Firm: Maven Ventures
Position: Summer Associate
Status: Full time during a 8-10 week summer program, plus some availability to wrap up projects in a part-time capacity through the middle of first academic term
Compensation: $5,000/month or $1,200/week
Start Date: Flexible based on applicant’s academic calendar
Location: Split time between San Francisco and Palo Alto
The Team
Maven Ventures is the leading VC firm investing in seed-stage consumer software companies led by exceptional founders with a “vision worth fighting for” in billion-dollar markets. Our team identifies future consumer trends that will make a difference and improve the way millions of people communicate and live. We’ve already seen our investment predictions come to life in areas like self-driving cars, the proliferation of mobile, video communication, the future of retail, and digital health. Notable investments include: Cruise (acquired by GM), Zoom ($1B valuation), and Chariot (acquired by Ford). As we only make 5 new startup investments each year, we focus on each one, rolling up our sleeves to teach founding teams how to achieve product/market fit, hone their consumer messaging, reach millions of customers with viral marketing, and set them up for success. This investment strategy has produced top-tier returns, with a 1.8X DPI for Maven Fund I (2013) and a 1.6X TVPI for Maven Fund II (2016). The Maven team includes Jim Scheinman (Founding Managing Partner), Sara Deshpande (Partner), and Alexa Binns (Senior Associate).
The Role
We are seeking a versatile, driven, and detail-oriented Summer Associate to join our small, high-performing team. There are always new and exciting challenges generated by the daily roller coaster ride of Silicon Valley startups and their investors, and we need someone who can adapt to this ebb and flow and not be limited by the job description. Key elements of the role include:
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Sourcing
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Building a list of startups and founders that fit the Maven Ventures investment thesis. Review our Angellist applications and qualify the best applicants.
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Network with other VC summer associates, interns, recent grads, and startup founders. Be the Maven representative at events and conferences for your university, helping the team connect with entrepreneurs and future venture leaders in your network and in the Bay Area over the summer.
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Support investment execution by drafting investment memos, participating in founder pitch meetings, and doing diligence and research. Strengthen the Maven investment theses in focus areas through market research and analysis.
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Portfolio
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Establish the onboarding process for new investments. Produce a checklist covering the documents and questions to be covered in the onboarding process for new portfolio companies. Formalize the Maven Startup Kit with the resources and best practices the team recommends for new founders.
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Marketing
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Strengthen and expand the Maven Ventures Blog: ghostwrite two or more thought pieces on behalf of the partners, revise/update/strengthen partners’ thought pieces already published, and form a strategy for additional distribution and readership.
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Coordinate speaking opportunities for firm partners’ to broaden the strength of the Maven brand at incubators, conferences, and events.
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Events
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Host one to two Maven-branded events for the Maven Community and portfolio companies with relevant sponsor partners (TriNet, Airtable, Carta, Salesforce Essentials) including but not limited to office hours, lunch-and-learns, happy hours, and other social and networking events
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Support Maven’s annual Hypergrowth Retreat, the premier event for consumer startups seeking to achieve hypergrowth. This could include content curation, ticket sales, and day of problem solving.
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More About The Ideal Candidate
The Maven team is small, nimble, and always willing to pitch in and do what it takes to succeed across all levels of the organization. We are looking for someone who will fit into a can-do team environment and encapsulates the following Maven core values and characteristics we require from all team members:
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Collaborative – We are not political. We are willing to share praise, and be honest and transparent with each other.
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No jerks – We are happy, positive, and fun to work with.
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Accountable – We are high-performing, get stuff done, and value attention to detail.
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Curious – We are always willing to learn. We are knowledgeable and strive to be experts in our field.
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Self-starters – We take initiative, work autonomously, and are resourceful.
You might be right for this role if:
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You are currently enrolled in a top MBA, Masters in CS/Design/Statistics, or other relevant program
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You have 3+ years of prior experience in the technology, investing, or investment advisory fields
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You relish in the fact that job descriptions (this one included) are just a guideline; on our small, nimble team various unforeseen needs arise and you’re ready and excited to tackle them
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You are eager to solve ambiguous analytical problems and are intellectually fascinated with discussing social trends from a business perspective
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You communicate clearly and feel comfortable discussing processes that you may not have prior experience working on (legal, finance, accounting)
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You enjoy networking and maintaining relationships with external contacts
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You can run a project successfully by managing a tight timeline, strict budget, and sundry vendors without letting any details slip through the cracks
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You can juggle many tasks at the same time and prioritization is second nature
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You can work independently and are a self starter
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Your professional writing skills are top-notch and you can skillfully craft clear, concise business communications
To Apply
To apply, you’ll need to please fill out this brief application and send your resume with Summer Associate in the subject line to Alexa Binns alexa@mavenventures.com. Applications are due by 11:59pm PST on Sunday, April 21. Qualified candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis so submit your application asap.
