Head of Platform

Rice University•Houston, TX

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Ion will be Houston’s venture advantage platform. Powered by Rice University, we will bring together people, expertise, capital, corporate and community partners into a single coordinated system activated through helping founders gain advantages and compound impact. We will deliver the structures, relationships, and experiences that accelerate learning, traction, investment, and scale for high-potential startups. By doing so, we will strengthen Houston’s ability to sustainably launch and grow thriving ventures that deliver local, national, and global impact. We believe that when people are activated around meaningful work, it creates an economic engine that generates an abundance of opportunities for our community to prosper. We exist to help people pursue their life’s work. We are seeking a Head of Platform to launch and build this Founder Advantage Platform. This opportunity is to be part of something bigger than any one person by serving as the connective tissue of the Houston innovation ecosystem with a mission to help high-potential founders build, scale, and win in Houston. The Head of Platform serves as the operator and orchestrator of this system centered on developing and managing the relationship networks and crafted journeys and experiences—building this product to deliver repeatable advantages in support of our mission. This role sits at the intersection of founder success, ecosystem orchestration, and platform build-out. The Ion is the namesake building of the 16-acre innovation district in midtown, powered by Rice University. Designed to connect entrepreneurs, academia, investors and corporations to address global challenges, the building offers high-quality programming and events, coworking and office space and community amenities. This activation is led by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Rice University’s nationally recognized entrepreneurship initiative. The Head of Platform will serve on the Rice Alliance’s leadership team in support of our ambition for the Ion to become a globally recognized hub for innovation. Ideal Candidate Statement: The ideal candidate is / was a startup founder, operator or venture capital platform leader who understands the early-stage needs of founders and can convert ecosystem complexity into structured advantages. Using their experience building their own successful startup and working with investors and ecosystems, the ideal candidate is ready to build and operate a differentiated venture platform that gives founders measurable advantages by expanding their access to capital, customers, talent, expertise, and community. This person will be energized by the opportunity to work with founders and has the network and experience to connect them to what they need, when they need it. They will be comfortable and have experience in dealing with startup investors and activating a source of high-quality deal flow. The ideal candidate believes in Houston's potential and will propel Houston to become a destination where founders choose to build iconic companies. They will often represent the Ion at various networking opportunities around Houston and host regular networking events at the Ion. They should understand the unique needs of startups and what programming will help them further their ventures and how best to engage investors with these startups.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree
Five or more (5+) years in leadership roles at early-stage startups or venture capital

Nice To Haves

10+ years in leadership roles at early-stage startups or venture capital
Successfully led and developed high-performance teams
High-credibility networks with founders, operators, investors, and corporate partners.
Founder empathy and a founder-first mindset biased towards action and outcomes
Excellent storyteller who can articulate our vision and the Ion’s value proposition and advantages
High-velocity, AI-native operator who is a systems thinker who can manage and lead complex relationship networks
Community builder who creates trust, belonging, and momentum
Strong analytical and strategic ability to track outcomes and refine the platform to gain leverage

Responsibilities

Leads the development and implementation of programs, initiatives and plans to advance the Ion's mission and strategic objectives in regard to the venture advantage platform.
Leads, mentors, and directs the platform team fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence’
Provides visionary leadership, sets clear objectives, and drives initiatives to maximize business growth.
Works with marketing team to directs outreach including communications, marketing and events for startup and investor engagement.
Serves as a key liaison with stakeholders and constituency groups and is responsible for managing external relations.
Performs all other duties as assigned.

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