Chief of Staff

First Round is a venture capital firm laser-focused on helping seed-stage companies win. We love meeting incredible entrepreneurs and rolling up our sleeves to help founders build their companies from day one. We have offices in San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia with team members across the US. While this is a remote based role, we’re only accepting applicants based in PT.

We’re looking to add a Chief of Staff to our team who will work directly with Partner Todd Jackson as his trusted right hand. At First Round, individuals in this role supercharge our investment team by creating and managing processes that deliver world-class services and experiences to entrepreneurs. As a chief of staff, you’ll primarily work behind the scenes to support Todd’s work across sourcing, evaluating, and closing deals as well as supporting companies he’s invested in. The success of this role is defined by the increase in productivity and leverage Todd is able to achieve — if this challenge excites you, read on to learn more!

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As a Chief of Staff, you will:

• Manage and track new investment opportunities from initial review through final decision.
• Manage relationships and communication within the First Round community and partner networks.
• Conduct investment research/diligence and write investment memos.
• Track and facilitate support of portfolio companies, and engage other teams within First Round to provide support to founders and their companies.
• Help Todd manage and process his email correspondence.
• Manage partner projects, brand/marketing initiatives, and events.
• Ensure Todd is fully prepared with background and context prior to meetings and follow up on next steps after meetings.
• Execute special projects (building internal products, research deep dives, etc.)

This position is not:

• An associate position nor a partner-track role. Instead, it is an ideal opportunity to get involved in building incredible companies and to learn about investing from the best.
• Expected to source companies. Rather, you will work with Todd to help review, analyze, and prioritize existing deal flow and support our portfolio companies.

This is a unique opportunity in which individuals from many backgrounds could excel. Here are just a few examples of profiles we think could be great:

• An aspiring entrepreneur who wants to learn the fundraising and company-building fundamentals firsthand.
• A business generalist with a passion for technology and a penchant for learning new things fast.
• A project manager or operations guru with startup experience who thrives on keeping the trains running on time with little oversight.

We believe the strength of our team comes from diverse backgrounds and experiences. You might be a good fit if the following describes you:

• You’re fascinated by technology and how today’s entrepreneurs are shaping the future. You don’t necessarily need deep knowledge of the tech or venture capital industry, but you should be excited about the field and eager to learn the business quickly. You’re not afraid to ask questions.
• You are a fast learner and laser-focused on high-quality execution with the drive to get things done. You’re deeply organized, detail-oriented, and reliable above all else. You thrive on working proactively and looking for ways to make things better. You thrive on efficiency, getting things done, and doing them right.
• You’re curious and intuitive, yet also highly analytical and logical. You’re a strong and meticulous writer and pride yourself on thoughtful, eloquent communication. You know the right questions to ask, as well as when to listen and learn. You have the polish, presence, and high EQ to regularly interact with seasoned CEOs, founders, and other investors.
• You’re not afraid to dive into new topics and get up to speed quickly, especially in the areas of data and developer tools, AI/ML, and infrastructure. Highly technical subjects don’t scare or bore you.
• You like working closely with others and are comfortable with a frequent cadence of communication. You’re excited by a fast paced environment and embrace having to react and work quickly.
• We hope to meet candidates with at least 4-6 years of working experience. Todd is based in Los Angeles, so you’ll be expected to be online during west coast working hours. While this role is remote, you’ll have the opportunity to travel to First Round offices and events multiple times each year. 

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