The Investment Analyst is a critical member of the Investment Team and performs all traditional Venture Capital analyst roles from research to deal sourcing to diligence and networking. Working with the three MD’s and 2-3 other investment team members, the analyst will help drive the firm’s investment thesis in core and emerging industry sectors while building a base for exploring investments in new areas.
This is not only a “hands-on” position but will also require a high level of independent work, and creative thinking to ensure effective interaction with the Managing Directors, entrepreneurs, investing sources and partners. The successful candidate will be well-rounded with the ability to develop research theses while networking effectively within the firm ecosystem.
Reporting: The position is based in San Mateo, California, and reports directly to the Managing Directors while also working with the Operating Partner, Director of Business Development, Head of Marketing and Platform and the other members of the Investment Team. The firm has 15 employees, all based in San Mateo.
The Firm: Founded in 1982, Sierra Ventures is a leading venture capital firm. Sierra is known for its experienced investment team, deep network and proven ‘hands on’ entrepreneurial approach. The firm seeks out, invests in, and evolves promising early stage start-ups to meet enterprise market demands by leveraging the team’s unique skillsets, differentiated approach and proprietary capabilities.
Sierra has raised over $2B in investment capital since inception and closed its 12th investment fund ($217 million) in 2019. The Managing Directors (Mark Fernandes, Tim Guleri and Ben Yu) have worked together for over 15 years and are joined by Jim Doehrman, the Operating Partner who runs all firm operations.
The Firm focuses on early stage investments in 1) core B2B technology sectors like AI/ML, Big Data, Cloud Infrastructure, Fintech, Health Tech, IoT, Marketplaces, SaaS/Enterprise Apps and Security and 2) emerging technologies including 5G, AR/VR, Blockchain, Devices and Robotics. The Firm has invested globally, and manages existing investments in North America, Europe, India and China but is currently focused on companies in North America, LATAM and Israel.
In addition to the deep industry knowledge and network of the Firm’s partners, Sierra manages the industry’s first CXO Advisory Board comprised of 75+ Global 1000 CIO’s, CMO’s, CTO’s and CDO’s that advise Sierra on technology challenges they are facing, hear from Sierra on new disruptive technologies and get introduced to portfolio companies that could become customers, partners or acquisition targets for the CXO group. We host an annual conference/Summit for the CXO Group and the 14th annual Summit was just completed on October 17, 2019.
For more information visit Sierra Ventures at http://www.sierraventures.com.
Key Responsibilities/Objectives
· Research – Perform primary and secondary research; evaluating industries in firm’s investment focus areas to define key sectors, current investment/competitive landscape and potential market/investment opportunities in sectors.
· Deal Flow – as a research follow-up, make initial contact with potential investment targets, as directed, to learn more about team, business model and product/market fit. Facilitate introductions to an investment partner and/or presentation to full investment team.
· Networking/events – develop personal network to include entrepreneurs, associates at other collaborative venture firms, university contacts, personal networks and others to enhance deal flow and broaden firm’s footprint. Attend mixers and applicable events to grow network.
· Financial Modeling & Analysis – Calling customers/analysts and using existing research and available market information to perform extensive analysis. Sophisticated financial modeling and tracking of comparable public/private company data.
· Due Diligence – Perform extensive due diligence to evaluate new investment opportunities / business plans. These activities include: Thorough evaluation of entrepreneurs and management teams (interview, reference and background checking); Customer calls; Supplier calls; Technology evaluation; Evaluation of financial projections; Financial modeling and returns analyses; Deal structuring and analysis.
· Portfolio monitoring – As requested, monitoring of portfolio companies progress. Aid in the development of portfolio companies, particularly in the areas of market intelligence, strategy, capital structure and financing, and financial projections.
Candidate Background and Key Personal Attributes
· 2-4 years’ experience in venture capital, investment banking, private equity or consulting or product/technical experience with respected technology company(ies).
· Undergraduate degree in technology (prefer EE/CS) from relevant university.
· Strong analytical (number cruncher) and communication skills. Ability to interact socially at all levels.
· Strong English speaking/writing skills or equivalent for extensive document editing and proofing.
· Enthusiastic and hardworking with a passion for learning.
· Foreign language skills a plus but not required.
What constitutes Success in this Role?
· Be a self-starter with a high level of curiosity.
· Excels when working in an environment with high performers who provide high-level direction but expect the candidate to “fill in the blanks”.
· Perform well in a “multi-supervisor” scenario — while the position reports to the Managing Directors, there is interaction with all other team members.
If interested, please contact adam@sierraventures.com.
