Today, we’re kicking off the search for a few exceptional people to join our investment team as associates. We are hiring across all our offices in San Francisco, New York, and Boston, for both early-stage and growth-stage investing, in focus areas including business software, infrastructure/security, and consumer applications. Let me share a bit about us, what we look for, and how you can apply.

In 1984, Bain Capital was founded initially as a venture and growth equity fund. Today Bain Capital manages over $105 billion in assets, making us one of the world’s largest alternative investment managers. We have always backed entrepreneurs early — one of our first investments was a seed check in Staples — but in 2001, Bain Capital Ventures was formed to double down on those roots.

Over the past 15 years, Bain Capital Ventures has stayed true to our mission — leverage deep sector expertise, unparalleled Fortune 5000 access, and a passionate team of investors to empower talented entrepreneurs. That mission led us to some amazing outcomes, including many IPOs (DocuSign, LinkedIn, Sendgrid, SolarWinds, SurveyMonkey, Taleo, Rapid7) and numerous other marquee companies (Jet.com, Wrike, Kiva Systems, Ability, and TellApart, to name a few).

The past year has been an exciting one for the team. Several of our portfolio companies achieved escape velocity, including Flywire, FourKites, Sysdig, and Rent the Runway, while others were snatched up by broader platforms: Twilio acquired SendGrid, Vista Equity acquired Wrike, Palo Alto Networks purchased Evident.io, and Nutanix bought up Frame. With the wind at our backs, we closed a new $1 billion fund to back the next wave of industry-transforming companies.

Moreover, we continue to be fortunate to work with incredible founders, with new investments in areas as diverse as autonomous trucking (Ike), micromobility (Lime), IoT security (Armis), behavioral health (AbleTo), mobile engagement (Attentive), real estate financing (Ribbon), and cryptocurrency exchanges (SeedCX). As technology becomes ever more central to our economy, finding the best entrepreneurs and companies to invest in requires us to keep leveling up our team — and that’s where you come in.

What do associates do?

Venture is an apprenticeship business, and associates work directly with our principals and partners to support all aspects of the investment process. It’s great exposure — and a lot of responsibility:

• Source investment opportunities — We trust associates to play a key role in meeting teams, including through direct outreach and by attending conferences, demo days and meet-ups. Successful associates are an integral part of their ecosystem and develop deep relationships with entrepreneurs, fellow investors and relevant industry executives.
• Evaluate potential investments — Associates are critical in driving investment diligence, working with a lead partner to answer key questions and frame the opportunity for review by our investment committee. Diligence often centers on questions including market dynamics, competitive landscape and customer traction.
• Support portfolio companies — Our real work often begins after the investment. Associates partner closely with portfolio companies and help founders with business development, financial planning, fundraising, opportunistic M&A, hiring and more.

How do we define exceptional talent?

People from a wide range of backgrounds have become successful venture capitalists and there is no formula. But we do gravitate towards these attributes:

• At least 2–4 years of work experience, encompassing either (or ideally both):
• Startup experience in a high-growth tech company, particularly in roles like product management, business operations and marketing. Having walked a similar path helps you become an empathetic guide.
• Analytical and commercial background from roles like management consulting, M&A advisory and equity research — great foundations for understanding business models and levers for growth.
• High level of self-motivation, creativity and comfort with lack of structure. No one will be scripting your days, so entrepreneurialism is incredibly valuable.
• Tireless curiosity and a demonstrated interest in technology. There’s a lot of meetings, reading and product deep-dives in this job, and it’s tough if you’re not genuinely excited about the content.
• Relationship-building. Tech is a deep and wonderful community — if you have mentors, close friends or former managers who know us, don’t hesitate to have them put in a good word.
• Passion. Founders rightfully expect a lot from the investors they partner with. Delivering to those standards can require long hours, but your passion for enabling founders will be directly proportional to your impact.

How can you get involved?

To ensure consideration, please submit your resume through our application by Monday, April 1, as well as a one-paragraph answer to either of these prompts:

• Describe an experience you’ve had that illustrates why venture capital is exciting to you.
• Share your perspective of a technology trend or opportunity that you believe Bain Capital Ventures should be spending time on

If you progress in the interview process, we will ask you for a one-page investment memo outlining a pre-Series B team or company that you believe Bain Capital Ventures should invest in.

Talk to you soon

We are thrilled to kick off this search, to learn more about you, and to welcome your incredible talent to our team over the next few months. Please let us know if we could answer any of your questions or concerns.