VC Associate @ Thrive Venture Fund in Toronto, Canada

Choosing BDC as your employer means working in a healthy, inclusive, and skilled workplace that puts forward the best conditions to bring together unique teams where employees are empowered to act. It also means being at the centre of ambitious economic and financial projects to see further and to do things differently, to fuel the success of Canadian entrepreneurs.

Choosing BDC as your employer also means:

• Flexible and competitive benefits , including an Employee Savings and Investment Plan where BDC matches part of your voluntary contributions, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, a $750 wellness and health care spending account, to name a few
• In addition to paid vacation each year, five personal days , sick days as necessary , and our offices are closed from December 25 to January 1
• A hybrid work model that truly balances work and personal life
• Opportunities for learning , training and development , and much more…

POSITION OVERVIEW

BDC’s Thrive Venture Fund (TVF) is the largest of its kind globally, investing in Canada’s leading impact‑driven female entrepreneurs to drive transformative change. This $300M fund was launched in the Fall of 2022 with a focused objective of investing in women‑led, high‑growth, innovative technology companies in Canada.

Our investments in female entrepreneurs are bringing game‑changing solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges across industries and sectors. We seek highly driven founders and teams who are leveraging breakthrough innovations in technology with triple bottom‑line vision: focusing on people, planet and profit. TVF is a multi‑sector fund and invests in late Seed to Series B stage companies with strong growth and highly scalable market potential, that bring together the best innovation, team, and resources to transform today’s markets.

As an Associate, you will be an integral member of our investment team and involved in all aspects of the investment and portfolio management process. You will support our Pan‑Canadian team in building and managing an existing and growing portfolio of investments, work on new investments and help us build the next fund to support even more women in tech in Canada. The next generation of exceptional Canadian technology champions will be led by women, and funded by BDC’s Thrive Venture Fund.

CHALLENGES TO BE MET

• Conduct initial business plan reviews, support initial communications with entrepreneurs and referring sources, prepare initial interview memoranda and recommendations to pursue or decline deals
• Support a workstream of due diligence on companies’ market, competition, management, sales, products, cap table, and other factors that are relevant to determining potential business value and exit strategies
• Perform market research and scouting to inform the fund’s investment strategy, identifying emerging markets, verticals, technologies, or companies
• Determine and validate performance metrics, creating valuation models, forecasts and financial pro formas
• Draft Investment Memos, most often focusing on the Financials and Market sections
• Support Partners leading a deal during presentations to the Investment Committee
• Analyze technical documentation and/or work with technical consultants to evaluate technologies, products, and services
• Conduct reference calls with competitors, clients, industry experts, and prospect company’s current or past employees
• Develop and maintain appropriate information resources and subject‑matter expertise in various industries, markets, and business trends
• Analyze materials from portfolio companies in order to assess company performance, comparing financials to forecasts and models, and relaying potential opportunities and issues;
• Participate occasionally in investee board meetings as an observer, keeping abreast of developments and escalating relevant information to Partners
• Assist investees with introductions to potential suppliers, investors, and employees
• Assist in managing the deal pipeline, quarterly/bi‑annual reports, and providing financial analysis
• Support other team members as appropriate during the development stage of an investment
• Ensure that new and existing investments files are properly documented by monitoring investments, amendments, and disbursements, including financial analysis and forecasting
• Support broader fund initiatives as required, including process support, ecosystem analysis/outreach, and other projects as required.
• Maintain involvement in associations within the investment community, and keep abreast of significant developments, activities, and initiatives in the industry
• Stay on top of the current portfolio, identifying companies that are likely to raise funds for new and follow‑on investments, and relaying information upwards

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• A requisite background with 5 years+ of venture capital or related experience in a role involving investing activity, structured thinking, financial analysis, and/or technical expertise.
• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Economics, Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM).
• A post‑graduate degree or equivalent certification, completed or in course, is valuable. Typical post‑graduate credentials are likely to be, but are not limited to:
  • Master’s degree in business administration (MBA)
  • Other STEM Master’s or PhD degree
  • Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong skills in Excel, particularly in building financial models that include sensitivity analysis and scenario modeling, as well as performing data analysis. Any other analytic tools and techniques are an asset
• Good ability to problem‑solve using structured thinking and communication techniques
• Strong ability to use other MS suite applications efficiently, mainly Word and PowerPoint
• Ability to intervene pertinently in the context of a presentation to executive audiences
• Ability to write an Investment Memo that is clear, concise, and eloquent
• Operational knowledge of any technical industry is an asset
• Bilingualism in French and English is an asset
• Motivation and ability to do focused, independent work, in the context of a team
• Comfort working in a fast‑paced environment

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 View email address on apply.j-vers.com.

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