Job Drop 013

Week of 9/24/23 // Platform & Venture Ops, Weekly Jobs Roundup

INTERNSHIP // Platform Operations Intern @ Brookfield Asset Management // NYC // $20-$30/hr

Venture Partnership Analyst @ Qi Venture Partners // 1-4 yrs exp // NYC // $70-$90K

Lead Operations Associate // Techstars // NYC

Finance Administrator @ OpenView // Boston

Executive Assistant & Office Manager @ Uncork Capital // 3+ yrs exp // SF

Finance & Accounting Manager, VC @ Voy Ventures // 4+ yrs exp // SF // $130-$165K

Founding Product Designer @ Atomic // Remote // $130-$180K

Sr. Finance Manager @ Kohler Ventures // 5-7 yrs exp // SF or NYC // $146-$202K

Director of Investor Relations @ Moderne Ventures // 5-10 yrs exp // Chicago

Venture Logistics Lead & Captain @ UP.Labs // LA

Chief of Staff to US General Manager @ Entrepreneur First // 6+ yrs exp // NYC

Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives @ ORIX Corporation // NYC/SF/Seattle/Dallas // $175-$200K

People Operations Lead @ AngelList // SF

Director, Venture Strategy @ Pilot44 // 10+ yrs exp // Remote // $170-$220K

Head of Business Operations @ Playground Global // Boston

PLATFORM-ADJACENT

Practice Group Marketing Specialist (Venture Capital Investor - ECVC + FF) @ Cooley LLP // 3+ yrs exp // SF // $36-$45/hr

Executive Assistant, AWS Startups @ AWS // 5+ yrs exp // Denver or Seattle // $59-142K

Director Digital Startups & ISV Business Program Management @ Microsoft // 5+ yrs exp // Seattle // $124-$292K

Chief of Staff @ Arnold Ventures // 5+ yrs exp // Houston/DC/NYC // $100-$130K

VC/PE Partner Manager @ Klaviyo // 5+ yrs exp // Boston

Investor Relations Lead @ Samsara (NYSE: IOT) // 8-10+ yrs exp // SF // $127-$199K

GLOBAL

INTERNSHIP + EUROPE // Partner Success Intern @ Plug and Play Tech Center // Barcelona

EUROPE // CFO/COO @ Heal Capital // 5+ yrs exp // Berlin

MENA // Reporting Specialist @ 500 Global // 1-2 yrs exp // Saudi Arabia

ASIA // Program Director, Japan @ 500 Global // 8+ yrs exp // Nagoya, Aichi

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

Platform Spotlight 🔎✨

⚡ FAST FACTS

# Years in Platform: 2
Size of Platform Team (including you): 3
# Years in VC prior to current Platform role: 1

1 // How do you define Platform?

Early into my career in venture, I remember seeing a graphic that broke down the VC Platform role into twenty different buckets, illustrating the range of responsibilities this role could encompass at various firms. The role could entail everything from executive search, event planning, community building (mentorship programs, peer groups), investor relations, and marketing and comms (PR, branding, social media). I've noticed that my peers in VC Platform can relate to somewhere between 5-15 of those buckets within the overarching umbrella of "Platform". It's funny to network with others and see how our day-to-day responsibilities can differ quite drastically, yet we still have the same title of VC Platform.

2 // What was your Path to Platform?

I joined G2 Venture Partners 3 years ago straight out of my undergrad program. I started as an Executive Assistant to the General Partners. I slowly started adding more Platform responsibilities to my role (social content, ops, event planning) until I was able to hire another Executive Assistant and move full-time into the Platform & Ops role. I love it!

3 // Favorite part of the Platform role?

My favorite part about this role is how much it changes from day to day. One day I'm planning our LP Annual General Meeting and picking out swag, catering, and decor, and the next I'm running reports for our deal team and LPs. I also love that I get to work closely with the various roles within the firm whether it's working on conference events with our deal team, working on our firm's marketing strategy with our Head of IR, or creating our firm's impact report with our COO.

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

I was surprised by how awesome and strong the VC Platform community is at large. So much of my success in this role comes from the communities I'm a part of (Hi, Let's Talk Ops & VC Platform!). It's common for folks in this role to talk about how they're doing "5 people's jobs" and you're expected to know a lot about lots of different things. The Platform network has been extremely helpful in answering questions, hosting webinars/summits, etc. to catch me up on the things I'm just figuring out.

5 // Break down your Platform role by function.

• 35% Community / Events

• 30% Marketing

• 25% Firm Operations & Portfolio Support

• 5% HR/People

• 5% Investor Relations (IR)

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

Oh, I can't say enough good things about the G2 team! Having started as an EA for all of our GPs I can vouch firsthand that so much of our value add as a firm goes back to the support founders will get from our partners. They are brilliant and know the climate tech space better than anyone.

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

My advice to someone trying to get into a Platform role is to really do your research into the firms you're applying for and how they view this role. A Platform role at an early-stage firm will look VERY different from one at a late/growth-stage firm. Ask the questions to know how much of your time will be split between the various buckets of Platform. Also, I see a lot of people who just want to get into venture, but I'd encourage you to do your diligence on the team you'll be working with every day. Your life will be so much happier if you're working with a great team that values what you're doing!

Reading & Learning 🗞️

For all my aspiring #VCPlatform leaders, remember that interviews are a two-way street. As much as they're assessing you, you're also evaluating them. Dive deep and ask pointed questions. It's essential to have clarity on the broader vision of the VC firm and your role within it.

Here are the questions I would ask to asses an opportunity:

🚀 Growth Opportunities - It’s vital to know where this journey could lead you. Asking "Is there a path to becoming a partner?" not only showcases ambition but also probes the firm's structural mobility and career growth opportunities.

💡 Investment in the Role - "What’s the budget allocation for Platform initiatives today? How do you see it changing over the next 18 months?" This question unlocks insights into how seriously the fund values the Platform role. It’s not just about today, but also about future scaling. A robust budget signals room for strategic initiatives, hires, and more.

🤖 Interfacing with Portfolio Companies - Understanding how the Platform role interfaces with portfolio companies provides clarity on responsibilities and expected outcomes. Ask, “How often, and in what capacity, would I engage with portfolio companies?” This reveals both the depth and breadth of the interactions - or if the role is focused on internal initiatives.

🌟 Strategy - Inherited or Created? - The question “Would I be executing an existing Platform strategy or building my own?” is crucial. While both scenarios offer their own set of challenges and opportunities, knowing the context aids in setting expectations and what success ultimately looks like.

– From the Comments –

Allie Mullen: Similar to the Strategy question, I'd also add to have them define Platform themselves, and for the firm to make sure they inherently understand Platform's value and how it can benefit the firm. If they can't, you'll likely be set up to fail.

Stephanie Rich: I'd also ask about relationships with GPs and what it's like to work with them.

Samuel Houser: As I have been interviewing for VC Platform roles, I have found it insightful to ask the investment team (and platform team, if present) how they differentiate and prioritize immediate platform needs with long-term needs (or alternatively, "pre-investment" vs. "post-investment" functions).

I've found that funds under a particular size often hire for a single "Platform" individual (due to budget, perceived need, etc.) and then aspire for them to become generalists on both sides of an investment. Due to that range, it has been prudent for me to understand whether they seek to prioritize one of my top skills (i.e., customer success or operationalization) at the onset or in perpetuity or leverage my diverse startup/fund experience to wear as many hats as possible (or some combination of both). Every fund is unique!

Rachel Mackey: I always love to ask how success will be measured in interviews. I think it’s especially important in platform roles where the KPIs are often intangible.

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