Careers @ SV
New Venture Partner
Description
About Us
Simple Ventures is a new venture studio on a mission: identify global innovations not yet in Canada, and bring them home.
Backed by 30+ renowned Canadian entrepreneurs like Michael Katchen (Wealthsimple), Joanna Griffiths (Knix), Harley Finkelstein (Shopify), and Mike Murchison (Ada), we're set on creating and funding Canadian solutions to fill those gaps.
We create ventures from -1-0-1 in partnership with great founders and our LPs. Our venture creation process includes the following:
- Ideating concepts
- Researching global players
- Conducting primary research
- Validating the Canadian opportunity with live testing until sufficient de-risking and investment readiness.
(2) About You: New Venture Partner (NVP)
NVPs are a small and exclusive group of serial entrepreneurs and domain experts that partner with SV to co-create new ventures from -1 to 0 to 1.
- Who are NVPs? Experienced builders with expertise in specific domains.
- What? They transform ideas into viable Canadian businesses.
- How? Partnering with Simple Ventures, New Venture Partners bring a concept from idea stage to investment-ready
Who We're Looking For:
- Experience: Senior professionals, preferably with founder backgrounds.
- Modus Operandi: Strategic Doers who can independently execute without the need for regular guidance.
- Commitment: This is a fractional role, typically 15-20 hours a week.
- Role Definition: Responsible for guiding and launching new ventures from -1 (idea) to 0 (testing) to 1 (investable business)
In addition to the above, these are the attributes that we look for:
- Drives Vision and Purpose. You create organization-wide energy and optimism for the future, articulating your visions in a way that is positive and that everyone can relate to. Creates milestones and symbols to rally support behind the vision and motivate others into action.
- Drives Results. You persist in accomplishing objectives and exceeding goals despite obstacles and setbacks, while also helping others to achieve results.
- Resiliency. You are confident under pressure, and maintain a positive attitude despite setbacks or adversity. You are able to grow from hardships, and manage crises effectively.
- Communicates Effectively. You are effective in a variety of communication settings: one-on-one, small and large groups, or among diverse styles and position levels.
- Action Orientation. You readily take action on new opportunities with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm. You display a can-do attitude, and step up to handle tough issues.
- Financial Acumen. You use financial analysis and understanding of key indicators to generate, evaluate, and act on strategic options and opportunities, while integrating quantitative and qualitative information to draw accurate conclusions.
- Decision Quality. You make sound and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward, even in the absence of complete information. You consider all relevant factors and rely on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment when making decisions.
Responsibilities
- Ideation: Identify and develop concepts that resonate with Simple Ventures' goal of adapting global innovations for Canada.
- Validation: Collect evidence and test the idea’s assumptions (with budget and Simple Ventures platform team support), ensuring they're viable for the Canadian market.
- Launch Preparation: Pitch the business to Investment Committee (IC) for investment
What success looks like
- Objective: Converting an idea into an Investable Concept
- Key Benchmark: Passing IC
- Estimated Timeframe: Varies per concept, typically a few months.
Engagement with SV
- Testing Budget: Provision of funds for the concept once approved
- Co-working Opportunity: Access to collaborative workspaces.
- Biweekly Core Team Meetings: Regular meetings every two weeks to exchange insights and updates.
- Monthly Networking Events: Social gatherings such as drinks or breakfast for fostering connections.
After IC you have the following paths:
- Transition to a full time or consulting role for the venture
- Return to -1 stage for a new concept (while retaining equity in your first concept, if launched)
- Explore roles with Simple Ventures Studio team