Ventures Associate

Plug and Play; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Plug and Play in Sunnyvale, CA is looking for a Ventures Associate to drive impact with our Brand & Retail vertical. You will build relationships with corporate partners, source startups, and support accelerator programs while collaborating with senior team members in a fast-paced environment.

The role requires strong analytical and communication skills, a finance or economics background, and a proactive, team-oriented mindset.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field with strong academic performance.
• Passion for Brand & Retail industry and customer service excellence.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills.
• Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced setting.
• Collaborative mindset and humble approach.
• Attendance policy of 4 days in the office and 1 day remote.

Responsibilities

• Develop trusted relationships with corporate partners and understand their innovation challenges.
• Collaborate on startup sourcing, research and projects for corporate customers.
• Host Dealflow sessions with executives and guide startups through evaluation process.
• Support accelerator programs and manage stakeholder relationships.
• Source, evaluate, and deliver early-stage investment opportunities.

Skills

Financial analysis

Communication skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Research

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or related field

Job description

Who We Are

Plug and Play is the largest global innovation platform and leading early‑stage investor bringing together the best startups and the world’s largest corporations. We are early investors in 30+ unicorn startups including Paypal, Honey, and Rappi, and we’ve worked with most of the Fortune 500 enterprises across 20+ industry verticals on technology innovations.

Who We Are

Plug and Play is the largest global innovation platform and leading early‑stage investor bringing together the best startups and the world’s largest corporations. We are early investors in 30+ unicorn startups including Paypal, Honey, and Rappi, and we’ve worked with most of the Fortune 500 enterprises across 20+ industry verticals on technology innovations. Within our platform, we focus on various sectors, including a fast‑growing Brand & Retail vertical where we have the largest brands and retailers in the fashion & apparel, beauty, food & beverage, quick service restaurants, entertainment and other industries as our customers and LPs. We are a diverse team with backgrounds in VC, technology, business building, and entrepreneurship, and we are growing rapidly.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking a Ventures Associate who will make a substantial impact on our corporate customers, accelerator programs, and startup investments. The role requires strong analytical and communication skills, financial acumen, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment. This role is for our Brand & Retail vertical and will be based in Sunnyvale, CA.

Responsabilities

Customer Engagement and Retention

• Develop a trusted relationship with our corporate partners and comprehensive understanding of their innovation challenges and tech interests.
• Work with corporate customers on their technology needs to deliver startup sourcing, research and other projects.
• Collaborate with and host corporate executives in Dealflow sessions to meet with startups and guide corporations in the startup evaluation process.

Accelerator

• Conduct bi‑annual sourcing for accelerator programs aligning to commerce and media focused technology interests.
• Play an active role in speaking at and organizing the accelerator programs.
• Manage stakeholders including but not limited to corporate partners, startups, VCs and mentors effectively and constantly improve our programs.

Investments

• Collaborate with senior Ventures team members to source, evaluate, and execute early‑stage investment opportunities.
• Prepare and deliver compelling investment proposals to the investment team on a weekly basis.
• Build a strong network in the VC and startup ecosystem.

Others

• Support the sales team on growing our corporate customer base.
• Take on ad‑hoc projects and tasks as required.

Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field, plus demonstrated strong academic performance.
• Must have a passion for the Brand & Retail industry, excellent customer service, and commitment to exceptional work quality.
• Must have effective verbal and written communications skills both internally and externally.
• Must have the ability and willingness to meet established deadlines and handle multiple projects at any given time in a fast‑paced entrepreneurial environment.
• Approach tasks with humility and a collaborative spirit.
• Driven by a performance‑oriented mindset.
• Attendance policy: 4 days at the office, 1 day home