Venture Associate
What this job does:
Sits one level above the VC Analyst and takes on greater responsibility for driving deal evaluation end-to-end, managing diligence workstreams, supporting portfolio companies post-investment, and contributing to investment committee discussions. Day-to-day involves leading scientific and business diligence on prospective deals, drafting detailed investment memoranda, attending portfolio company board meetings, and helping shape the fund's thesis in specific therapeutic areas. Exercises more independent judgment and interacts directly with entrepreneurs and co-investors.
This job is similar to these lab/research tasks:
Synthesizing information across multiple research domains into a coherent narrative, defending research directions to committees, managing collaborations across labs, integrating scientific and strategic thinking
Typical starting salary range
$130k to $185k
Salary estimate represented as 25th to 75th percentile. Gathered from recent job postings, Glassdoor.com, and Salary.com
Daily task breakdown
- Deal evaluation and due diligence: scientific, clinical, and business diligence, KOL calls, management meetings (30%)
- Investment memo writing and investment committee preparation (20%)
- Portfolio company support: board meeting prep, strategic guidance, operational support (20%)
- Deal sourcing and relationship management: entrepreneur outreach, co-investor networking, conferences (20%)
- Other: fund operations, LP reporting, internal strategy (10%)
Skills you'll use in this job:
PhD or MD with deep domain expertise; ability to independently evaluate preclinical and clinical datasets and regulatory strategy; strong written and verbal communication (investment memos, board presentations); financial modeling basics (term sheets, cap tables, valuations); project management across complex diligence processes; relationship building with entrepreneurs, KOLs, and co-investors; strategic identification of key risks and value inflection points; ability to synthesize scientific, clinical, regulatory, and commercial information into a cohesive investment thesis
Talk about these PhD skills in your resume and interview:
Talk about synthesizing information across multiple domains into a coherent research narrative and defending it to a committee - a direct parallel to framing an investment thesis. Talk about managing collaborations across labs, coordinating multi-PI projects, and serving as an integrator of scientific and strategic thinking.
Alternative job titles to search:
Associate - Life Sciences Venture Capital; Investment Associate; Principal (smaller firms); Senior Analyst (VC); Venture Capital Associate; Associate - Healthcare Investments; Associate - Biotech Investments
*Note:
-Job titles are inconsistent between companies. Try various keywords.
-PhDs tend to undershoot seniority level. Target higher than you think.
