Venture Hub Business Growth & Ecosystem Lead

Permanent employee, Full-time · Switzerland

Your opportunity:

Make a real difference in the blockchain industry! Build the change you want to see.

We are looking for a versatile and driven Venture Hub Business Growth & Ecosystem Lead to strengthen and scale the Cardano Foundation’s Venture Hub. This hybrid role combines startup-facing delivery and external stakeholder engagement. This is a hands-on, high-impact position ideal for someone who thrives in early-stage environments but can also navigate enterprise structures and strategic conversations. You will:

Coach and support high-potential ventures through product-market fit, blockchain strategy, and go-to-market readiness.
Manage the delivery of a structured program experience across business, technical, and ecosystem dimensions.
Lead investor and enterprise engagement to drive real-world adoption and ecosystem value creation, creating exposure for ventures building on Cardano.

You will work closely with the Venture Hub Manager, the Academy Director, and Foundation leadership to scale the program’s and ecosystem’s impact.

This is a delivery-focused, high-impact role that blends venture building, founder support, investor relations, and strategic facilitation. It’s ideal for someone who thrives in early-stage environments, is highly organised and structured in their approach, and can confidently drive execution while engaging with founders, investors, and enterprise leaders. The right candidate will understand Cardano blockchain mechanisms, startup dynamics and funding, and be passionate about scaling real adoption within the Cardano ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Venture Coaching & Program Delivery

Provide guidance and feedback to participating startups on product-market fit, blockchain strategy, and go-to-market execution.
Run weekly mentoring sessions with ventures, drive KPI setting and tracking, and help prepare high-quality Demo Day materials.
Provide tailored coaching and insights based on stage and needs, ensuring startups receive practical, actionable support
Coordinate curriculum design and scheduling in collaboration with the Venture Hub Manager and service providers.
Capture venture needs and lessons learned to refine the program structure and surface support gaps early.

2. Investor Relations & Enterprise Collaboration

Drive investor engagement and funding strategy for the Venture Hub program.
Manage relationships with active and potential funds and/or investors through regular communications, tailored updates, and curated events or side sessions.
Lead research and experimentation around funding mechanisms (grants, loans, incentive structures) to support venture sustainability post-program.
Support the Foundation’s Business Development team by translating enterprise needs into targeted blockchain use cases.
Design and lead outcome-oriented collaboration workshops with major organizations (e.g., consultancies, financial institutions, logistics firms) to explore migration paths from traditional systems to Cardano-based solutions.
Act as a strategic interface between enterprise innovation teams and Cardano ecosystem capabilities.

3. Ecosystem Engagement & Growth

Curate a strong mentor and advisor network across fintech, enterprise IT, legal, and product development domains.
Build bridges between startups and enterprise partners through matchmaking, pilot initiatives, and ecosystem showcases.
Continuously assess and refine the engagement model to ensure real-world adoption outcomes and ecosystem alignment.
Represent the Cardano Foundation at relevant industry events, innovation forums, and investor/mentor networks.
Coordinate with the BD team on venture introductions and help increase investor visibility and engagement before and after Demo Day.

Your story:

6+ years of experience in startup acceleration, venture building, or innovation programs—ideally across both early-stage coaching and ecosystem engagement.
Proven experience mentoring startups and helping them achieve product-market fit and go-to-market success.
Solid grasp of blockchain technology and its enterprise applications, particularly within public infrastructure.
In-depth knowledge of Blockchain is required, and an understanding of the Cardano blockchain including its infrastructure, ecosystem, and potential use cases.
Experience designing and delivering workshops for enterprise stakeholders and innovation teams.
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to engage founders, mentors, investors, and corporate partners.
Comfortable juggling strategic facilitation and hands-on delivery, with a bias toward action and continuous improvement.
Familiarity with the Cardano ecosystem and community, including a solid understanding of its infrastructure and potential use cases.

Personal Attributes:

Strategic thinker with a results-oriented mindset.
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
Excellent networking and relationship-building abilities.
Highly adaptable and resilient.
Strong ethical standards and integrity.

Your impact:

Accelerate Venture Growth & Ecosystem Value: Directly enable the success of high-potential startups by providing hands-on coaching and strategic guidance, turning innovative ideas into real-world applications that strengthen the Cardano ecosystem.
Bridge the Gap Between Enterprise and Web3: Drive real-world adoption by connecting enterprise needs with Cardano's capabilities, leading workshops and collaborations that move major organizations from traditional systems to blockchain-based solutions.
Fuel Sustainable Growth: Build and nurture a thriving ecosystem by managing key relationships with investors, mentors, and partners, ensuring that startups have the resources and exposure they need to flourish long-term.

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About us

The Cardano Foundation is an independent, Swiss-based not-for-profit organization. The Foundation is tasked with advancing the public digital infrastructure Cardano and works to anchor it as a utility for financial and social systems, thus empowering the digital architects of the future.

The Foundation facilitates the worldwide advancement of Cardano in enterprise applications. It develops infrastructure tooling—including where there may not be an immediate commercial use case—plus strengthens operational resilience, and drives diversity of on-infrastructure use cases as well as the development of sound and representative governance.

Another significant part of the Cardano Foundation’s mission is to engage with and support the Cardano community. The Foundation assists the development of tools the community can use to leverage Cardano to solve problems in new ways.

The Cardano Foundation has incredible employees from over 24 nationalities, across 3 continents, working together to grow the Foundation.
Here at the Cardano Foundation we are transparent, inclusive, passionate and innovative. We aim to have a positive impact on global change and breed a harmonious working environment for our employees to flourish.

Benefits:

Embrace Flexibility & Freedom: Enjoy the benefits of remote work with the flexibility to tailor your hours that best supports your productivity, while staying aligned with the team.
Collaborative Culture: We foster a collaborative remote environment where ideas flow freely and everyone feels empowered to contribute.
Thrive in a Learning Culture: We believe in continuous growth and development. Every employee receives an annual learning budget to invest in their professional journey.
Shape Your Career: We provide opportunities for growth and encourage you to continuously evolve your skills and expertise within a supportive environment.
Make a Real Impact: Your work will directly contribute to the development and adoption of Cardano, shaping the future of blockchain technology and its real-world applications.
Team Building & Fun: Connect with your colleagues and strengthen team bonds through a dedicated annual team building event, as well as a departmental team-building day. Enjoy an extra day off for your birthday and additional days off to celebrate milestone work anniversaries.
Work with Passionate People: Surround yourself with a team of dedicated individuals who are driven by a shared passion for blockchain technology and its potential to change the world.

Equal opportunities employer:

The Cardano Foundation strives to provide a diverse, inclusive and welcoming working environment. We are committed to being a discrimination free organization - including discrimination free space with regards to age, religion, race, nationality/ethnic origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Cardano Foundation does not accept any applications from recruitment agencies for this position. We refuse any responsibility for unsolicited applications as well as any associated fees. Unsolicited applications will be treated as direct applications regardless of the channel through which we receive them.

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We are looking forward to hearing from you!

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