We’re Hiring a Summer Research Associate in Boston

You’re a relentlessly curious self-starter who is ready help us identify and explore new investment opportunities in Boston.

Apply Here

When you join Pillar as our Summer Research Associate, you’ll help us identify areas that are ripe for innovation and investment. You’ll have a direct impact on where we choose to focus our time and energy, introducing our team to new concepts and technologies that have the potential to shape our collective future.

This is a full-time role in our Boston office for the Summer of 2019.

Who We Are

Pillar is the first capital in for founders building the next-generation of pillar companies in Boston. We’re proud investors in companies like PillPack, Desktop Metal, Algorand, Hometap, Kuebix, Asimov, and Soofa.

We started Pillar with the belief that there has to be a better way for founders and investors to align. We began with a simple hypothesis — that if we treat founders the way we would want to be treated, that good things will happen. That if we align every incentive, every action and decision to realize mutual benefit, we will engender trust, and from that, achieve profound results. It’s that simple.

Our firm was co-founded by Jamie Goldstein, who spent 18 years at North Bridge Venture Partners, and 17 world-class CEOs and executives from top Boston companies like Wayfair, TripAdvisor, DraftKings and Rapid7. All are investors in our firm, but are also owners, bringing their insight and experience to our portfolio companies as advisors, mentors, board members and customers. Goldstein is joined by Russ Wilcox (E Ink, Transatomic Power, Piper Therapeutics) and Sarah Hodges (Pluralsight, RunKeeper, Intelligent.ly) in managing the fund, and by team members, Parker McKee and Katie Mulligan. Collectively, we have over 50 years’ experience building and scaling companies.

Who You Are

• You’re relentlessly curious. Your favorite word is “Why?” You aren’t intimidated by tough topics that others are shy to tackle. You’re a sponge for information, and are constantly exploring new industries, ideas, technologies and tools.
• You’ve never met a problem you couldn’t tackle. You’re deeply analytical, and can channel the mindset of a consultant, stepping back to get the lay of the land before breaking down challenges. You can see the big picture, but can just as easily drill into the details; you thrive on understanding how it all fits together.
• You’re highly analytical. You think like an entrepreneur, and are fanatical about identifying where real customer pain exists.
• You’re impact-oriented. You’re a self-starter, and don’t require direction to seek out new ways to make a difference. “Bored” isn’t a state that exists for you; you’re always on the lookout for new opportunities to create momentum.
• You’re a connector. You enjoy meeting new people and building a community, but more importantly, like to connect the dots, putting people together who mutually benefit from shared skills, ideas, and perspectives.
• You advocate for founders. You have empathy for entrepreneurs, perhaps because you’ve spent time building companies yourself.

Your Responsibilities

• Conduct research through a combination of first-person interviews, online research and data analysis to identify appealing opportunities for innovation.
• Within an industry of focus, understand existing funding dynamics, time to market, capital intensity, basis for competition and funding alternatives.
• Use this information to develop a recommendation around attractive areas for new investment and how best to address these opportunities.

How to Apply

Our process starts with having candidates answer two questions by recording videos, as well as submitting two short written pieces. Apply here.

Here are the questions:

1. Video 1: Why are you interested in the Summer Research Associate role? [30 seconds]
2. Video 2: What is an example of an area in which you developed research or expertise, and how did you become an expert? [60 seconds]
3. Written 1: An email asking for a meeting with the founder of a startup you admire.
4. Written 2: An argument for a space or a changing market dynamic that will create a unique opportunity for innovation. [750 words max]