Seed General Manager

About Drive Capital

Drive Capital is a venture capital fund focused on building the next generation of great technology companies–outside of Silicon Valley. Founded in 2013, we’ve invested in more than 60 startups across the US and Canada, including Duolingo, ApplyBoard, and Branch. The investment platform totals $2B+. 

We are a team of founders, operators, and investors; many of us moving lives and careers from Silicon Valley to pursue the opportunity of our lifetime at Drive Capital.

This role is a strategic opening based out of Austin, TX that is designed to continue to expand Drive's ecosystem across North America. Preferred candidates will bring an existing Austin-based network to the role. Current or former technical operators are encouraged to apply.

Drive Capital’s F4 Seed Fund

Meeting entrepreneurs where they are in their lifecycle is a core principle at Drive Capital. We believe the next great founder is from any geographic location or background, and there is no straight line to changing the world. These founders, when working with the right partner, build 

technology companies from humble beginnings into the household names of the NASDAQ or NYSE. Drive Capital is that partner. 

F4 is the seed effort within Drive’s latest $400M venture fund.  It is dedicated to partnering with early stage companies and founders. Each company works with the local GM as well as a Drive Investor who is focused on the market they are addressing. We won’t have a traditional demo day, we won’t have one size-fits-all content, we won’t be a factory of early stage startups. The goal of F4 is to find the best entrepreneurs, engineers, and product people who have the grit to start a company and give them tools to change the world.

About the Role

Drive Capital strives to be a beacon that attracts the brightest, most ambitious minds in technology.  Working closely with Drive Capital’s Investment Partners, the General Manager is a manifestation of that beacon.  They are responsible for cultivating relationships with elite founders and founders-to-be in their geographic market. How you do this is up to you. 

First and foremost, we are looking for someone who is passionate about technology and is fascinated by how legendary technology companies get built.  You are an independent thinker and self-starter who doesn't need much direction and can figure out how to get shit done. You solve problems based on first principles and are happiest when you can rely on your own creativity and grit, rather than being forced to follow convention.  You might have taught yourself how to code, speak a foreign language, or have built something from scratch. 

The expectation is that the F4 team will attract excellent people by being excellent themselves. We view this new function as a critical part of how we accelerate our portfolio growth and build the next generation of legendary technology companies.

Ways in which we will measure success for this role: 

• Source and present seed investment opportunities to the Drive Capital Investment team.

• Partner with the Drive Capital Investment team to support the companies we invest in

• Create and nurture a network of exceptional founders and potential founders locally. 

About You

Venture Capital at the earliest stages is rewarding, but hard. Some of the early Founders you work with will go on to build once-in-a-generation companies, but very few, if any, will. You know that it’s ok to be wrong. Your ability to take risks will become the glue of this startup ecosystem. 

You love technology and getting your hands dirty. You have an extraordinary ability for self-learning and learning by doing, while quickly applying it with little direction. At Drive we are comfortable working in ambiguity with very high expectations. This requires strong emotional intelligence, active listening skills, anticipating the needs and requests of multiple stakeholders, and a high level of empathy. 

You are a rapid learner, a scrappy grinder, and a thoughtful communicator who is not afraid to fail or make mistakes. Your life’s journey is a story of intention, adaptation, and excellence. You know a lot of smart engineers, startup leaders, and founders and they know, trust, and like you. The network that you bring to Drive Capital will be valued and called upon deeply. 

Operating experience in a startup that went through rapid growth in a critical function; like product management, ops, or engineering leadership is preferred. 

Regardless of background, we believe there are 3 innate qualities that will lead to success as a GM at Drive F4. These qualities fall into three broad areas: excellence, resilience, an entrepreneurial mindset. These are our only hard requirements.