Vc Operating Partner Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Location: In-office, Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA Website: www.patentvc.com

Patent VC is a new-model venture capital firm investing in early-stage Silicon Valley startups. We combine capital with deep legal and IP expertise, backing founders not only with checks but with the full weight of seasoned attorneys acting as general counsel from day one. Our model is AI-first: we believe the next generation of venture investors and lawyers will use AI and agents as a force multiplier, allowing a small, high-leverage team to deliver outsized value to portfolio companies.

Our sole limited partner is Trademarkia, a profitable operating company generating $150K–$250K per month in free cash flow that is allocated to startup investments. This gives Patent VC stable, recurring capital independent of traditional fund cycles.

Investment check sizes typically range from $50K to $200K per company, and we expect to deploy roughly $1.5M–$2M into portfolio companies over the coming year. All investment decisions are made by equal vote of the partnership — every partner has an equal voice on every deal.

We are hiring a Patent Partner to join Patent VC as a venture partner — an equal partner with respect to the investments made during your tenure. This is not a traditional law firm role and not a traditional VC role. It is a hybrid built for an attorney who is ready to stop billing hours and start building equity.

You will be a lawyer with a business mind, responsible for sourcing deals, supporting portfolio companies as a trusted general counsel, and sharing in the upside of every investment Patent VC makes while you are a partner.

• Drive deal flow through extensive networking. Build and maintain deep relationships across the Silicon Valley venture ecosystem — other VCs, founders, accelerators, angels, and operators. This is a relationship-driven role; you should expect to spend a meaningful portion of your week out in the ecosystem.
• Present, host, and show up. Speak at local Bay Area events, host events on behalf of Patent VC at our Sand Hill Road office and elsewhere, and represent the firm publicly in the founder and investor community. Comfort on stage and in front of a room is essential.
• Earn the trust of founders. Serve as the go-to general counsel for portfolio companies, advising on the full range of legal needs they encounter as they grow.
• Deliver legal services across the stack. Patent litigation, trademark litigation, licensing, corporate work, and IP strategy. Patent prosecution experience is a plus but not required. What matters is that you are a well-rounded attorney founders genuinely want in their corner.
• Operate AI-first. Use modern AI tools and agents to make yourself a superpower, doing the work of a much larger team.
• Vote as an equal partner. Identify, evaluate, and support investments alongside the rest of the partnership, with an equal vote on every investment decision the firm makes.

Compensation is structured for someone who wants equity upside, not a paycheck.

• Base salary: A modest base (e.g., ~$100K) — intentionally low. This role is designed for someone who does not need a large salary to live in the Bay Area.
• First-year investment allocation: $300K of dry powder allocated to you as a partner draw. When Patent VC invests in a company, you may direct a portion of your $300K alongside the firm's check.
• Equity participation: The capital you deploy gives you a proportional share of Patent VC's equity in that deal. For example, if Patent VC writes a $100K check into a company and you direct $50K of your partner draw, you own 50% of Patent VC's equity position in that company's profit and dividend pool.
• Total effective compensation: ~$400K in year one (base + allocation), with meaningful long-term upside through the equity pool.
• Ongoing partnership: Distributions from profits, exits, and sales on deals made during your tenure flow into the partner pool you participate in.

• An attorney who is ready to be a VC — done with billable hours, ready to build wealth through equity and ownership.
• Financially positioned to take a low base salary in exchange for equity upside; you do not need a large cash salary to live in the Bay Area.
• A well-rounded lawyer comfortable across litigation, licensing, and corporate work.
• AI-first by mindset — you actively use AI and agents to amplify your output and you believe this is the future of both law and venture.
• A natural networker and public presence — energized by walking into a room of strangers, comfortable on stage, and willing to spend significant time hosting and attending events to build Patent VC's reputation in the Bay Area.
• Based in the Bay Area and able to work in-office on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park.
• A believer in the mission — you see why pairing capital with embedded general counsel is a powerful new model.

Years of experience do not matter. You could have graduated law school last year or 25 years ago. What matters is talent, energy, AI fluency, and conviction in the model.

Most lawyers who want to become VCs have to choose: leave law to chase a junior role at a fund, or stay at a firm and watch from the sidelines. Patent VC offers a third path. You stay in the practice of law where it matters — being the trusted advisor founders rely on — while becoming a true investing partner with equity in every deal you help bring in. The work you do for portfolio companies directly grows the value of the equity you own.

• If this sounds like the role you've been waiting for, reach out with a brief note about your background, why this model resonates with you, and how you've been using AI in your practice. Learn more about us at www.patentvc.com.