Ada Ventures is a venture capital firm rethinking how venture capital works. We find and fund extraordinary talent where others aren’t looking. We invest in founders with breakthrough ideas who are solving the hardest problems that we face. Ada Partners LLP (trading as Ada Ventures) is directly authorised and regulated by the FCA, and manages multiple funds and fund-related entities.

Since launching in late 2019, we have invested in fast growing and highly impactful companies like Huboo, Bubble, Boundless, Materials Nexus, Micrographia Bio, Gizmo, Sidequest, MOONHUB, Greenworkx and some 40 other companies. We are still learning constantly, and our mindset is that of a fast-growth start-up, so you can expect a fast-paced, entrepreneurial culture that values teamwork.

We manage >£120M of AUM, principally across Fund I (£38M) and our current investing vehicle Fund II (£63). The firm is backed by a range of exceptional aligned institutions and individuals including Arlan Hamilton (Backstage Capital), British Business Bank, Better Society Capital, the Danish Growth Fund, Legal & General Capital, Atomico, The University of Edinburgh, Molten Ventures, Taavet Hinrikus (Wise) and Sten Tamkivi (Skype), First Close Partners and Illusian, family office founded by Ilkka Paananen, co-founder and CEO of Supercell.

We currently invest primarily in the UK but in 2024 we have expanded Ada Ventures into Northern Europe through launching the first Ada Angels European programme. There is an opportunity to spend time supporting the firm to build out the network and dealflow in The New Nordics as part of this role.

The Role

We firmly believe that the venture capital product needs to change and become more inclusive – and that will drive best in class returns for our investors (see here for an overview of Inclusive Alpha and here for our thesis). That is why we set up Ada Ventures. We have changed various parts of the investment process from how companies are sourced, selected and supported. The changes we have made to the status quo of venture investing have made it possible for any founder to raise money from Ada Ventures – no matter what their background. Without mandates or quotas our portfolio is 14x more diverse than the average UK Venture fund.[1]

We also believe that the best Venture Capital funds should be run by exceptionally talented people, supercharged by technology. As a result of this belief – we are looking for someone who can both invest in the very best companies, but also oversee the product roadmap for our investment process which can augment the team’s work.

As a senior member of the investment team, you’ll be responsible for all aspects of VC investing (deal sourcing, deal execution, portfolio management, etc) and you’ll have 5+ years of prior experience in early stage (pre-seed/seed) direct VC investing.

Alongside this, you will be responsible for leading Ada Ventures Product Roadmap – building new tools for sourcing, selection and support, and ensuring that the team are continuing to innovate in how technology can be used to supercharge VC.

You will be working alongside both of the co-founding Partners of Ada Partners, Check and Matt, along with the wider Ada team. This role would be ideal for an early-stage investor who would like to work in a fast-paced, impactful environment in a venture capital fund with inclusion at its heart.

This is a partner-track role, with the potential to become a Partner and ultimately a GP in the firm. The ideal candidate will have already established their own investing style/preferences/brand, so that they will bring a unique angle to the existing Ada investment team.

Responsibilities

Investment [80% of time]

• Source investment opportunities aligned with the Ada thesis and Inclusive Alpha®

• Lead investment rounds including deal execution, cap tables, legal negotiation on behalf of the fund

• Win competitive investment opportunities by being a magnet for founders

• Sit on 6-8 boards on behalf of the firm

• Meaningfully contribute to building the Ada Ventures brand in the market

Product [20% of time]

• Define the product and technology roadmap for Ada Ventures the VC firm, focusing on finding, picking and winning. This should include prioritising the most important products to build and whether to buy or build technology products.

• Track usage of products across the team and optimise internal workflows to leverage technology

• Build and test PoCs (proof of concepts) for internal tech tooling where necessary

• Provide regular tech landscape updates to the team on areas such as generative AI, robotics, and other cutting-edge technology

• Contribute to the firm's content strategy of open-source venture by sharing learnings from tech and investing.

Compensation & benefits

• Salary: £120K base along with meaningful participation in the long term (carried interest/equity) incentive plan

• Parental and adoption leave for employees that have been with the fund for more than 12 months. This includes a generous 18-month parental leave program that is gender neutral and applies for all employees who have worked at Ada Ventures for at least one year.

• Bereavement and compassionate leave.

• Best in class benefits including private healthcare, free access to online therapy (through Spill), additional parental leave support (such as childcare credits on Bubble), enhanced pension contribution. Business coaching is also available on a case-by-case basis.

• 25 days holiday per year excluding bank holidays

• Flexible working policy. We are open to a discussion about how to design a flexible schedule to suit your needs. It is expected that you will be out and about at events and meetings throughout the week, and there is full flexibility to arrange your own working arrangements in line with your schedule. The investment team tends to be in the office from Monday to Thursday but this can be discussed.

• The role can be London or Bristol based.

You must have:

• We expect candidates to be experienced direct VC investors. As a guide, this usually amounts to 5 years’ direct VC investing experience.

• Demonstrable interest and experience in building products and leveraging technology in investment workflows

• Alignment with the Ada mission and Inclusive Alpha®

• Either the beginnings of, or an already established, investment style / preference / brand

Key Characteristics

• You are passionate about venture capital and pre-seed investing

• You have the mindset of a product manager as well as an investor

• You are highly organised and adaptable to working in high-paced environments. You have strong ability to prioritise and manage workload effectively.

• You are an entrepreneurial self-starter

• You have a strong personal brand and founders seek you out as an investor they want on their cap table

• You have a strong network amongst founders and investors

• You have a good track record and can speak to your ability to find and win the very best companies

• You are willing to learn and have a growth mindset. You take responsibility for your own learning and ask questions as appropriate.

• You are a “we” more than an “I” – we are a very tight knit team, who are incredibly values driven.

• You agree to abide by our Code of Conduct and are respectful of our compliance responsibilities as an FCA regulated firm.

• You are social impact minded and want to be part of a team who is striving to become the leading inclusive investor in Europe. We are finding and funding extraordinary founders, with breakthrough ideas to solve the hardest problems that we face, using the principles of Inclusive Alpha® – and we would expect anyone who joins our team to be onboard with this mission.

Application Process

• Applications open: 1 May 2024

• Applications close: 12 May 2024 (23:59 GMT)

• Applications to include a full and comprehensive list of all investments you have made including your role in each investment. The information we'd like to see can be found here.

• Interviews will be held on a rolling basis, with first round interviews expected to be held from 6 May and final round interviews expected to be held around w/c 3 June.

• The process is expected to take place in this order:

  • Round 1: Initial interview with an Ada Ventures GP (Check or Matt)

  • Round 2: Technical interview with an Ada Ventures GP (Check or Matt)

  • Round 3: Values interview with a member of the wider Ada team

• Final round:

  • Informal lunch with the Ada Ventures team

  • Behavioural assessment (EDISC profile)

  • Referencing

• An offer is expected to be made in June 2024

• We will aim to get back to all applicants with an update by 20 May 2024

• If you have administrative questions or issues with the form, please email xun@adaventures.com

[1] Source – Ada Ventures analysis against UK benchmark funds, as at Feb 2024.