PRINCIPAL, VENTURE CAPITAL - Thrive Venture Fund

Business Development Bank of Canada · Toronto

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We are banking at another level.

Choosing BDC as your employer means working in a healthy, inclusive, and skilled workplace that puts forward the best conditions to bring together unique teams where employees are empowered to act. It also means being at the centre of ambitious economic and financial projects to see further and to do things differently, to fuel the success of Canadian entrepreneurs.

Choosing BDC as your employer also means:

• Flexible and competitive benefits, including an Employee Savings and Investment Plan where BDC matches part of your voluntary contributions, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, a $750 wellness and health care spending account, to name a few   

• In addition to paid vacation each year, five personal days, sick days as necessary, and our offices are closed from December 25 to January 1

• A hybrid work model that truly balances work and personal life

• Opportunities for learning, training and development, and much more... 

Explore the BDC Way in our Culture Book

POSITION OVERVIEW

BDC’s Thrive Venture Fund (TVF) is the largest of its kind globally, investing in Canada’s leading female entrepreneurs to drive transformative impact. The $300M fund was launched in the Fall of 2022 with a focused objective of investing in women-led, high growth, innovative technology companies in Canada.

Our investments in female entrepreneurs are bringing game changing solutions to some of the worlds biggest challenges across industries and sectors. We seek highly driven founders and teams who are leveraging breakthrough innovations in technology with triple bottom line vision: focusing on people, planet and profit. TVF is sector agnostic and invests in late seed to Series B companies with strong growth and highly scalable market potential, that bring together the best innovation, team, and resources to transform today’s markets.

Principals join one of our funds as experienced investment professionals to aid in sourcing potential deals, oversee their execution, and take responsibility for the investment’s relationship and performance.

In this role, you will be an integral member of our investment team and involved in all aspects of the investment and portfolio management process. You will start sourcing deals and leading complex due diligence efforts, managing key team members for new and/or existing investment opportunities that ultimately shape the future of Canadian economy. You are expected to play a proactive role in representing BDC Capital as a first-class player in the ecosystem, assist Partners in the leadership of deals, and coach Analysts, Associates and Associate Principals.

CHALLENGES TO BE MET

Platform Building

• Ensure that new and existing investment research files, business plans, and periodic performance reports provided by companies, as well as any other information collected by the investment team, are maintained in conformity with BDC’s policies and procedures
• Contribute to a high performing team environment within the internal fund built on trust, collaboration, and high aspirations
• Ensure the progression of professionals in the deal team, balancing workload, coaching, and identifying opportunities to assign higher responsibilities
• Assist on occasion with recruiting for the team and new employees’ onboarding

Deal Sourcing

• Lead initial assessment of companies by coordinating initial business plan reviews, managing initial communication with entrepreneurs, and referring sources, and preparing initial interview guides and alignment memoranda with recommendations to pursue or decline
• Build and maintain networks within the investment community, acting as an ambassador for the funds, BDC Capital and BDC
• Work with investment partners and other funds to build relationships for deal flow and syndication
• Keep abreast of significant developments and activities in the entrepreneurial community and continue to raise awareness of BDC Capital through networking and related opportunities
• Contribute to the sourcing and identification of high-potential venture companies for investment based on the teams’ investment parameters

Deal Making

• Lead complex due diligence for new and/or existing investment opportunities by orchestrating analyses such as market, competition, management, sales, products, cap table, and anything that is relevant to determining potential business value and exit strategies
• Lead reference calls with competitors, clients, industry experts, and prospect company’s current or past employees
• Produce Investment Memos and support Partners in presenting opportunities to the Investment Committee

• Validate, audit and fact-check information provided by companies

• Review and comment on legal agreements negotiated by the deal’s lead

Portfolio Management & Support

• Assist Partners in managing efficient ongoing relationships with executives of investee companies, promptly responding to all inquiries in a courteous and efficient manner
• Stand responsible for a few companies to monitor and provide value-add support, taking charge of operational communication, and participating in board meetings (as required) and keeping abreast of developments to escalate critical issues to Partners
• Assist portfolio companies with introductions (e.g. potential suppliers, investors, employees), governance, financing, strategic planning, marketing, and other operational topics
• Support value enhancing portfolio company initiatives with a focus on driving to exits

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Typical Background

• 7 to 10 years of experience in a role involving structured thinking, financial analysis, and technical expertise. These profiles are likely to come from, but are not limited to:
  • Finance roles: venture capital, private equity, investment bank, accounting firm
  • Operator roles: technology startup, industry-leading corporation, industry specialist
  • Advisory roles: consulting, law, corporate strategy, corporate development
• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Economics, Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM). Other degrees are viable, if the professional has strong analytical skills
• A post-graduate degree or equivalent certification is valuable. Typical post-graduate credentials are likely to be, but are not limited to:
  • Master’s in business administration (MBA)
  • Other STEM Master’s or PhD degree
  • Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

Technical Knowledge

• Thorough understanding of the deal process, from sourcing to due diligence, to portfolio management
• Ability to read financial statements and translate its content into insights about the business
• Strong skills in Excel, particularly in building robust financial models that include sensitivity analysis and scenario modeling, as well as performing complex data analysis. Any other analytic tools and techniques are an asset
• Good ability to use other MS-suite applications efficiently, mainly Word and PowerPoint
• Good ability to problem-solve using structured thinking and communication techniques
• Ability to write an Investment Memo that is clear, concise, and eloquent
• Technology skills with wide application, such as coding, chemistry or electronics can be an asset
• Operational knowledge of any technical industry is an asset
• Bilingualism in French and English is an asset

Behavioral Traits

• Supportive, helpful attitude – sensitivity to identify what the fund needs, take ownership of team performance, and relieve Partners from operations so that they can focus on the deal pipeline
• Ability to work collaboratively and build positive relationships with stakeholders within and outside BDC, with a sensible approach to vertical and horizontal relationships
• Interpersonal polish, ability to influence pertinently in the context of business settings, including operational and executive audiences
• Motivation and ability to leverage work as a team, by taking a leadership role
• Enthusiasm to support and coach more junior colleagues, sharing knowledge and advice
• Continuous learning attitude, with maturity to give and take feedback constructively
• Comfort working in a fast-paced environment, where objectives must be met within tight deadlines

Proudly one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible environment where all employees can thrive and feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work. If you require an accommodation to complete your application, please do not hesitate to contact us at accessibility@bdc.ca.

While we appreciate all applications, we advise that only the candidates selected to participate in the recruitment process will be contacted.

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