Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it was turned into a comprehensive public university as the University of Louisiana by the state legislature in 1847.[7] The institution became private under the endowments of Paul Tulane and Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1884 and 1887. The Tulane University Law School and Tulane University Medical School are, respectively, the 12th oldest law school and 15th oldest medical school in the United States.
Job Description
The Venture Capital Lead is a senior investment professional and institutional leader responsible for all aspects of sourcing, evaluating, executing, and managing venture investments on behalf of Tulane Ventures. Reporting directly to the Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer/Managing Director, this role independently leads the full investment lifecycle—including deal sourcing, due diligence, Investment Committee preparation and strategy, portfolio management, fund operations, limited partner reporting, and institutional growth initiatives—while serving as a primary point of accountability for fund performance and portfolio outcomes.
As Tulane Ventures scales from its inaugural $10M SSBCI Fund to a $25M institutional venture fund, the Venture Lead will spearhead this expansion, applying deep investment expertise and institutional know-how to execute follow-on investment strategies, manage a significantly larger and more complex portfolio, and lead Investment Committee preparation and strategic decision-making. The Venture Lead will serve as a senior representative of Tulane Ventures to founders, co-investors, limited partners, and external stakeholders, driving fund performance and positioning Tulane Ventures for continued institutional growth.
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
Annual success is measured by:
Investment Activity
• Qualified opportunities sourced
• Investments closed
• IC materials delivered and IC meetings/strategy executed
• Time from intake to investment decision
Portfolio
• Quarterly reporting completed
• Founder engagement
• Follow-on capital raised and follow-on investment decisions justified and made
• Portfolio KPI tracking and financial projection tracking
Fund Operations
• LP reporting delivered on time
• Audit completion
• Compliance and data quality
• SOP implementation
Strategic Growth
• Co-investor relationships established
• Pipeline partnerships developed
• Fund operational improvements
• Support of future fundraising initiativesResponsibilities
- Investment judgment and intellectual curiosity
- Executive communication and negotiation skills
- Relationship management and ecosystem network building
- High attention to detail
- Ability to operate independently with limited supervision
- Strong project management and organizational skills
- Entrepreneurial mindset
- Ability to manage multiple transactions simultaneously
- Solid writing and financial analysis background
- Analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and provide relevant conclusions/recommendations
- Excellent computer skills
Qualifications
REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Engineering, Life Sciences or related field
- 8 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, investment banking, startup finance, corporate venture, technology commercialization, or startup operations
- Advanced financial modeling
- Cap table analysis
- Investment memo preparation
- Due diligence experience
- IC preparation, experience and leadership
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- MBA, CFA, IA, JD or STEM graduate degree
- Experience with Carta, AngelList, Affinity, PitchBook, Crunchbase, or Salesforce
- Prior experience with SSBCI programs
- University venture fund experience
- AI-enabled investment research platforms
- Knowledge of tax-credit and tax-advantage programs relating to early-stage and state-sponsored investment
Knowledge of tax-credit and tax-advantage programs relating to early-stage and state-sponsored investment
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