Position Overview :
The Venture Coach (VC) will be responsible for identifying, nurturing, and
supporting student, faculty, and alumni-led start-ups through the pre-incubation
and incubation journey. The VC will work closely with start-up teams to validate
ideas, develop business models, prepare for stage-gate reviews, and facilitate their
progression toward incubation and acceleration. The role also involves
conducting outreach activities, strengthening the innovation ecosystem, and
contributing to entrepreneurship development initiatives across the university.
Learn more here: https://www.gitam.edu/
Roles and Responsibilities :
- Coach student, faculty, and alumni start-ups through a structured venture development process.
- Identify and on-board promising innovations, start-ups, and entrepreneurial talent across campuses.
- Guide ventures in problem validation, customer discovery, business and financial model development, and market readiness.
- Track start-up progress and ensure timely achievement of program milestones.
- Support start-ups in pitch preparation, stage-gate reviews, demo days, and investor readiness.
- Facilitate the transition of start-ups from pre-incubation to incubation and acceleration.
- Conduct workshops, bootcamps, masterclasses, start-up challenges, and outreach programs.
- Build and engage networks of mentors, investors, incubators, industry experts, and ecosystem partners.
- Leverage ecosystem resources and mentor networks to accelerate venture growth.
- Maintain program documentation, start-up databases, and progress reports.
- Contribute to strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem at GITAM.
- Utilize and continuously enhance quality of the venture mentor network for the benefit of venture teams.
- Lead the active and effective utilization of all ecosystem elements to drive value added delivery from the venture team
- Interpersonal skills
- Passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, and start-up development.
- Strong coaching, mentoring, and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Good understanding of start-up ecosystems, incubation, and venture development.
- Excellent communication, presentation, networking, and relationship-building abilities.
- Proactive, self-driven, and result-oriented professional.
- Strong organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a dynamic environment.
- High level of professionalism, ownership, and teamwork.
Qualifications :
- UG/MBA / PGDM from a recognized institution with a consistently good academic record.
- Specialization in Technology, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, or related disciplines is preferred.
- Additional certifications in Entrepreneurship, Start-up Management, Design Thinking, Innovation, or Business Coaching will be an added advantage.
Work Experience :
- 2–5 years of relevant experience in entrepreneurship development, startup incubation/pre-incubation, innovation management, accelerator programs, venture building, or startup ecosystem engagement.
- Experience working with startups, incubators, accelerators, innovation hubs, entrepreneurship cells, educational institutions, or research organizations will be preferred.
- Industry exposure in innovation management, startup mentoring, ecosystem development, or entrepreneurship promotion will be an added advantage.