Venture Coach (VC) – Venture Development Centre

GITAM Deemed University; Marasandura; On-site; INR 800,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

GITAM Deemed University seeks a dynamic professional to lead Venture Development Centre initiatives in Bengaluru. You will coach student and faculty teams through pre-incubation and incubation, scout startups campus-wide, and drive graduation of ventures by meeting milestones and evaluation criteria.

The role involves building partnerships with industry, mentors, investors, and government stakeholders, plus conducting outreach and workshops to attract participation in the RSG program.

Qualifications

• MBA with consistently good academic record and 2–3 years in innovation, partnerships, or ecosystem development roles.
• Strong understanding of the startup and innovation ecosystem, including exposure to early-stage ventures and accelerators.

Responsibilities

• Coach ventures assigned and fulfil all requirements for completing the pre-incubation and incubation program.
• Scout and evaluate startups and innovations across the campus(es) for the pre-incubation, incubation and other initiatives.
• Drive successful graduation of startups in pre-incubation and incubation programs by ensuring compliance with program milestones, deliverables, and evaluation criteria.
• Lead and support early-stage startup teams, guiding them through ideation, prototype-development, business-model validation and go-to-market readiness, while collaborating closely with mentors, industry partners and the internal VDC team.
• Scout and onboard high-potential startups and innovators beyond GITAM for incubation at the Venture Development Centre.
• Identify and establish partnerships with industry, corporates, and ecosystem enablers for collaborations, sponsorships, and strategic programs.
• Develop and manage relationships with mentors, investors, and government or private stakeholders to strengthen the VDC ecosystem.
• Conduct relevant outreach activities, workshops, master classes, etc. to attract Faculty/Alumni/Student to be part of the RSG program.
• Actively utilise the venture mentor network, makerspace and other elements for the benefit of venture teams.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Entrepreneurship

Communication

Teamwork

Education

MBA degree

Job description

Reporting to the Site Head – VDC Bengaluru

• Coach ventures assigned and fulfil all requirements for completing the pre-incubation and incubation program.
• Actively scout and evaluate startups and innovations across the campus(es) for the pre-incubation, incubation and other initiatives.
• Drive successful graduation of startups in pre-incubation and incubation programs by ensuring compliance with program milestones, deliverables, and evaluation criteria.
• Lead and support early-stage startup teams, guiding them through ideation, prototype-development, business-model validation and go-to-market readiness, while collaborating closely with mentors, industry partners and the internal VDC team.
• Scout and onboard high-potential startups and innovators beyond GITAM for incubation at the Venture Development Centre.
• Identify and establish partnerships with industry, corporates, and ecosystem enablers for collaborations, sponsorships, and strategic programs.
• Develop and manage relationships with mentors, investors, and government or private stakeholders to strengthen the VDC ecosystem.
• Conduct relevant outreach activities, workshops, master classes, etc. to attract Faculty/Alumni/Student to be part of the RSG program.
• Actively utilise the venture mentor network, makerspace and other elements for the benefit of venture teams.

Interpersonal Skills

• Dynamic and confident person who shows significant leadership skills.
• Committed to actively coaching student/faculty/alumni teams.
• Experienced in entrepreneurship skill development and should have a broad understanding of the ecosystem.
• Proactive individual with excellent communication skills and potential to be a leader.
• Should be able to work well in a team and demonstrate the ability to cooperate with the rest of the coaching fraternity actively.

Education & Experience

• A minimum of an MBA Degree with consistently good/outstanding academic record, with at least 2-3 years of experience working in an innovation, partnerships, or ecosystem development roles preferably in an educational or research organisation.
• Strong understanding of the startup and innovation ecosystem, including exposure to early-stage ventures and accelerator