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

Tagged as: MID TO SENIOR LEVEL