At Maveron, our sole focus is backing those groundbreaking consumer brands that have the power to shift paradigms and redefine industries. Our portfolio speaks volumes about our commitment, with companies like General Assembly, Trupanion, Zulily, Lovevery, Two Chairs, eBay, and countless others that have made waves in their respective sectors.
We are students of consumer behavior and with great excitement, we’re announcing the hunt for a Research Associate to join our team and help research the most exciting emerging consumer sectors. For those who’re poised at the intersection of understanding consumer behavior, venture capital, and research, this role is a goldmine. As the Research Associate, you will be diving deep into trend analyses, crafting investment theses, curating internal reports, and providing thought leadership that informs our investment strategies.
Here’s a candid heads-up: We’re not envisioning this role as a stepping stone to an investment role at Maveron. This role is distinct, vital, and has its own growth trajectory as our Research efforts intensify in the future.
We value transparency and fairness in our selection process. We expect a high volume of applications, and we’re committed to reviewing each one with care and attention.
To offer you a glimpse of our application:
- Written Tasks: Dive into scenarios and challenges that resonate with the core of the Research Associate role. We’re eager to read your analytical and research prowess in action.
- Videos: Express yourself on camera! Answer a few questions that give us insights into your passion, expertise, and initiative.
Start the Application
Important Dates to Remember
All applications must reach us by Monday, Nov 20th, 2023, at 5 pm Eastern Time.
We plan to wrap up our review process by the end of November. Following our initial reviews, selected candidates will be invited for virtual interviews, culminating in an in-person meet-up for the finalists.
We’re charting out a timeline that sees this process conclude by December, with our chosen Research Associate ready to embark on their Maveron journey in January 2024.
Research Associate Role
You will have an active influence in the research, insights, investment theses, trend analysis, internal reports, and thought leadership at Maveron. It is extremely important that you have a keen interest, both professionally and personally, in being involved at the intersection of understanding consumer behavior, venture capital, and research. The ideal candidate will combine a strong quantitative skill set with a range of qualitative skills in order to effectively communicate their research in writing and verbal format.
We want to be clear that this role is not a pathway to an investment role at Maveron. We want you to be excited about this role and its growth trajectory in the firm as the Research team continues to grow. We believe this is a great opportunity for someone to work alongside us and grow their responsibilities over time as we continue to build out the Maveron Research team.
This is a full-time role and must be based in San Francisco, Seattle or NYC.
Responsibilities
The Research Associate will be given a large amount of responsibility as they contribute to the Maveron team’s efforts in developing investment theses, writing internal reports, and releasing externally facing insights. We fully expect this person to be a self-starter able to leverage a variety of resources to uncover insights — the investing partners, the Maveron portfolio and outside resources. They will also be responsible for facilitating conversations and building relationships between key people (operators, potential founders, founders) and the investment team.
You should be highly motivated, confident, humble, teachable, enthusiastic, articulate, able to communicate your ideas (written and verbally), work well in high pressure situations, and be a self-starter who works on your own initiative. As in every exciting industry, you will also need to be flexible and willing to get involved in many different aspects of the business as required. We are all hands on deck.
The responsibilities primarily include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Lead the process of writing and publishing research reports, crafting new investment theses, and assisting the Maveron portfolio with ad-hoc insights.
- Collaborate with the Investment team to develop investment theses for select opportunity areas of interest.
- Run monthly thesis sprints on new consumer opportunities.
- Assist in preliminary due diligence on specific opportunities to assess attractiveness.
- Maintain constant coverage of industry-related news, trends, and developments. Disseminate your insight when appropriate to internal and external stakeholders.
- Communicate the Maveron research and insights to the broader market, building its brand to generate further inbound interest to the firm from third parties.
- Identify and interview industry subject matter experts, key opinion leaders, and management from early-stage companies — and use this external network to diligence new opportunities and support portfolio companies.
- General Contribution: we expect to hear thoughts and ideas on how we can improve the firm and our strategy.
Requirements
- 2–6 years of work experience
- Preferably from one of the following professions (though not required): equity research, investment banking, corporate strategy, management consulting, venture capital.
- Keen interest in consumer behavior and trends
- Native understanding of social media, with strong proven content creation capability
- Collaborative and team-oriented
- Ability to thrive in an unstructured environment with incomplete data
- Outstanding project management skills, detail-oriented, proactive and self-motivated
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
Through the internal and market data Maveron has collected, we expect the base salary range for this position to be $120,000 — $150,000 per year. Actual starting pay may vary based on a range of factors which can include experience, skills, and scope. This role is eligible for additional performance-based compensation as well as a comprehensive benefits package.
FAQs To Quench Your Curiosity
- Where will the role be based?
The Research Associate can choose to be based in San Francisco, Seattle, or NYC.
2. What’s Maveron’s ethos?
At Maveron, our values define us. We are unapologetically unique, prioritize relationships over transactions, blend profit with purpose, and always aim to win the right way.
3. Who is an ideal candidate?
We’re on the lookout for individuals who are analytical yet possess a range of qualitative skills. An innate interest in consumer behavior, venture capital, and research is a must. Prior work experience, especially in sectors like equity research, investment banking, corporate strategy, management consulting, or venture capital, would be a significant asset.
4. How do I apply?
Join us in our pursuit of the next big consumer wave. If you’re as obsessed with the future of consumer brands as we are, Maveron awaits your brilliance!
