Associate Principal - Thrive Venture Fund

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 world’s 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 and stage agnostic and invests in high-growth companies with highly scalable market potential that bring together the best innovation, team, and resources to transform today’s markets.

In this role, you will develop your ability to lead a deal end-to-end. You are expected to understand the big picture and the small details of the investment process and represent BDC Capital professionally before its partners.

As an Associate Principal, you will be an integral member of our investment team and involved in all aspects of the investment and portfolio management process. You will assist the team in building and managing an existing and growing portfolio of investments, work on new investments and help us build the next fund to support even more women in tech in Canada. The next generation of exceptional Canadian technology champions will be led by women and funded by BDC’s Thrive Venture Fund.

CHALLENGES TO BE MET

Platform Building

• Assist in managing the deal pipeline, reviewing quarterly/bi-annual reports and value assessments before Partner sign-off, and providing financial analysis
• Support other team members as appropriate during the development stage of an investment
• Ensure that the investment research files, business plans and other collected information are maintained in conformity with BDC’s policies and procedures
• Keep new and existing investment files properly documented by monitoring investments, amendments, and disbursements, including financial analysis and forecasting

Deal Sourcing

• Cultivate relationships with entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners, relaying any relevant information upwards
• Build and maintain networks within the investment community, acting as an ambassador for the fund, BDC Capital and BDC
• Stay on top of the current portfolio, identifying companies that are likely to raise funds and discussing potential new or follow-on investments with Partners
• Perform market research and scouting to inform the fund’s investment strategy, identifying emerging markets, verticals, technologies, or companies
• Conduct initial business plan reviews, manage initial communications with entrepreneurs and referring sources, prepare initial interview memoranda with recommendations to pursue or decline deals

Deal Making

• Coordinate and lead due diligence for new and/or existing investment opportunities by conducting analyses such as market, competition, management, sales, products, cap table, and anything that is relevant to determining potential business value and exit strategies
• Determine and validate performance metrics, creating valuation models, forecasts and financial pro formas

• Conduct reference calls with competitors, clients, industry experts, and prospect companies’ current or past employees
• Follow up on investments using appropriate databases, customer interactions, internet sites, research reports and other investment resources
• Validate, audit and fact-check information provided by companies
• Develop and maintain appropriate information resources and subject matter expertise in various industries, markets, and business trends
• Produce Investment Memos and support Partners in presenting opportunities to the Investment Committee

Portfolio Management & Support

• Monitor portfolio performance, comparing performance to forecasts and models, and relaying potential opportunities and issues to management
• Take ownership of a select group of companies, monitoring them and providing value-added support, taking charge of operational communication, participating in board meetings as an observer, and keeping abreast of developments to escalate critical issues to Partners
• Assist Partners in managing efficient ongoing relationships with executives of investee companies, promptly responding to all inquiries in a courteous and timely manner
• Assist portfolio companies with introductions (e.g., potential suppliers, investors, employees), governance, financing, strategic planning, marketing, and other operational topics

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Typical Background

• 5 to 7 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 banking, accounting firms
  • 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 degree 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
• 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
• Excellent ability to problem-solve using structured thinking and communication techniques
• Excellent ability to use other MS suite applications efficiently, mainly Word and PowerPoint
• Ability to write an Investment Memo that is clear, concise, and compelling
• Proficiency with using AI tools
• 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

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 [email protected].

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