Founded by Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is a new kind of philanthropy that’s leveraging technology to help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges – from eradicating disease, to improving education, to reforming the criminal justice system. Across three core Initiative focus areas of Science, Education and Justice and Opportunity, we’re pairing engineering with grantmaking, impact investing, policy work, and movement building, to help build an inclusive, just and healthy future for everyone.
Our Values
We believe we can help build a future for everyone.
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- We aim to be daring, but humble: We look for bold ideas — regardless of structure and stage — and help them scale by pairing engineers with subject matter experts to build tools that accelerate the pace of social progress.
- We want to learn fast, but build for the long-term: We want to iterate fast and help bring new solutions to the table, but we also realize that important breakthroughs often take decades, or even centuries.
- Stay close to the real problems: We engage directly in the communities we serve because no one understands our society’s challenges like those who live them every day.
Our success is dependent on building teams that include people from different backgrounds and experiences who can challenge each other’s assumptions with fresh perspectives. To that end, we look for a diverse pool of applicants including those from historically marginalized groups — women, people with disabilities, people of color, formerly incarcerated people, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or gender nonconforming, first and second generation immigrants, veterans, and people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Opportunity
Through its Ventures team, CZI invests in innovative companies around the globe that are developing transformative solutions aligned with CZI’s initiatives while building scalable, sustainable businesses. Our portfolio includes leading companies such as Age of Learning, Andela, Bridge International Academies, Brightwheel, BYJU’S, Ellevation Education, Handshake, MasteryConnect (acquired by Instructure), Newsela, Raise.me, Trilogy Education (acquired by 2U), and Varsity Tutors among others. Our Ventures team also led the acquisition of Meta for our Science initiative. While our primary focus has initially been on Education, Ventures is also exploring venture and Strategic Program Investments in our Justice & Opportunity program areas, and will look to develop an investment strategy in Science in the medium term. Ventures invests both as a lead and as a co-investor, and collaborates with leading traditional and impact investors to achieve our mission.
As our Principal of Ventures, you will report into our Managing Partner of Ventures and be a key team player in developing investment and impact theses, originating new investments, conducting market, business, product, financial and legal diligence, as well as actively monitoring and supporting our portfolio companies. Aside from applying rigorous investment discipline to making venture investments, you will also be regularly collaborating across the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative on strategic projects that cut across our impact investing, grant making, engineering and policy work to advance our overall mission. This will include partnering with program and technology teams across our initiatives on decisions to invest, grant, buy, build and partner.
This role is for an investment professional with demonstrated experience sourcing and executing venture capital or private equity investments. The successful candidate will be excited to leverage their honed investment skills to achieve our impact objectives while working closely with CZI’s other tools and strategies. The ideal candidate will care deeply about impact, especially through education, science, or strong communities, and preferably have demonstrated knowledge in one or more of our initiative areas.
You will
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- Assisting in the execution of venture investments by identifying, evaluating, and executing new investments.
- Actively supporting portfolio companies including taking board observer roles where appropriate and finding bi-lateral ways to build strategic connections between our companies and experts within CZI on learning science, whole child, efficacy, research and design.
- Developing investment and impact theses, a point of view and investment rationale, measuring results and driving learning.
- Working closely within our various initiatives to understand strategic priorities and to serve as a resource in advising on invest, grant, buy, build, and partner decisions.
- Supporting acquisitions as they arise.
You have
- Demonstrated commitment to opportunity and equity in the workplace and broader society
- Passionate about impact through education, science and/or justice and opportunity.
- Background ideally in venture capital or private equity; otherwise fund of fund management, corporate development, corporate venture, strategy consulting and investment banking
- 5+ years of relevant experience preferred (minimum 3 years of investment experience)
Impact experience — professionally or in meaningful volunteer roles - Prior experience in education, science or our justice and opportunity areas a plus, otherwise impact experience professionally or in meaningful volunteer roles.
- Superior analytical and problem solving skills, as well as demonstrated business and investment judgment
- Proven leadership with high integrity and conscientiousness
- Demonstrated comfort with ambiguity, flexibility and resilience, as well as an ability to thrive in a fluid and fast-paced environment
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Poise and ability to interface with C-level entrepreneurs and fellow investors
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (Up to 33%)
- Willingness to relocate to Bay Area
If interested, please apply here.
