Our values: Rural America is a place of untapped potential. As an organization, we believe it takes a culture of collaboration — one built upon integrity, respect, and trust — to achieve equity and help rural people and places take on meaningful roles in the 21st-century tech economy.

The Center On Rural Innovation (CORI) is a nonprofit organization advancing economic prosperity in rural America through the creation of inclusive tech economy ecosystems that support scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation. Guided by a strong belief in rural ingenuity and small-town potential, CORI collaborates with the CORI Innovation Fund to invest in scalable technology startups in rural America to enhance economic growth and job creation in small communities. Our systems approach to supporting rural tech economies involves building a national network of local economic change agents; increasing the technical workforce and access to tech jobs; using mapping and data to highlight rural opportunities; making direct investments in underserved rural entrepreneurs; and closing the digital divide. We currently work with 38 rural communities across 25 states to execute on this model.

About the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund and the Green Mountain Launchpad 

CORI launched in partnership with the Vermont Economic Development Authority the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund, an “evergreen” $3 million pre-seed investment vehicle capitalized by the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Treasury program supporting Vermont rural startup accelerator graduates. CORI also received funding from the Economic Development Administration’s Build to Scale Capital Challenge for the Green Mountain Launchpad, a regional tech startup catalyst that seeks to support the deployment of the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund. The Green Mountain Launchpad will unlock the full potential of the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund and fill an early stage investment gap in the rural startup ecosystems across five CORI partner communities in rural Vermont: Rutland; Windham County; Springfield; Randolph; and Caledonia County.

The initiative will result in pre-seed and seed investment opportunities, mentorship programming, and dedicated entrepreneurship support to augment existing programming with the goal of generating more successful tech startup activity across the region. The Green Mountain Launchpad will ensure rural founders, particularly female founders, effectively engage the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund by connecting startups to pro-bono legal and financial accounting assistance, potential investments from local angel investors, and pitch development assistance to advance the innovation ecosystem.

A core objective of the project is to support the investment of public and private capital in early-stage, rural tech startups across Vermont. CORI’s five Vermont Rural Innovation Network communities will serve as the first point of entry for potential tech entrepreneurs, leveraging their incubator and accelerator programs to generate a pipeline of commercializable ventures. Green Mountain Accelerator Fund and Green Mountain Launchpad will work with CORI Entrepreneurship staff and community accelerator programs to identify the most promising startups with the ability to scale. These startups will undergo due diligence and be connected to potential angel investors, mentors in CORI’s Mentor Network, and pro-bono legal and financial services.

In partnership with the 5 participating Vermont communities, the Green Mountain Launchpad and CORI will track and amplify the success of startups graduating from their boot camps, incubators, and accelerators, and provide custom support as needed, ranging from mentor and investor introductions, to program iterations, to connections to potential customers or pilot partners and more as identified by the founders.

About the Role 

The Green Mountain Launchpad Venture Associate role offers candidates the opportunity to gain experience in the venture capital and impact investing sector. The Venture Associate will coordinate the activities of the Green Mountain Launchpad, a Vermont-focused startup catalyst providing resources to pre-seed startups in the state, and the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund, a $3 million early-stage investment fund. The Venture Associate will work to connect startups in the state with the network of resources available through the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) and the Green Mountain Launchpad. The Venture Associate will report directly to the Managing Partner of the CORI Innovation Fund, a national seed fund investing in scalable rural tech startups, and will be the first point of local contact for (a) early-stage companies looking to secure capital from the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund and services from Green Mountain Launchpad, (b) local business leaders and investors who would be interested in co-investing with the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund and engaging local startups and (c) Vermont-based organizations including accelerators, legal service providers, accountants and others who have agreed to support the growing rural Vermont tech ecosystem.

Duties/responsibilities: 

– Liaise with CORI accelerator programs in Vermont to understand their offerings and be familiar with the needs and opportunities of their startup cohorts;

– Identify and screen potential startup investments in Vermont for the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund;

– Conduct due diligence and write investment memos on startup businesses and their industries for the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund;

– Connect Vermont-based startups with legal, accounting and other resources available through CORI and the Green Mountain Launchpad;

– Network with business leaders and investors in Vermont to identify possible supporters and mentors for early-stage Vermont startups;

– Connect Vermont startups with potential private investors, mentors and customers; – Track the progress of Green Mountain Accelerator Fund investments and collect portfolio data for EDA reporting purposes;

– Provide assistance in deal generation, diligence and support to startups outside Vermont for the CORI Innovation Fund.

QualificationsRequirements
Required skills/attributes: 

– 2 or more years of experience in one of the following areas: venture capital, investment banking, consulting, corporate development, entrepreneurship or economic development;

– Strong interest in rural economic development and impact investing;

– Outstanding analytical skills, detail-oriented, proactive and self-motivated;

– Demonstrated organizational and time management skills, especially around balancing multiple workstreams;

– Experience in evaluating early-stage business and strong business acumen;

– Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and verbal communication skills;

– Experience interacting and connecting with a multi-constituent ecosystem;

– Ability to produce well designed professional looking materials;

– Strong computer skills, including use of Excel, Google Suite, web based collaboration and project management tools, and virtual presentation platforms.