Venture Capital Associate / Senior Associate, Innovation Fund

Venture Capital Associate / Senior Associate, Innovation Fund Wittington Ventures **Background** Wittington Ventures (WV) is a Toronto-based venture capital firm backing bold entrepreneurs across North America who are using technology to redefine the future of commerce, consumer, climate, and healthcare. We are thesis-driven – we evaluate industry sub-sectors and invest in start-ups that share our conviction on the trends that we identify. WV has a unique set of investors that give us unparalleled access to some of Canada’s largest companies to help our portfolio of startups succeed; our affiliates include entities such as Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart, Choice Properties, Holt-Renfrew, PC Financial, Joe Fresh as well as several philanthropic foundations focused on funding innovations in the healthcare and environmental sectors. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment where creativity and initiative are encouraged. We are seeking a science-oriented investment professional to join our new Innovation Fund. The Innovation Fund will be focused on pre-seed / seed-stage startups that are commercializing “deep-tech” research in the areas of healthcare and climate with a priority placed on opportunities to support Canadian innovation. The ideal candidate will bring expertise in identifying early-stage companies and evaluating their potential to commercialize research from a technical and investment standpoint. **Role Description** This role offers a unique opportunity to work with a closely-knit, experienced investment team to help shape and execute our new early-stage investment strategy. The Associate/Senior Associate will be an intellectually curious professional who can deepen our understanding of the commercialization of research breakthroughs in key impact areas. You will spend your time on sector research, deal sourcing, company diligence, investment execution, and fund and portfolio company support. The work will include learning about innovations funded by our affiliate philanthropic Foundations to help understand certain research areas and industry trends. You will bring to the team a background in science, engineering or business, a strong financial acumen, an analytical mindset, entrepreneurial spirit and collaborative approach to problem solving. This is a chance to join an ambitious team and unique investment platform that is backing founders and category-defining technology companies that will fuel the next century of innovation. **Responsibilities** Commercialization-Stage Thesis Development:

• Lead development of investment theses in early-stage commercialization startups.
• Identify and analyze key market opportunities, regulatory considerations, and technological innovations shaping the future of impact investing in healthcare and climate investment.
• Build and maintain relationships with industry experts, entrepreneurs, investors, universities and strategic partners in our sectors of investment interest.

• Proactively source and evaluate seed-stage investment opportunities in Canada and beyond.
• Lead comprehensive due diligence processes, including technical, financial, market, and regulatory analysis.

• Support portfolio companies around key strategic initiatives, talent sourcing, business development, and future financing or exit.

• Play a key internal role in managing the fund reporting process, including investment monitoring and valuation analysis, and quarterly reporting.
• Marketing and investor relations.

• Masters degree or PhD in science, engineering or business
• 2-5 years of work experience in the technology industry in a start-up, big tech, management consulting and/or as an investor with at least 2 years of experience in sourcing and/or investing in formation-stage startups that are commercializing leading-edge research
• Must enjoy a versatile and dynamic environment in a small team
• Outstanding financial and analytical skills
• Exceptional business writing and data synthesizing capabilities
• Proficiency in spreadsheet, presentation and other office productivity tools
• Ability to research diverse areas and synthesize differing opinions on various technology topics
• Ability to interact with start-up founders and corporate executives in a collaborative manner
• Thoughtful, imaginative, and intellectually curious with strong interpersonal and critical thinking skills
• Strong work ethic, self-driven with attention to detail and follow-through
• Ability to juggle multiple workflows and responsibilities