Venture Associate

**Who we are**

R-LABS (“Our Labs”) is a partnership of innovative corporations and game-changing entrepreneurs focused exclusively on problems in real estate and housing. Through our proprietary venture building platform, R-LABS co-creates and helps cultivate companies with new business models, to generate a positive impact on the community and build considerable value. R-LABS = Return on Society + Return on Investment.

The only one of our kind, R-LABS is the real estate industry’s venture builder. Innovation is a crucial part of our operation, and is central to our ecosystem focused on making a sustainable high impact. We are a start-up factory, launching and supporting fast-moving companies that benefit from our expertise, networks, funding and leadership. Real estate and housing are essential to everyone, but have complicated challenges that require innovative action. We draw upon granular insights and deep knowledge to address the many interrelated industry problems to bring about transformative change.

We’re looking for self-starters, critical thinkers and initiative takers to join our dynamic team of leaders. Innovation is in our DNA. If it’s in yours, join us in making a difference in the way great companies are built and major problems in real estate and housing are solved.

**Who we need**

We are looking for a **Venture Associate** to join a cross-functional team of investment, technology, venture, and operations professionals. You will work alongside world-class entrepreneurs, operators, technologists, and investment professionals to ingest industry problems, break them down into specific customer pain points, and coordinate Lab resources to conceptualize, validate, and launch venture-scale companies. You will influence key stakeholders to either push the project through to new company formation or press pause and focus the Lab’s efforts and resources elsewhere.

**What’s in it for you**

**_ Innovation._** This is a massive financial space with a tremendous number of problem domains being addressed by our companies. At R-LABS, we’re providing the framework and the connections that nurtures an entrepreneurial environment for innovators to explore the space and uncover the solutions the industry needs. Anyone joining us will gain an incredible amount of exposure into the innovative ways problem-solving in real estate can be undertaken.

**_ Impact and empowerment._** We are a purpose-driven company, building great companies that are improving the future in real estate. This is a place where your perspectives, your voice, and your ideas are welcomed.

**You will focus on**:

- _ Research._ You will “get out of the building” to capture and represent the customer’s voice, focusing on identifying measurable problems and opportunities across the real estate industry. You will lead 1:1 user interviews, documenting quotes, stories, and discussions to bring it all together to identify key assumptions, patterns of insights, and opportunities that will inform the overall strategy and viability of new business concepts. You will also dive into traditional online and offline research to understand trends, competitive offerings, market dynamics, customer needs, and more.
- _ Business design._ You will approach the new business design with evidence-based learning and hypothesis testing, translating needs into a Lean Canvas and full Business Model Canvas creation (read more about the R-LABS Venture Process on our website).
- _ Pitch and prototype._ You will create and present customer and investor pitches and serve as a project lead to prototype and iterate new business models. You will advocate for the advancement or suspension of each project (from ideation to new company formation) with all internal and external stakeholders.
- _ Financials. _You will develop a deep understanding of the business strategy so as to outline its resource needs, cost structure, and economic model while ideating new and disruptive revenue model options.
- _ The end game._ You will maintain a customer-centric mindset throughout the validation and business-model phases to create scalable go-to-market plans for the initial pilot and growth stages of spinout companies, always ensuring the end user is top-of-mind.
- _ Stakeholder management._ You will strategically manage expectations up and down, diving into the details to maintain an in-depth understanding of every project and every venture at every stage, while maintaining alignment with stakeholders inside and outside the Lab. You will rapidly respond to changes, pivot when needed, optimize as required, add or reallocate resources, and advocate for specific choices.
- _ Team leadership. _You will guide the work of analysts and collaborate with the technology, marketing, and investment teams to hit milestones and manage expectations. You will plan and lead meetings, ensuring transparent communication and knowledge sharing. You will assign work and ensure task