Partner, Venture Innovations

LearnerStudio is a nonprofit intermediary strategically accelerating progress toward a flexible, rigorous, equitable, and learner-centered education system so all our young people are inspired and prepared to thrive in life, career, problem-solving, and citizenship. Incubated in 2022 at Cambiar Education, LearnerStudio exists to accelerate systems change, by rallying the necessary additional people, ideas and resources toward this critical moment of opportunity, through both an ecosystem and entrepreneurial venture strategy.

The problem we are addressing:

We are at a critical moment of inflection for education in America. Because of a historic confluence of factors-- including the COVID pandemic, a reckoning with systemic injustice and a hyper-acceleration of innovation in technology--there is an urgency to reimagine our industrial education system. We are in a moment of opportunity to re-architect an $800BN education industry toward becoming a system that truly prepares our young people to thrive in life, careers of the future, and our diverse democracy. Many important organizations and leaders have been paving the way for this moment, but the whole is not yet greater than the sum of its parts, and this opportunity could be lost if we do not act boldly. Without intentional effort, this transformative process will fail to center equity and public purpose.

We seek an exceptional, experienced, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven leader who can operate across sectors with an innovative mindset and entrepreneurial skillset, to join the LearnerStudio team as a Founding Partner, Venture Innovations. This position offers a unique blend of leadership, collaboration, social innovation, and non-profit and for-profit venture development.

In this founding role, you will join a small entrepreneurial team, bringing seasoned leadership to our venture team, supporting the development and growth of innovative start-ups aligned with our mission to accelerate progress toward a learner-centered and public purpose education ecosystem that prepares all of our young people to thrive in careers, life, and our diverse democracy. With a focus on innovation, social impact, and systems change, the Partner, Venture Innovations will oversee a portfolio of strategic impact-first investments each year. The portfolio will include grants to nonprofits and strategic equity investments in early stage for profit mission-driven companies. The Partner, Venture Innovations will report to and work in close collaboration and partnership with the CEO and other senior leaders across teams to optimize overall organizational impact and external systems change progress. This is a fast-paced and highly dynamic role, with a significant volume of internal and external interaction.

• Venture Program Strategy and Leadership: Refine and implement the overall portfolio strategy for the venture program, aligned with LearnerStudio's mission and goals. Lead the venture team in vetting potential ventures, driving capital investment decisions (partnering with CEO and investment committee), and strengthening the success of our portfolio through strategic advising and venture building. Drive the evolution of our venture program by identifying opportunities, designing initiatives, and implementing best practices. Continuously assess the program's effectiveness and iterate to maximize impact. Foster a culture of innovation and collaboration within the venture team.
• Investment Committee Management: Collaborate to design investment committee membership and process. Lead the process of team engagement with the investment committee to review and give feedback on opportunities, providing comprehensive analyses and recommendations based on insights and due diligence.
• Venture Vetting and Support: Oversee the selection process for ventures, conducting rigorous due diligence and making investment recommendations aligned with LearnerStudio strategy for impact. Provide hands-on mentorship, strategic guidance, and operational support to portfolio ventures, empowering them to achieve their impact and organizational objectives.
• Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Stakeholder Engagement: Proactively nurture relationships with external stakeholders, including fiscal sponsors, entrepreneurs, investors, industry experts, and relevant nonprofits. Identify strategic partnerships and collaborative opportunities to support the success of our venture program. Represent the organization at relevant industry events.
• Impact Measurement and Reporting: Develop and implement strategic impact measurement frameworks and metrics that balance immediate and systems change outcomes across our portfolio. Evaluate and report on progress to internal and external stakeholders. Use insights to refine investment strategy to maximize impact.
• Thought Leadership and Market Research: Stay at the forefront of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in the entrepreneurial and social impact ecosystem. Conduct in-depth analysis on specific sectors or market opportunities, translating findings into actionable insights for the organization.
• Team Development and Management: Lead and mentor members of the venture team, fostering their professional growth and creating a high-performing team and culture. Delegate responsibilities, set clear performance expectations, and ensure effective collaboration across the team. Recruit and onboard new team members as needed.

Required Experience and Skills:

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, venture capital, philanthropy, start-up ecosystems, or related fields.
• Proven track record in building high-impact entrepreneurial organizations (as entrepreneur and/or investor) and demonstrated ability to identify and evaluate venture or philanthropic investment opportunities, conducting strategic due diligence, and supporting the growth and success of start-up ventures.
• Strong understanding of and alignment with LearnerStudio’s commitment to future-ready education.
• A passion for and an understanding of the intersection between entrepreneurship, social impact, and systems change.
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen, with the ability to develop and execute comprehensive strategies.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving abilities, with an action orientation and results-oriented mindset.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, talent assessment, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to positively engage and influence diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to manage and lead through the ambiguity and rapid shifts inherent in an evolving early stage organization and systems change ecosystem with a sense of direction and clarity.
• Willingness to travel approximately 25%.

Preferred, but not Required, Experience and Skills:

• Advanced degree in business administration, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, finance, or a related field.
• Home office located in/near a metro area considered a “technology hub.”
• Experience in impact investing, education, edtech, philanthropy or related fields.
• Familiarity with start-up tools, platforms, and impact measurement methodologies.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace, familiarity with knowledge/project management platforms, such as Notion.