PARTNER, THRIVE VENTURE FUND, PRE-SEED

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Following the expansion of Thrive Venture Fund into Pre-Seed, we are searching for an additional Partner to join the team to oversee the earliest stage of investing.

About BDC’s Thrive Venture Fund

The Thrive Venture Fund, the largest of its kind in the world, is dedicated to visionary women entrepreneurs in Canada. Launched in the fall of 2022, the Fund was created with a specific mandate: to invest in innovative, high-growth technology companies led by women across Canada. Its investments in women entrepreneurs help deliver transformative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges across a range of sectors and industries by supporting highly motivated founders and teams who are driving technological innovations that will change the world.

The Thrive Venture Fund stems from an initiative by BDC Capital, the investment arm of the Business Development Bank of Canada and builds on the success of the Thrive for Women platform—one of the largest initiatives of its kind globally—which combines direct venture capital investment, acquisition financing, and fund-of-funds capital to eliminate financial barriers for women in business. The platform has already supported a growing number of Canadian portfolio companies in the fields of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, medical devices, and climate technologies.

The Thrive Venture Fund is now consolidating and expanding within the Thrive platform to become a $350 million venture capital vehicle, investing in venture-capital-eligible companies from the pre-seed stage through the growth stage. This evolution enables the Fund to support female founders throughout the company’s lifecycle, from the initial investment through to exit, and to consolidate its role as the partner of choice for women entrepreneurs, co-investors, and limited partners within the Canadian innovation ecosystem.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As the Thrive Venture Fund unifies and expands its mandate across the entire continuum from pre-seed to scaling, the Fund is seeking a new partner to lead its pre-seed investment practice—the most critical initial stage of the platform’s work with women entrepreneurs. This is a recently redefined role at a pivotal moment for the Fund: the pre-seed program must be developed with the rigor, network, and investment discipline necessary to anchor the platform’s greatest ambitions.

The partner will play a central role at every stage of the pre-seed investment cycle: developing and implementing the pre-seed strategy, identifying and evaluating investment opportunities, managing portfolio companies, and representing the Fund externally. He or she will interact with both clients and BDC team members. The successful candidate will be a key ambassador for the Thrive Venture Fund, generating a stream of high-quality investment opportunities, leading a rigorous due diligence process, and helping to build the future of Canada’s innovation economy.

Success in this role depends on the ability to build trusting relationships throughout the investment ecosystem—with women entrepreneurs, co-investors, and limited partners alike—to position the Fund as the partner of choice for seed-stage investments.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned investment professional with a background in venture capital, private equity, investment banking, corporate strategy, or an operational/entrepreneurial track record, combining sharp financial and analytical judgment with a genuine, development-oriented approach toward promising female entrepreneurs. This leader is equally comfortable steering a rigorous due diligence process as they are sitting down with an early-stage entrepreneur as a mentor and trusted advisor, with the ability to build and lead within a collaborative team, while representing the Fund with poise among external stakeholders.

For a seasoned investor ready to help redefine Canada’s tech landscape, this is an opportunity to shape the pre-seed strategy of the country’s largest fund dedicated to female entrepreneurs and to empower the next generations of visionary female founders from the very beginning—the most critical stage in their companies’ lifecycles.

CHALLENGES TO BE MET

Platform Development

• Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Engage stakeholders to facilitate sound and impactful investment decisions.

Identifying Investment Opportunities

• Build and maintain strong networks within Canadian pre-seed investment communities.
• Generate a pipeline of high-quality deals through strategic relationships and active engagement in the ecosystem.
• Represent the Thrive Ventures Fund at industry events, conferences, and pitch days.

Executing Transactions

• Take responsibility for and lead the entire pre-seed investment process, from identification and initial evaluation through due diligence, structuring, and closing.
• Lead and conduct a rigorous and comprehensive due diligence process, including market and competitive analysis, evaluation of management, and review of the product and financials.
• Develop and present investment proposals to the investment committee, articulating a clear investment thesis, a risk-return profile, and a rationale for capital deployment.

Portfolio Management and Support for Female Entrepreneurs

• Provide practical support to portfolio companies, support female entrepreneurs, facilitate growth, and prepare for successful exits.
• Implement exit strategies that maximize returns and fulfill commitments to investors.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Experience

• At least 15 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, investment banking, corporate strategy, or as a manager/entrepreneur.
• Solid experience in investment research, execution, and management.
• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative or analytical field (e.g., business, economics, engineering, science); advanced degrees or certifications (MBA, graduate degree in STEM, CFA) are considered assets.
• Leadership skills to support and mentor a team, while simultaneously identifying pre-seed investment opportunities and executing investments.

Sector Expertise

• In-depth understanding of the entire investment cycle.
• Sharp financial acumen and the ability to draw conclusions from financial and operational data.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel for financial modeling, scenario analysis, and data interpretation.
• Proficiency in Word, PowerPoint, and other productivity tools.
• Ability to solve problems in a structured manner and communicate clearly.
• Excellent writing skills for preparing investment memos.
• Technical proficiency (e.g., coding, engineering, scientific knowledge) is a plus.
• Operational experience in an industry sector is a plus.
• Bilingualism (French/English) is a plus for communicating with senior management.

Personality

• Inspiring leadership and the ability to build teams.
• Open-mindedness and a willingness to share knowledge, with a particular focus on mentoring.
• A collaborative approach to engaging stakeholders.
• Executive presence and compelling communication skills.
• Commitment to continuous learning and adaptability. Ability to thrive in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.

Proudly one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible environment where all employees can thrive and feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work. If you require an accommodation to complete your application, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

While we appreciate all applications, we advise that only the candidates selected to participate in the recruitment process will be contacted.