Overview
BUSINESS: Purdue Research Foundation
POSITION TYPE: Full-time
START DATE: Immediate Availability
Essential Functions
- Develop and deploy programs that will effectively advance (de-risk) Purdue-affiliated technologies and startups (defined as those technologies and startups created around Purdue IP and/or by Purdue faculty, staff, students, or alumni). Programs should be developed and deployed spanning the range from ideation through business formation, including customer discovery and market validation.
- Develop content for Purdue-affiliated clients focused on de-risking the market, technology, IP, team, business model and funding strategies.
- Recruit Purdue faculty, staff, students, and alumni to be involved in the commercialization ecosystem at Purdue.
- Create a vibrant commercialization and entrepreneurial ecosystem on campus.
- Stay up-to-date on best practices for de-risking early-stage technologies and startups.
- Work closely with the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) business development managers and the Incubator team to maintain a constant pipeline of technologies and startups that participate in the programming.
- Work closely with the Startup Foundry to identify investible startups that are ready to raise their first round and prepare them for the Startup Foundry.
- Serve as primary manager to coordinate a de-risking plan for all Purdue-affiliated technologies and startups in the Incubator.
- Create and manage workshops focused on de-risking early-stage technologies and startups for Purdue-affiliated clients utilizing community members, service providers, mentors and advisors.
- Manage client intake/process prescription/stage gate process (in collaboration with other Incubator Managers and Director).
- Promote all Incubator training and workshops with the assistance of the PRF Marketing team.
- Represent the Incubator when requested for meetings with investors, visitors, alumni, etc.
- Prepare materials for meetings.
- Other duties as assigned.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
- Ability to understand a wide variety of technologies and an appetite to learn.
- Familiarity with ideation, customer discovery, market validation and business formation.
- Engaging instructor with the ability to comprehend and work with a wide variety of technologies and business models.
- Excellent communication skills, including oral, written, and proofreading skills.
- Engaging and outgoing personality that invites conversation and brainstorming.
- Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple projects at once.
- Ability to perform with minimal supervision, prioritize assignments to meet deadlines, and produce high-quality work with attention to detail.
- Ability to take initiative and solve problems while being flexible.
- Ability to influence and build working relationships among a diverse workforce at all levels.
- Demonstrated good judgment, diplomacy, persuasive ability, and the ability to inspire confidence and cooperation to drive positive results within and across the organization’s boundaries.
- General understanding of intellectual property and/or willingness to learn.
- Personal computer and related basic Microsoft Office skills.
- Familiarity with CRM tools like Salesforce or database management systems such as Sophia.
- In person attendance for events is required.
Education/Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 8+ years’ relevant work experience required.
- Experience in startups and/or innovation/product discovery/ventures in industry preferred
