Fellowship Description:
FVCG Description:
Foundation Venture Capital Group (FVCG) is a Princeton, New Jersey based organization that uses impact investing to provide pre-seed and seed funding to health-related start-up companies at our partner organizations (Princeton University, Rutgers University, Rowan University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Stevens Institute of Technology, and the Kessler Foundation) to help them advance toward and through commercialization. We work directly with academics throughout New Jersey on very early (sometimes still in the conceptual stage) projects. We augment the existing team by providing additional support and guidance through our staff and our advisors. This ‘operational capital’ includes our team’s years of financial, business, legal, and scientific experience, as well as connections within our extensive network of consultants, clinicians, and other service providers.
FVCG is an affiliate of the New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF), a not-for-profit corporation that supports health-related research and education programs in New Jersey through its Research/Community Health and Social Service grant programs. A third funding program, the Innovation Grant program, funded through the Foundation for Health Advancement (FHA), provides grants to support early-stage university technologies with strong commercialization potential. Together FVCG, NJHF, and FHA align to support health-related research and commercialization in New Jersey.
Social Impact Fellowship Overview:
FVCG is enthusiastic to offer a GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellow the opportunity to dive into the world of venture capital and impact investing while supporting health-related companies that are making a positive difference in patient’s lives. During the fellowship, fellows will be exposed to the general venture capital structure, FVCG’s specific processes and structure, impact investing, and the health and biotech sector. The fellow will have an opportunity to participate in meetings both internal with FVCG’s full management team and our portfolio companies. These may range from periodic check-in meetings to introductory calls with consultants to fundraising pitches and financing discussions. Fellows will get to see firsthand how an early-stage health-related startup works by also having the opportunity to spend time collaborating directly with some of our portfolio companies during the fellowship. These companies cover various sectors of health, including traditional small molecule therapeutics, biologics, digital health, and medical devices. With this experience, the fellow will gain exposure on the operating side of early-stage health-related startup companies. Fellows will also be exposed to the impact that FVCG, NJHF, FHA, our partners, and our portfolio companies are making on pure scientific research and commercialization, as well as STEM advocacy and our contributions to the overall innovation ecosystem throughout New Jersey.
Potential Responsibilities and Opportunities:
For FVCG:
- Draft due diligence reports for potential upcoming portfolio companies/Innovation Grants
- Perform life sciences/health/biotech sector analysis, highlighting recent trends and upcoming areas (i.e., AgTech)
- Assist with identifying potential funding opportunities at FVCG’s partner institutions
- Gain exposure to:
- Transactional agreements, including investment documents, intellectual property licenses, and other startup-relevant documents (NDAs, MSAs, Service Agreements, etc.).
- The regulatory processes across various fields, including diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices, and digital health.
- The process of protecting and obtaining intellectual property, including a broad understanding of patents, copyrights, trade secrets, know-how, and software.
- The commercialization process for different health-related domains, including therapeutics, medical device, digital health, etc.
For FVCG Portfolio Companies:
- Perform competitive/market landscape analysis
- Identify potential stakeholders and partners
- Create:
- Business/revenue models
- Commercialization strategies, including go-to-market strategy, sales, manufacturing, quality control, etc., and operations
- Fundraising strategies, including review of materials (pitch deck, business plan, etc.) and identifying potential investors
Fellowship Mentor:
Scott is a Senior Venture Associate with the Foundation Venture Capital Group where he plays a critical role in sourcing and evaluating potential investment opportunities. He also works directly with academic entrepreneurs and management teams of health-related early-stage startup companies to support their commercialization needs, including…
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