Founders Factory builds and funds startups together with exceptional entrepreneurs and the world's leading companies. Our platform offers founders capital, operational support from a team of hands-on experts, and unrivalled access to industry leaders like L'Oreal, Aviva, Standard Bank, Johnson & Johnson D.C. and Reckitt.
Since 2015, our 300 portfolio companies have raised $720mm follow on funding from some of the leading names in venture.
We operate sector-focused accelerator programs and venture funds, investing in visionary founders at early stages. Our Studio partners with entrepreneurs at day one, developing new ideas, technologies and business models into high-growth companies
We’re launching a new Venture Studio and Accelerator program in partnership with some of the world's leading brands in Italy. Based in Milan, we will fund over 50 startups over the next 5 years. This is a unique opportunity to build category-defining startups in partnership with Founders Factory’s experienced team.
What you'll do:
As we expand into Italy, bringing on a Studio Lead is fundamental. You’ll be one of our first hires in this new location and help to establish our new office. You will have the unique opportunity to work as the co-founder to our EIR’s across many of our studio ventures. This role will need to be able to inspire top founders to work for them whilst being able to deal with immense uncertainty and solve diverse problems.
Our goal is for Founders Factory Italy to be the best platform for founders to start and grow their startups. We are looking for someone who shares that ambition and has the passion and expertise to achieve it.
🎯 As the Studio Lead, your role will be:
You will lead our cross-functional team for each studio venture and act as the key stakeholder for the founders of our studio businesses. It will be up to you to turn ambiguous ideas into a product MVP within 6 months, validating your decisions commercially along the way, so that a founding team can grow from that MVP into a fully-fledged business. You will be the link between the founder and FF and spend the majority of your time working on or with our studio ventures. You will do your best to unlock their unfair advantage through our network. You will work with our partners & venture design team to determine the strategic direction and investment decisions ensuring that we are building a strong and valuable portfolio as well as the exceptional delivery of our program.🙌 In your day-to-day, you may find yourself doing the following:
Lead our cross-functional squads in creating the different product strategies and helping bring the MVPs to life by partnering with the founder, leading a team of functional experts and providing hands-on support where needed. Collaborate with founders to define product roadmaps against KPIs and product goals, responsible for ensuring all work is broken down into clear requirements for the various team members working on a given project. Support founders in their own growth – some of our startups are launching their first product, others need support on existing applications, and we help guide their decisions and build through all aspects of the product and software development lifecycle; design, product, engineering & data science. Work with our global team of partners and functional experts to ensure that we are providing the best possible support to founders and building amazing products. Support our Venture Design team on product discovery research (qualitative and quantitative data) as well as work on identifying riskiest hypothesis and any key work streams that will support founder hiring. Consolidate, prioritise and action feedback from funding partners, commercial and product teams. Hire world class founders and/or founding team members for studio projects. Forecast studio budget with founders. Keep track of internal spend, approve use of funds and ensure resources and costs are managed effectively. You will be entrepreneurial and together with the founder help drive the business forward while keeping it under prudent control. You will be closely engaged with all the workings of the new venture and be answerable for its actions. Together with the founders you will help to develop a big vision & mission and guide changes in direction where necessary.Previous experience:
Been part of the founding team of an early stage startup. Hiring and retaining a world class team. Product or technical experience taking an early stage business forward. Demonstrated financial acumen and deep understanding of business fundamentals. Ability to work with strategic investors and C-level executives. Deep networks of founders, venture capital firms and startup talent.Qualities you need to be successful in this role:
Has an ability to connect, emphasise and collaborate with top tier founder talent. Deals comfortably with the uncertainty of change and complex problems, effectively handles risk and can make a decision with incomplete information. Operates effectively, is calm under pressure and productive with multiple plates spinning or when the future is unclear. Have a strong bias for action and persists in accomplishing objectives despite setbacks. Has an approach to management that involves trusting other people, removing roadblocks. Able to understand the perspective of others and evaluate their own thinking whilst looking for feedback and continuously improve. Ability to work across geographies, time zones and multi-functional teams.Why work with us:
We are guided by a set of core values that shape the way that we think and act. We hold ourselves accountable to these, and measure ourselves against them. We are looking for candidates that share these principles and can help Founders Factory to thrive:
- Think big, act small, move fast
- Value momentum over perfection
- Embrace uncertainty and remain decisive
- Suggest solutions, not problems.
- Prioritize diversity to strengthen our collective intelligence
- Be polite, generous and show empathy to others, always
Benefits:
Remote working Opportunities: Up to 5 weeks working abroad allowance each year
Autonomy: Freedom to execute and build businesses, not just products. We encourage risk taking here.
Health and Wellness: Comprehensive health insurance, quarterly mental health days
Growth: Work with and meet exceptional talent. Learn faster than you ever have before. Access our large network of investors and customers.
Perks: Monthly team events, discounts across our entire portfolio
Founders Factory is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where people can authentically be themselves and are free to challenge, take risks and think creatively. We recruit, develop, compensate and promote our team members based on merit. We know how important it is not only to include, but to actively seek out diversity of thought and experiences.
We are committed to building a diverse culture and are eager to receive applications from all backgrounds. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination.