Founded in 1995, Foundation Capital is a Silicon Valley-based venture firm that has pioneered early-stage investing for 30 years. Throughout our history, we’ve garnered $6B assets under management, 34 IPOs and ICOs, and 80+ acquisitions—and have been early backers of Netflix, Sunrun, Solana, LendingClub, Cerebras, and more. Across our enterprise AI, fintech, and crypto practices, we are the first check-in for technical founders (typically their lead investor), helping them bring products to market and go from $0 to $1M in revenue.
We’re looking to hire an in-person Chief of Staff who will work directly with our San Francisco-based General Partner, Joanne Chen, as her trusted right-hand. This position will be located in San Francisco and Palo Alto.
As Chief of Staff, you will create and manage the processes that enable our investment team to deliver world-class services and experiences to founders. You will engage across all functions of the firm, including reviewing new investment opportunities, special projects, partner branding/marketing, portfolio engagement, and management of administrative staff.
A typical day will be about 65% operations and 35% shadowing your partner on investment and founder calls. Responsibilities include:
- Tracking new investment opportunities via Affinity
- Managing and tracking relationships and communication within the Foundation’s portfolio companies, community, and partner networks.
- Processing and drafting email communication from your partner’s inbox
- Conduct research and investment diligence.
- Overseeing scheduling and contact management performed by an executive assistant.
- Launching and leading special projects
- Working cross-functionally with our platform team on partner projects, brand/marketing initiatives, and events.
- Rolling up your sleeves and doing lots of manual work, whether Affinity administration, data labeling, or more.
This position is different from your typical role. It's a unique opportunity to glean experience from inside how a venture capital firm operates:
- You will not be investing but join pitches your partner is leading. You will work with your partner to help review, analyze, prioritize existing deal flow, and support our portfolio. This role is a unique opportunity to gain a rare view into the VC business.
- This is not a 9-5 job. You’ll often need to work some nights or weekends, whether to hit a deadline or for a weekend pitch.
- This role is capped at two years; after two years, we will help you transition to an investor role or help you join a portfolio company.
We're looking for someone who resonates with the following statements:
- You're technical (have built software products before) and love learning about new products and business ideas. Whether it's an infra company, a B2B SaaS business, or something else—you love learning about entrepreneurs shaping the future. Most importantly, you are a fast learner, laser-focused on execution, and possess the drive to get things done. You’re deeply organized, detail-oriented, and reliable, above all else.
- You're curious and intuitive — a creative and unconventional thinker, highly analytical and logical. You're a prolific writer and pride yourself on thoughtful, eloquent communication. You know the right questions to ask and when to listen and learn. You have the polish and presence to interact with seasoned CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs regularly.
- You are incredibly process-oriented, run a tight ship, and want to create an A+ experience for those you work with. Nothing is too small, and you love to exceed what others expect of you.
- You have 2-4 years of full-time working experience.
- You are based in San Francisco and are excited about being in the office four days per week.
