Analyst/Associate, Venture Creation (Fintech)

Portage Ventures GP Inc.; Toronto, Montreal (administrative region); On-site; CAD 65,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unique learning opportunity

Ownership and impact

Growth and portfolio potential

Supportive team

Ecosystem with stretch opportunities

Competitive compensation with upside

Beautiful offices (Montreal, Toronto)

Telemedicine benefits

Job summary

Diagram is looking for an Analyst or Associate, Venture Creation to help launch new Diagram ventures, reporting to Diagram’s Fintech Venture Creation Principal. The successful candidate will bring a highly entrepreneurial mindset and strong desire to build the next generation of technology companies.

This person will work closely with Diagram Partners, potential founders and expert advisors to lead development, evaluation, de‑risking and building of new Fintech/Insuretech ventures.

Qualifications

• A track record of outstanding performance.
• A proven entrepreneurial mindset, high degree of ownership and a self‑starter mentality.
• Intellectual curiosity and rigor.
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written) - comfortable pitching ideas and producing high‑quality deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI technologies to create/build and leverage to assist in day to day work/activities.
• 1‑3 years of work experience in relevant fields such as: Early stage venture capital investing (Seed or Series A); Early‑stage tech incl. product management, design‑thinking / human‑centered design, engineering, or other experience within tech startups; Consulting or advisory focused on tech products / businesses; Venture building at a venture studio.
• Analytical skills and the ability to build financial models.
• A technical (Engineering, Computer Science, Economics) or business degree
• Knowledge, experience or network in FinTech or InsureTech are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Identifying opportunities for new ventures to build and developing in‑depth theses and perspectives on opportunity areas;
• Conducting user and market research, assessing business models and unit economics, assessing moat/defensibility to evaluate potential ideas;
• Generating and pitching new venture ideas, including developing pitch decks and investment memos
• Building prototype leveraging AI tools, leading build of MVP in collaboration with engineering, AI experts and other technical expert;
• Owning the work plan and leading the venture during pre‑seed (E.g., leading partnerships with early design partners, securing pilot customers);
• Pitching ideas to potential founders, participating in the vetting and team x idea matching process, and building close relationships with founders
• Contributing to building Diagram's culture and brand in the community (e.g. attending startup community events, conferences, etc)

Skills

Track record

Entrepreneurial mindset

Ownership

Self-starter

Intellectual curiosity

Communication skills

AI in day-to-day work

Financial modeling

Education

Engineering / CS / Economics degree

Job description

Job Location:

Toronto, ON or Montreal, QC

Who we are:

Diagram is a venture builder and early‑stage investor that conceives, launches, and invests in transformative companies in the Fintech and ClimateTech sectors. Since 2016, we’ve raised over $480M and launched or invested in around 50 companies.

We work hand-in-hand with experienced founders, combining access to capital, hands‑on support, and a deep ecosystem of partners to launch and scale businesses. Our ecosystem includes 200+ investors, including 60+ entrepreneurs with exits exceeding $15B, as well as a global network of corporate partners.

Diagram is part of Sagard, a global multi‑strategy alternative investment platform with over US$46B in AUM

What we are looking for:

We are looking for an Analyst or Associate, Venture Creation to help launch new Diagram ventures, reporting to Diagram’s Fintech Venture Creation Principal.

The successful candidate will bring a highly entrepreneurial mindset and strong desire to build the next generation of technology companies.

This person will work directly with Diagram Partners, potential founders and expert advisors to lead the development, evaluation, de‑risking and building of new Fintech/Insuretech ventures. The Associate will play a key role in turning ideas into companies, and shaping Diagram’s portfolio.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Identifying opportunities for new ventures to build and developing in‑depth theses and perspectives on opportunity areas;
• Conducting user and market research, assessing business models and unit economics, assessing moat/defensibility to evaluate potential ideas;
• Generating and pitching new venture ideas, including developing pitch decks and investment memos
• Building prototype leveraging AI tools, leading build of MVP in collaboration with engineering, AI experts and other technical expert;
• Owning the work plan and leading the venture during pre‑seed (E.g., leading partnerships with early design partners, securing pilot customers);
• Pitching ideas to potential founders, participating in the vetting and team x idea matching process, and building close relationships with founders
• Contributing to building Diagram's culture and brand in the community (e.g. attending startup community events, conferences, etc)

You should have:

• A track record of outstanding performance
• A proven entrepreneurial mindset, high degree of ownership and a self‑starter mentality
• Intellectual curiosity and rigor
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written) - be comfortable pitching ideas, and be able to produce high‑quality deliverables
• Demonstrated ability to use AI technologies to create/build and leverage to assist in day to day work/activities
• 1‑3 years of work experience in relevant fields such as:
• • Early stage venture capital investing (Seed or Series A)
  • Early‑stage tech incl. product management, design‑thinking / human‑centered design, engineering, or other experience within tech startups
  • Consulting or advisory focused on tech products / businesses
  • Venture building at a venture studio
• Analytical skills and the ability to build financial models
• A technical (Engineering, Computer Science, Economics) or business degree
• Knowledge, experience or network in FinTech or InsureTech are a plus

What we offer:

• A unique opportunity to learn how to build a VC‑backed company 0-1;
• An essential role in something big, meaningful and different;
• The opportunity to push yourself, have ownership and impact;
• A team of accomplished, ambitious and supportive individuals that will help you grow;
• An ecosystem with many stretch opportunities including the potential to join a Diagram portfolio company;
• Competitive compensation, including upside in the companies Diagram creates;
• Beautiful offices in great locations (Montreal, Toronto);
• Generous benefits including a telemedicine service for you and your family.

How to apply:

In order to be considered for the role, please apply to the role and attach:

• Your resume
• Share one new venture idea or thematic with us - show us an example of how YOU think like a founder/entrepreneur by sharing with us an area you see opportunities for innovation or sharing with us an area you have been exploring/considering building
• Tell us how have you meaningfully used AI in the last 12 months

Optional additional guidance for the thematic/idea - Important areas we typically think about when thinking about new venture ideas:

• Pain Points: What are big problems to be solved in the theme?
• Market Timing: What makes this area ripe for disruption today? What are the market headwinds and/or tailwinds?
• Competition: Who are a few venture backed companies in the space?
• Interesting Angles: What are a few ideas you’d be interested in exploring?
• Market Sizing: How big is the market today? What’s the market size projected in 2040?