Principal

We believe technology can create an abundant world: more prosperity from fewer resources. Getting there is a physical problem — it requires new materials, new energy and new biology. European research already generates those breakthroughs, but far too few make it from the lab to the market.

Our mission is to assist the translation of outstanding European science into world-changing companies.

Positron Ventures, our pre-seed fund, is the core of what we do: we back outstanding scientist-entrepreneurs from inception. Around it we are building out a wider platform: a fund-of-funds backing Europe's best specialist deeptech VC managers, and a foundation strengthening the entrepreneurial culture in the European deeptech ecosystem. 

We are six people, 13 investments in, and building this platform as we go.

Your Role

As a Principal you own pre-seed investment work end to end: 

• Go deep in areas where you believe scientist-entrepreneurs can create world-changing companies, and develop a unique vision that the team can base its investment decision on.
• Find Europe’s most outstanding scientist-entrepreneurs in whatever way you deem the most effective. 
• Run your own assessments of both the science (what makes it outstanding and defensible) and the people (ambition, judgment, stamina, ego).
• Take opportunities from discovery to investment decision: diligence, valuation, terms. We decide together, and your view carries an outsized weight. 
• Assist our ventures in shaping the right team, direction and early foundations.
• Challenge and sharpen the work of other team members, and work with the partners on fundraising and LP relationships.

Some honesty about the work: pre-seed science investing means being wrong often and finding out slowly. You will spend weeks on companies that don't happen, back people whose technology may take a decade to prove, and make investments that your peers think are odd. 

About You

We know that the ideal candidate may not exist, so don't hesitate to apply if you miss one or two of these characteristics.

• You have 4+ years investing experience in early stage science companies or running one yourself.
• You have a background in one of the natural sciences and a passion for science and deep tech.
• You are the kind of person scientists-entrepreneurs open up to. You can earn the trust of a first-time founder deciding whether to leave their lab.
• You thrive in the ecosystem: people remember you, and you are the one they call when something interesting crosses their desk.
• You like the occasional deep-dive into a nerdy topic and tend to become temporarily obsessed by it. As a result, you develop conviction in technologies or trends  the market doesn't see yet. 
• You are direct rather than diplomatic, and you question your own assumptions as hard as anyone else's.
• You have a fondness for the 'early struggle' phase, a few quirky personality traits and a well-developed right brain hemisphere.

What We Offer

• A senior investment role with ownership of deals in the core part of Positron.
• A clear path towards becoming a partner.
• Synergies from the broader platform (foundation, fund of funds)
• A collaborative and entrepreneurial environment where successes and failures are shared.
• Salary and carried interest in line with European pre-seed funds of our size.

Practicalities

• The start date is flexible — the sooner the better.
• We are a hybrid team with a backbone in Amsterdam and have team members working remotely. We are flexible on location but we do ask you to be in Amsterdam roughly once a month. Ideally, you bring a network in a region we don't yet cover. 

Apply: Please fill out the form below. Please do not apply directly via Linkedin, we will not be able to monitor those applications.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wOEtxkjZwv-ODtcVmsp6789uqSTrJ_iX_1SJKyQmYWI/edit