Founder Community Manager

ventureLAB INNOVATION CENTRE

Position Overview : Founder Community Manager

Base Pay Range; 70K to 80K per annum

Position Profile: Founder Community Manager

As part of ventureLab’s Founder Success team and reporting to the Senior Manager of Advisory and Community Services  this key role will manage the outreach, cultivation and intake of a pipeline of qualified new companies to join ventureLAB’s Community and sector Portfolios. The Founder Community Manager will also oversee the delivery of services and events to the onboarded community companies. This role will work closely with Portfolio Managers for coordinated outreach and smooth handoff of companies between portfolios and service offerings. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Manage & oversee the outreach and intake of companies that join ventureLAB - both those that will be onboarded into sector portfolios as well as those that will join  the community- building a pipeline of emerging and high potential companies that may progress into sector portfolios or engage with ventureLAB’s broader Founder Community.
• Facilitating smooth handoffs of qualified companies to sector portfolio teams as companies meet the defined portfolio readiness criteria.
• Managing and overseeing the delivery of founder engagement initiatives (e.g., info session, seminars, events, peer groups etc) designed to support founder development, and ecosystem engagement of the Founder Community.
• Respond to inquiries and check-in with founders as required.
• Matching community companies with relevant ecosystem partners and opportunities that support their growth & readiness.
• Oversee delivery of programs as needed such as EIF streams.
• Track founder engagement and activity within Community initiatives, and collaborate with internal teams to ensure relevant company data and engagement insights are captured.

What Does Success Look Like:

• An engaged Founder Community  across the ventureLAB ecosystem (all interactions tracked)- where companies become community champions, or externally advocate positive testimonials, experiences, e tc .
• Qualified companies successfully advance to sector portfolios when aligned with portfolio criteria.
• Founders remain engaged with ventureLAB through regular programming, communication, and community touchpoints.

Role Requirements:

• 5+ years (not limitative) of progressive experience in one or more of the following:
  • Startup programs, accelerators, or innovation hubs
  • Management consulting, strategy, or commercialization advisory
• Demonstrated experience working directly with startups or scaleups, either as:
  • A founder or early employee 
  • A service provider delivering commercialization, growth, or market-entry support
• Proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders simultaneously, including founders, corporate partners, investors, and public-sector organizations
• Strong understanding of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, including:
  • Accelerators and incubators
  • Corporate innovation
  • Government funding and startup support mechanisms
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (business, engineering, economics, international relations, or related field)

Preferred / Asset Qualifications

• Master’s degree (MBA, MEng, MPA, or equivalent)
• Knowledge or experience on CRM systems, such as Hubspot, Salesforce
• Good Project Management skills
• Direct exposure to:
  • Experience in hardtech, medtech, semiconductors, or advanced manufacturing and AI
  • Familiarity with Canadian innovation programs (e.g., IRAP, OVIN, OCI, FedDev, Trade Commissioner Service)
  • Experience working within or alongside publicly funded organizations with reporting and accountability requirements