Zinc has built a successful venture builder ecosystem since 2017, focusing on bringing talent together to build and grow ventures through its mission-driven approach. Having worked closely with dozens of academics and researchers, and having validated a gap in the early stage, deep tech ventures market, Zinc recently launched a new business unit focused on IP and knowledge related venture building – Zinc Deeptech Ventures. Zinc Deeptech Ventures supports academic commercialisation programs, and investing into businesses being built outside of Zinc, as well as supporting Zinc’s traditional talent-driven venture building approach, all aligning to Zinc’s core missions.

Our vision is that IP, knowledge and talent can be better unlocked and built into commercial ventures to achieve great impact and solve some of the most important societal issues globally. We believe that by taking an active and hands-on approach to building the right ecosystem of management teams, partners and capital we can help take deeptech assets to the next level and make them ready for follow-on funding.

This is a new business unit, with a newly appointed Managing Director with a background in Venture Building in Life Sciences and Healthcare. We’re looking for a complimenary Co-Managing Director with a background in Venture Capital in Deep Tech with a focus on Climate/Environment/Energy. You are likely someone who has spent at least 5+ years in the investment team of a venture capital fund investing in deeptech as a Principal or Associate Partner, and a PhD in chemical, physical or environmental sciences. You enjoy researching new technologies and motivated by building teams to commercialise IP and knowledge, at scale.

The new Co-Managing Director will support the formation of strategy and plan for the business, working closely with the executive team, work closely on existing venture building and science commercialisation programs, and execute on a deeptech investment thesis, as well as support fundraising future funding and revenue generating opportunities.

The successful candidate will:

• Co-lead this new business unit, moving from proposition-development and testing through to launch, iteration and scale.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with deep tech originators (universities, corporates) to drive sourcing and assess investment opportunities, as well as other key stakeholders such as funders.
• Oversee venture building and science commercialisation activities, including taking a hands on approach with individual Founders and ventures as their dedicated Venture Partner, helping source talent, build commercial roadmaps and help navigate the Zinc ecosystem of support for the ventures.
• Secure funding and help develop a sustainable business model for the business unit.
• Drive and support design and delivery of individual and cohort programmes, and monitor, evaluate and improve the program to maximize results and impact.

We are excited to be recruiting for our next round of innovation internships, where an interdisciplinary cohort of PhD students will join a 3-month internship to get first-hand experience of mission-led, early-stage innovation. Building on our successful 2022 innovation internships programme, we will be bringing together a new group of PhD students who will apply their research skills and knowledge in work with founders, and to learn what it takes to build and run a commercial start-up with a big social mission.

Applicants must have a strong interest in one of Zinc’s four broad missions to: improve mental health, tackle challenges relating to the future of work and improving financial resilience, support healthy ageing, and reduce environmental harms.