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Email Ben Sun with your resume or linkedin at ben@primary.vc
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ICYMI
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Director of Network and Operations
Why this is a great job
What sets the folks at Primary apart is that they’re not only good at picking companies, they’re also really thoughtful about process and adding value to founders. Their Network strategy is core to their success, so throw your hat in the ring for this role and help them take it to the next level.
The nitty gritty
Company website: www.primary.vc
Who you’d be working for: Ben Sun + Brad Svrluga, Co-Founders and GPs
Location: NYC
Seed-stage investing done right is a service-intensive business. As low-volume investors focused solely on Seed investments in New York City, we do things differently than most firms. We’ve built a resource-heavy organization with the express purpose of delivering high-touch,unparalleled impact for our founders and companies. Our investing partners each have decades of investing experience in New York. We are investors, advisors, entrepreneurs and operating executives, and we maintain our distinct advantage by staying hyper-focused on those standout entrepreneurs and operators in our own backyard. This way, we are able to leverage our own networks to drive tangible results. This approach has allowed us to partner with great founders of companies such as Jet.com, Coupang, Ticketfly, TxVia, Chief, Vestwell, Electric.ai, Slice, BounceX, Latch, Ollie, Reonomy, Shoptalk, Mirror, and Noom.
The opportunity
At Primary, we are founder driven investors. We believe at the earliest stages it is less about the idea or business model and more about the person. The Director of Network and Operations is part of the investment team who will help identify and engage the next generation of great future founders. We are looking to build relationships with great NYC tech talent who will start companies one day. We want to assist them in the earliest part of their journey of being a founder, whether it be learning about specific business models and industries, connecting them with potential co-founders, or honing their skills as operators. Fostering a relationship as early as possible is core to how we approach seed investing. This is a long-term partnership and we believe it is based on the highest level of trust, support, and alignment. The Director of Network and Operations will spearhead this effort in both finding these future founders and helping the entire firm build a strong relationship with them.
What will you do as our Director of Network and Operations?
1. Identifying and Sourcing Great Future Founders
You will be leading our efforts in sourcing great future founders. This is about obsessive networking. Diving deep into companies in the NYC tech ecosystem and finding those star operators and leaders who want to eventually start their own companies. Expect hundreds of cups of matcha lattes and teas as you scour the hundreds of thousands of people in the NYC tech community to find those stars that we should be tracking and building relationships to eventually back.
2. Helping Future Founders
You will be building programming to help Future Founders in the earliest part of their journey. This will include group events and one-on-one help ranging from brainstorming ideas, learning about business models from a VC’s perspective, co-founder dating to founder best practices. You will connect them to other operators and investors to help them develop their idea and plan.
3. Build Systems and Operations to Support This
We believe in working smarter and not harder. You will be responsible for building out the systems to make sure we are sourcing and engaging Future Founders super efficiently. This will range from working with developers to build systems to identify future founders on LinkedIn to setting up CRM initiatives to effectively manage the tracking and engagement of this network.
Do you think you would be an awesome Director of Network and Operations? If so, here’s how your best friend should describe you:
You love to network. “Connector” is your middle name. You have a great nose for talent.
You figure sh*t out and can work independently. We don’t need to hold your hand to figure out what you have to do next.
You are a real problem solver. You look for creative ways to create leverage of your time and know how to build systems and operations to help create scale.
You are not an A-hole. You might be a superstar genius, but if people don’t always refer to you as a “really great person” then you definitely don’t belong here. We need to like you, and so do all of your contacts.
Candidates should have at least 4 years of experience and at least 2 years at a startup wearing different hats and solving a wide range of critical issues. What would make you an even better fit is if you also spent some time in a job like investment banking or consulting because that shows that you have done some broader strategic and industry work.
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