Job Drop 003

Week of 7/16/23 // Platform & Venture Ops, Weekly Jobs Roundup

INTERNSHIP // Finance Intern @ OpenView // Boston

Startup World Cup Manager @ Pegasus Tech Ventures // 1+ yr exp // San Jose // $40-$70K

Fund Operations Analyst @ Techstars // 1-2 yrs exp // Denver/NYC/CT/NJ // $65-$85K

Marketing & Comms @ General Catalyst // 1-2 yrs exp // NYC

Ventures Analyst @ Christie’s Ventures // 1-3 yrs exp // NYC // $75-$85K

Deal Analyst / Chief of Staff @ a16z // 2-4 yrs exp // NYC // $176-$205K

Incubation Operations Lead @ Primary Venture Partners // 4+ yrs exp // NYC // $100-$180K

Controller @ Boost VC // SF, open to Remote

Senior Associate of Finance @ Greycroft // 5+ yrs exp // NYC // $135-$165K

Administrative & Operations (VP-level) @ RapidFire Ventures // Park City, UT // 5 yrs exp // $75K

Platform & Business Development Lead @ Keyframe Capital // NYC // $90-$130K

Head of Pre-Seed Americas @ Picus Capital // NYC // $175-$250K

Portfolio Program Associate @ TDK Ventures // 7-10 yrs exp // SF

Head of Marketing & Community @ Define Ventures // 7-10 yrs exp // SF

Senior Manager of Finance and Operations @ Impact America Fund (IAF) // 7+ yrs exp // Remote, CA/NY preferred // $150-$175K

PLATFORM ADJACENT // Startups Ambassador @ Brex // 2+ yrs exp // NYC

PLATFORM ADJACENT // VC Relationships Manager, Life Sciences @ Mercury // 7+ yrs exp // Remote // $195-$255K

EUROPE // Marketing Associate - Iberia @ Antler // 3+ yrs exp // Madrid/Lisbon

EUROPE // Investor Relations Associate @ Notion // 1+ yrs exp // London

EUROPE // VC Scout & Ecosystem Manager @ Antler // France

EUROPE // PR & Communications Specialist @ Atlantic Labs // Berlin

👉 Missed last week’s Job Drop? Read it here

Platform Spotlight 🔎✨ 

1 // How do you define Platform?

Platform is a beautiful catch-all for anything that falls outside of the literal dollars in VC investments. The differentiating factors and resources that would make a founder want to work with your firm as opposed to the fund down the road. Community, events, marketing, branding, talent, operations, portfolio support, and more! It’s all Platform :-)

2 // What was your Path to Platform?

When I was a senior in college, I decided to take a PR internship at an up-and-coming D2C startup that had just closed its Series A (Glossier). This experience was the beginning of my addiction to all things startups and I spent the rest of my early to mid-twenties chasing that high by operating at various early-stage consumer and B2B businesses in NYC (Bulletin, LifeLines, Froth, etc.).

Like most people, the pandemic forced me to pause, reevaluate my path forward, and be incredibly intentional about what I wanted to do next. I learned about Platform from a friend and realized that it encompasses all the things I love to do PLUS it directly supports startups and founders in a major way. Sign me up. By some kind of kismet, stars aligning chance, my now mentor, Stephanie Manning Cohen (Operating Partner at Lerer Hippeau) sent me a message and was interested in chatting about an open platform role on her team. This particular position didn't end up being the right fit, but Stephanie connected me to the partners at NextView, and it's been a match made in seed-stage heaven ever since. <3

The takeaway here is how powerful networking can be when you’re trying to break into this industry. Find someone on the inside who believes in you and can advocate for you. Platform people are some of the warmest, most welcoming folks I’ve ever come across. Send that message to a Platform person you admire; I guarantee they’ll at least be open to a conversation with you… and you never know what could come from it!

3 // Favorite part of the Platform role?

How dynamic and inspiring it is. Dynamic in the sense that no day is the same. We’re detail-oriented shapeshifters, moving from event planning to community building, from brand strategy to firm operations. Being immersed in an ever-evolving portfolio and industry guarantees a healthy amount of variety in your work, and as someone who gets beyond bored when siloed, that is a wonderful thing. Inspiring in the sense that you are surrounded by people who are operating at the top of their game 24/7. The folks at your firm are extremely accomplished and impressive. The founders in your portfolio are deeply creative and innovative. It’s hard for some of that magic not to rub off on you.

4 // What part of the Platform role surprised you?

Before getting into Platform, I held a preconceived notion that all VCs are mega douchelords if we’re being completely honest. People in my life literally warned against going into this industry because of patronizing, condescending personality types. And as someone who has experienced her fair share of toxic work environments, I was certainly a bit hesitant after hearing these negative generalizations.

And when I tell you my experience has been the exact polar opposite?! I feel super fortunate to be surrounded by the kindest, most respectful, most supportive, most empowering team a girl could ask for. Lucky lady over here!

A piece of advice from yours truly: try to sniff out the company culture in your interview process before committing to the role. The people you’re working with and working for make a BIG difference, especially as you’re learning the ropes of a completely new industry. Feel free to hit me up if you need advice or tips on how to go about doing this.

5 // Break down your Platform role by function.

• HR/People: 10%

• Marketing: 30%

• Operations: 30%

• Community: 30%

6 // Pitch a founder on the value of your firm’s Platform in 280 characters or less.

The NextView Platform experience focuses on the 4 things that matter most at seed: 1. Building a great product, 2. Hiring a great team, 3. Getting great customers, and, 4. Not running out of $. Bonus points for the stellar community of founders we regularly bring together in meaningful ways.

7 // What is your advice to Platform job seekers?

Get startup experience under your belt. The earlier stage the company, the better. I mentioned shapeshifting above and I cannot emphasize the importance of flexibility enough. Working at an early-stage startup will not only give you the legitimacy and empathy you need when supporting the founders in your firm’s portfolio, but it will also teach you how to be resourceful and self-sufficient while juggling a little bit of everything. VCs are like startups with more money and more stability; we are constantly experimenting and innovating and throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. Being an early startup operator or founder will teach you how to seamlessly shift from one priority to the next. And if what I just outlined doesn’t sound like your jam and you actually prefer to be laser-focused within one department or division, that doesn't necessarily mean Platform isn't for you. It just means you should consider the type of fund you’re targeting. A later-stage firm with a larger AUM and larger platform team will allow you to specialize.

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