Associate / Senior Associate - BioEconomy
Forbion · Naarden
Join Forbion as an Associate / Senior Associate in our BioEconomy Fund
Forbion BioEconomy is hiring an Associate or Senior Associate to help identify, assess and build the next generation of high-impact bioeconomy companies.
This is not a generalist life-sciences, sustainability or financial-investing role. We are looking for someone with direct experience of the technical, manufacturing and commercial realities of the bioeconomy and the judgement to turn that experience into strong investment decisions.
About Forbion & the BioEconomy Fund
Forbion is a leading global venture capital firm with deep expertise in Europe and offices in Naarden, The Netherlands, Munich, Germany and Boston, USA. Forbion invests in innovative biotech companies, managing approximately €7.5 billion across multiple fund strategies that cover all stages of (bio-) pharmaceutical drug development.
The BioEconomy strategy is investing out of a €200m fund in innovative biochem companies in four sectors: food, agriculture, materials and environmental technologies.
We back solutions that replace or reinvent products and services, alongside fundamentals of chemistry, biology and engineering. Our companies are built to drive significant positive change for the planet and future generations.
The Opportunity
As an Associate or Senior Associate, you will work across the full investment lifecycle: developing investment theses, leading diligence workstreams, supporting investment decisions and working with portfolio companies after investment.
You will assess businesses from Series A onwards. That means getting beyond the science and understanding whether a technology can scale, what it will cost to manufacture, how it compares with alternatives, who will buy it and what must be true for it to become a successful company.
This is a high-ownership role with meaningful exposure to investment decision making, founders, management teams, industrial partners, expert advisors and Forbion’s wider platform.
What You Will Do
- Due Diligence Management: Conduct, manage and synthesize due diligence into a clear, defensible investment recommendation.
- Financial Analysis and Modelling: Own the models, unit economics, scale-up economics, and returns working directly with management teams and expert advisors.
- Deal Flow: Develop theses, map markets, and source and screen new opportunities through your own network and proactive outreach.
- Deal Execution: support preparation and presentation of Investment Committee materials, deal documentation, confirmatory diligence and closing workstreams.
- Portfolio Value Creation: actively support portfolio company management teams in developing and executing growth strategies, navigating key challenges, and achieving strategic milestones.
Who We Are Looking For
You combine strong technical judgement with commercial curiosity. You have seen first-hand how technologies move from laboratory or pilot stage towards commercial production, and understand the challenges that determine whether a bioeconomy business can become investable and scalable.
Essential Experience
- PhD or Masters in engineering (e.g biology, chemistry, bioengineering) or a scientific discipline, and the ability to get deep on complex technical and commercial questions quickly.
- A proven interest and experience in bioeconomy, sustainability or industrial biotech
- 4+ years of work experience in fields relevant to the Fund's investment mandate with a background in management consulting, industry, investing or similar
- Prior venture capital, growth equity, or start-up / scale-up experience is a plus
- Ability to research and understand complex technical and financial topics in-depth and demonstrated a good understanding of industry dynamics and company positioning
- Independent, self-motivated, strong work ethic, enjoys fast paced environments
- Ambitious, proactive, show attention to detail, and with a structured approach to problem-solving and ability to work as a team player with a high sense of responsibility
Relevant backgrounds may include:
- Venture capital, growth equity, corporate venture or investment roles focused on bioeconomy, industrial biotech, food/agtech or environmental technologies
- Operating, strategy, business development, technical / commercial roles in an industrial biotech, biomanufacturing, food, chemicals, materials or climate tech business
- Specialist consulting focused on bioeconomy, industrial transformation, manufacturing or scale-up
Why Join Forbion?
At Forbion, you will be part of one of the best performing and fastest growing funds in Europe - a high-performance culture of dynamic, ambitious, and professional colleagues where your work will have a tangible impact on the future of planetary health.
We offer professional growth opportunities, demonstrated by the experiences of our General Partners, many of whom joined as Interns, Associates and Principals.
Applications
Posting will close on Wednesday 28th November. Following this, you will receive feedback from the team and if successful, invited to an initial interview.
Our process will include:
- Interview with Talent Acquisition
- Interview with the General Partners of Bioeconomy Fund
- Case study
- Interview with broader team, to include Managing Partners