Principal Strategic Investing

About the Job 

This role is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing early-stage startup investments that align with Northwestern Mutual’s strategic focus on fintech and AI. This role drives corporate growth by managing the full investment lifecycle, building founder relationships, and presenting opportunities to the investment committee. This role offers the unique benefit of operating within a well-resourced corporate entity while maintaining the agility and investment discipline of a traditional venture capital fund and is ideal for an individual with a proven track record in venture capital who is ready to lead significant investment initiatives. Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures operates as the corporate venture capital arm of Northwestern Mutual, a Fortune 100 financial services firm that helps Americans achieve financial security. This role operates within the broader Corporate Strategy team and may be based in San Francisco or Milwaukee with regular travel expected. 
 
What You’ll Do 

• Deal Sourcing and Generation: Proactively identify and engage with promising startups, entrepreneurs, and co-investors to generate a robust pipeline of investment opportunities aligned with Northwestern Mutual’s strategic interests. 

• Investment Due Diligence: Lead comprehensive market, product, technology, and financial due diligence processes. This includes conducting in-depth analyses, building financial models, and presenting detailed investment recommendations to the investment committee. 

• Deal Execution: Structure, negotiate, and close new venture capital investments, including term sheets, shareholder agreements, and other definitive documentation. 

• Portfolio Management: Actively support portfolio companies’ post-investment, including monitoring performance, providing strategic guidance, and facilitating introductions to relevant Northwestern Mutual business units where appropriate. This involves working closely with founders and management teams to foster growth and achieve strategic milestones. 

• Strategic Alignment: Serve as a key liaison between Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures portfolio companies and Northwestern Mutual’s internal business units, identifying and cultivating opportunities for collaboration. 

• Market Intelligence: Develop and maintain deep expertise in relevant technology sectors, identifying emerging trends, competitive landscapes, and disruptive innovations that could impact Northwestern Mutual’s core businesses. 

• Relationship Building: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships within the venture capital ecosystem, including founders, limited partners, co-investors, and industry experts. 
   

What You’ll Bring to the Role 

• Experience: 5+ years in venture capital, corporate development, strategy consulting, or investment banking and a history of academic excellence. 

• Strategic Thinking: Proven ability to analyze competitive landscapes, market trends, and business models. 

• Interpersonal Skills: Strong ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with various stakeholders, including startups, venture capitalists, and senior leadership. 

• Analytical Ability: Demonstrated ability to evaluate and interpret financial data and other technical information, including proficiency in valuation, financial modeling, and investment structuring. 

• Communication Skills: Demonstrated superior written and verbal communication skills with ability to build rapport and gain acceptance at all levels of an organization. Strong presentation skills with an ability to synthesize, distill and summarize complex information. 

• Other Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Possess a balance of analytical ability and social fluency, a sense of urgency, and deep intellectual curiosity. Future focused. 

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