Corporate Development Lead

Ajaia | AI Consultancy; Fort Lauderdale (FL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

LaunchEd, an education-focused incubator created by RDI, seeks a Corporate Development Lead in Fort Lauderdale to drive financial evaluation and execution of strategic transactions across its portfolio. You will build models, structure investments and acquisitions, conduct due diligence, and shepherd deals from opportunity through closing.

You'll partner with the Founder/CEO and senior leadership, translate complex financial terms for non-financial stakeholders, and lead negotiations on minority

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, venture capital, corporate development, or a similar transaction-focused role.
• Strong financial modeling and valuation skills with experience analyzing complex business transactions.
• Experience supporting or leading acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, or other strategic transactions.
• Ability to translate complex financial structures into clear explanations for non-financial stakeholders.
• Experience working with legal and financial advisors during transaction execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial evaluation of investment opportunities incubator and accelerator participants.
• Build and maintain financial models to evaluate investments, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships.
• Support decision-making with valuation frameworks and scenario analyses.
• Structure transactions including minority investments, majority acquisitions, recapitalizations, and joint ventures.
• Analyze complex financial arrangements and help leadership understand the risks, economics, and potential outcomes of proposed deals.
• Manage the end-to-end execution of transactions from initial evaluation to closing.
• Coordinate financial, operational, and market diligence for prospective investments or acquisitions.
• Work closely with legal counsel to help translate business terms into investment agreements and transaction documents.
• Participate in negotiations with founders, investors, and counterparties.
• Support the structuring and execution of special situations such as investor buyouts, recapitalizations, or strategic mergers.
• Evaluate strategic opportunities connected to the organization’s ecosystem, including potential acquisitions or partnerships that could strengthen the platform.
• Assist leadership in analyzing proprietary opportunities that arise within the education sector.
• Support the development of repeatable approaches for structuring investments as LaunchEd continues to expand its portfolio of companies.

Skills

Financial modeling

Valuation

Deal structuring

Negotiation

Stakeholder communication

Job description

Position Overview

LaunchEd is an education-focused incubator and accelerator created by RDI to identify, support, and scale innovative companies serving the PK-12 market. As our portfolio grows, we are expanding our investment capability to evaluate, structure, and execute investments, partnerships, and acquisitions that strengthen the education ecosystem.

As the Corporate Development Lead, you will lead the financial evaluation and execution of strategic transactions across LaunchEd’s portfolio. Working closely with the Founder/CEO and senior leadership, you will build financial models, structure investments and acquisitions, conduct due diligence, and guide transactions from initial opportunity through closing.

This is a high-impact role for an investment professional who enjoys combining analytical rigor with entrepreneurial thinking to help build and grow innovative education companies.

Key Responsibilities:

Deal Structuring & Financial Analysis

• Lead financial evaluation of investment opportunities incubator and accelerator participants.
• Build and maintain financial models to evaluate investments, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships.
• Support decision-making with valuation frameworks and scenario analyses.
• Structure transactions including minority investments, majority acquisitions, recapitalizations, and joint ventures.
• Analyze complex financial arrangements and help leadership understand the risks, economics, and potential outcomes of proposed deals.

Transaction Leadership

• Manage the end-to-end execution of transactions from initial evaluation to closing.
• Coordinate financial, operational, and market diligence for prospective investments or acquisitions.
• Work closely with legal counsel to help translate business terms into investment agreements and transaction documents.
• Participate in negotiations with founders, investors, and counterparties.
• Support the structuring and execution of special situations such as investor buyouts, recapitalizations, or strategic mergers.

Strategic Investment Support

• Evaluate strategic opportunities connected to the organization’s ecosystem, including potential acquisitions or partnerships that could strengthen the platform.
• Assist RDI leadership and the founder/CEO in analyzing proprietary opportunities that arise within the education sector.
• Support the development of repeatable approaches for structuring investments as LaunchEd continues to expand its portfolio of companies.
• 5–10 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, venture capital, corporate development, or a similar transaction-focused role.
• Strong financial modeling and valuation skills with experience analyzing complex business transactions.
• Experience supporting or leading acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, or other strategic transactions.
• Ability to translate complex financial structures into clear explanations for non-financial stakeholders.
• Experience working with legal and financial advisors during transaction execution.

Personal Attributes

• Entrepreneurial mindset with interest in building a growing investment capability inside an innovation platform.
• Strong analytical thinker with practical deal judgment.
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity while structuring new types of transactions.
• Collaborative and able to work closely with senior leadership on complex strategic decisions.
• Competitive base salary + performance incentives
• Professional development opportunities