VC Manager @ IMEC in San Jose, CA

IMEC; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

VC Stack in San Francisco is looking for a Head of External Ventures and VC Relations to engage the US venturing ecosystem and drive profitability for imec’s venturing activities. The successful candidate will develop relationships with US Deeptech VCs, ensuring their participation in imec ventures and identifying promising early-stage ventures for collaboration.

This role includes responsibilities for driving local VC engagement, optimizing deal negotiations, and contributing to imec’s visibility in the US. Candidates should have extensive experience in the deeptech space with strong negotiation and interfacing skills.

Qualifications

• Extensive network within the US Deeptech VC ecosystem.
• Strong negotiation skills for deal closures.
• Ability to engage with early-stage ventures.

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships with US Deeptech VCs for investment in imec ventures.
• Drive local VC engagement and relationship growth.
• Identify early-stage ventures for collaboration.

Job description

Leveraging a far-reaching network with US Deeptech VC firms and Deeptech US venturing ecosystem, the Head of external ventures and VC relations US plays a pivotal role in engaging the US Venturing ecosystem with imec’s venturing ecosystem. The main purpose of the function is to drive profitability of imec venturing activities and facilitate scaling up of imec deeptech ventures. A first lever will be to drive US deeptech VCs to participate in or lead financing rounds of imec ventures, driving solid valuation upticks. A second key lever will be to identify promising external early stage ventures in which imec can get an equity position or equivalent compensation for collaboration projects with those companies, ensuring imec benefits directly from the success of partner companies. Beyond those key accountabilities, the Head of external ventures and VC relations will leverage his network and competencies to support the broader imec venturing organization globally.

About the Role

The Head of External Ventures and VC Relations US is responsible for engaging with the US venturing ecosystem and driving profitability for imec’s venturing activities.

Responsibilities

• Develop imec venturing relationship with relevant US Deeptech VCs – aiming to have them invest in imec ventures, in the US in first instance and in Europe in the longer run.
• Grow the number of VCs engaging with imec and drive relationship.
• Propose and implement supporting activities required to drive local VC engagement.
• Expose US VCs to imec venture deals and support fundraise discussion as appropriate.
• Ensure VCs eventually participate to or lead imec ventures financing rounds.
• External dealflow:
• Ensure exposure to early stage deal-flow of key relevant VCs.
• Identify early stage ventures where imec can have a substantial contribution in terms of background IP, joint research projects, development on demand projects or services (design services, processing services).
• Liaise with HQ venturing team to define the contents of the collaboration with external ventures.
• Drive deal negotiation and contract closure for external ventures, optimizing imec’s interest in the target company’s long‑term upside, preferably in the form of equity for imec – with possibly a royalties component.
• Co‑shape imec offering and financial mechanisms to support and drive external deal‑flow in an actionable manner.

Supporting activities

• Support Head of venturing acceleration and ecosystem US by providing introduction to talent, experts, VCs, venture creation and development hubs, engagement with selected target customers and ecosystem players as suitable for imec ventures.
• Contribute to imec venturing’s visibility and brand in the US: present imec venturing activities in selected venturing events in the US: promote imec’s venturing approach in dedicated press and for a, contribute to positioning white papers on deeptech venturing and imec’s role.
• Support imec spinoff creation by contributing to review of imec spinoff projects in relevant expertise areas.