Manager, Venture Development - Entrepreneurship

Washington University in St. Louis; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Skandalaris Center Manager of Venture Development at Washington University in St. Louis leads the center's venture development, venture capital, and startup-support strategies, driving continuous, data-driven improvement.

This role oversees the full startup and venture pipeline across programs, including competitions and the co-investment fund, and manages the investment portfolio to ensure alignment with priorities and long-term growth.

Responsibilities

• Create, lead, and refine the Center’s Venture Development strategy and staff support.
• Govern competitions and investment pipelines across programs (Global Impact Award, Venture Competition, LaunchPad, Incubators, Accelerators, WashU Venture Network, Skandalaris Design Agency, etc.).
• Grow and scale opportunities with WashU affiliates; evaluate ideas and connect founders to resources across campus and regional networks.
• Mentor and strategically deploy Investors-in-Residence and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence to drive venture formation across student, faculty, staff, and alumni startups.
• Develop, manage, and report on partnerships, sponsorships, and data-driven metrics across CRM and dashboards.

Job description

The Skandalaris Center Manager of Venture Development is responsible for the leadership, development, execution, and continuous, data driven, and measurable improvement of the Center’s venture development, venture capital, and startup support strategies. This role oversees and drives the full startup and venture pipeline across all programs, including competitions and the co-investment fund and manages the Center’s investment portfolio across complex multi-structured dilutive and non-dilutive funding vehicles, ensuring alignment with priorities and long-term strategic growth.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Create, lead, and continuously refine the Center’s comprehensive Venture Development strategy and staff across a wide variety of initiatives, programs, and constituent groups. Oversee structure, prioritization, and scheduling of staff support to ensure consistent, high quality, and scalable support for constituents. Govern the Center’s competitions and investment pipelines across programs such as Global Impact Award, Skandalaris Venture Competition, LaunchPad, Incubators, Accelerators, WashU Venture Network, Skandalaris Design Agency, etc
• Meet with Washington University affiliates to grow and scale promising ideas and opportunities; evaluate ideas, emerging opportunities, and technologies; conduct feasibility reviews; connect founders to critical resources across campus, across disciplines, and in the regional and national innovation ecosystem. Manage, mentor, and strategically deploy direct reports,
• including Investors-in-Residence and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, to deliver high impact mentorship, guidance, and venture support driving venture formation across student, faculty, staff, and alumni startups.
• Manage existing and expand new strategic relationships, including revenue generating sponsorships, with firms and networks including corporations, venture firms, investors, and startup networks that will materially contribute to the growth, visibility, and success of WashU startups. Ensure and enforce ongoing rigorous and accurate collection of data and metrics into the CRM and design, build, and maintain functional reporting systems and dashboards for the Center leadership and operation teams and University colleagues engaged in supporting the Center.
• Develop and execute concurrent workshops, master classes, bootcamps, and programming to connect entrepreneurs and innovators in pursuit of expanding their ideas. Recruit, vet and engage high caliber speakers and industry experts ensuring content quality, relevance, and alignment with emerging trends in entrepreneurship, venture development, and innovation.
• Manage and oversee the budget and financial execution of Venture portfolio including an investment portfolio deploying over $350k annually across multiple funding mechanism.