Phd Venture Capital Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Libris is poised to transform life sciences-and for millions of people, even life itself. 

The Opportunity:

LIBRIS Innovations (a subsidiary of IBRI) is seeking a Venture Partner to play a defining role in building and launching new biotech companies from IBRI's research portfolio and affiliated external sources. This role is deeply rooted in business development and venture creation, requiring an individual who can both identify high-potential scientific assets and translate them into compelling commercial opportunities that attract capital and strategic partnerships.

This is a senior role for a rare individual who combines deep scientific expertise with hands-on company-building experience and the investor instincts of a seasoned life sciences VC. The ideal candidate operates at the intersection of science, capital formation, and strategic deal-making; someone who has built companies from the ground up, understands how to position opportunities for investment, and can confidently engage investors, partners, and stakeholders to drive growth and funding.

In profile, this role is analogous to a VP or Principal at a leading life sciences venture firm, but with a decisive orientation toward execution and venture development. This is fundamentally an operator role with a strong external, market-facing component, responsible for shaping company narratives, building investor syndicates, and forging strategic partnerships that accelerate company success.

The Venture Partner will work in close partnership with the Libris CEO across the full lifecycle of company creation; from opportunity sourcing and diligence through launch and fundraising; while also playing a key role in expanding Libris' external network, strengthening its brand in the venture ecosystem, and driving long-term platform growth.

Responsibilities: 

Opportunity Sourcing & Strategic Evaluation

• Drive proactive identification of high-potential company creation opportunities by developing and refining newco criteria aligned with Libris' strategic and investment priorities
• Build, own, and continuously expand a robust venture pipeline by evaluating internal IBRI innovations and external assets across therapeutic areas and modalities
• Lead early-stage scientific, commercial, and market diligence to assess viability, scalability, and investor attractiveness of opportunities
• Translate complex scientific concepts into clear commercial value propositions to inform go/no-go decisions

Venture Creation & Company Building

• Lead end-to-end newco formation, from diligence through launch, including defining company strategy, value inflection points, and long-term growth roadmap
• Craft compelling, investor-ready company narratives and business cases in partnership with scientific founders
• Architect founding teams, governance structures, and operating models to position companies for venture-scale growth
• Own and drive capital formation efforts, including building investor syndicates and leading seed and Series A fundraising processes
• Support early-stage companies post-launch as a strategic advisor, helping guide execution and milestone achievement

Investor Relations & Strategic Partnerships

• Serve as a key external-facing leader, co-presenting to venture capital firms, corporate investors, and strategic partners to build conviction and secure investment
• Cultivate and expand relationships across the life sciences venture ecosystem, including VCs, pharma partners, and corporate venture arms
• Position Libris portfolio companies as high-value investment and collaboration opportunities, driving engagement beyond traditional licensing pathways
• Represent Libris at industry conferences and forums to enhance visibility, source opportunities, and strengthen market positioning

Platform Growth & Enterprise Development

• Partner with executive leadership to scale Libris as a venture creation platform, contributing to strategy, infrastructure, and operating model development
• Build and refine repeatable venture-building playbooks to accelerate company formation and improve outcomes
• Mentor founding teams and contribute to the development of a high-performing portfolio ecosystem

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree - MS or PhD in a life-sciences, biomedical, or related technical discipline; scientific credibility in front of researchers and investors is essential. MBA is also considered.
• Demonstrated, hands-on experience in venture creation or company formation - not just investment -including founding, co-founding, or building companies from an early research or concept stage
• Profile analogous to a Venture Partner or Principal at a life sciences venture firm: able to diligence assets, construct investment theses, build investor narratives, and engage credibly with sophisticated LPs and co-investors
• Established and active network across the life sciences venture capital community; a credible cofundraiser and syndicate builder
• Proven ability to pitch science and company narratives persuasively to investors and industry partners
• Comfort operating in dynamic, ambiguous, early-stage environments with a high degree of autonomy and initiative
• A genuine collaborator and institution-builder; willing to work closely with and in support of the Libris CEO on platform development
• Direct operating experience at a biotech or biopharma company, ideally at Management or C-suite level; understanding what it takes to run an early-stage company is critical

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience at a VC firm (as VP, Principal, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, or Venture Partner) alongside direct operating history
• Experience engaging with academic institutions and translating research into viable commercial frameworks
• Cross-therapeutic-area breadth; experience with platform technologies, and a wide range of modalities (eg., small molecules, biologics, oligos, etc.)

Compensation: Compensation includes a base salary and performance bonus through Libris. In addition, for newcos in which the Venture Partner plays an extensive role in creation and launch, equity participation at the newco level may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

About Us: Libris is the venture creation arm of IBRI (Indiana Biosciences Research Institute), purpose-built to translate world-class science into transformative life sciences companies. We identify, validate, and build new companies from IBRI's research portfolio and through strategic external partnerships - spanning earlystage ideation, company formation, fundraising, and beyond. Libris operates with the conviction that the best companies are built at the intersection of exceptional science, disciplined execution, and patient capital.

Equal Employment Opportunity: LIBRIS provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and does not discriminate based on age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.