Venture Associate

01   THE OPPORTUNITY

Most recent PhDs who want to move into venture creation spend years earning a seat at the table.

At Libris Innovations, you start there.

As our Venture Associate, you will work side by side with the CEO and the LIBRIS Partners across every stage of company creation, from the first look at a new program through diligence, thesis development, financing and launch. You won’t be a step removed from the decisions; you’ll be in the room where they are made, engaging directly with senior leaders across biotech, pharma and venture capital in both Boston and Indiana, including executives, investors, KOLs and IBRI’s scientific leadership.

Because we are a small, hands-on team, you will learn the craft of venture creation quickly and by doing. We will train you in the tools of the trade, from cap tables and dilution modeling to program budgets, market research, and what investors need to see before they commit capital. You’ll build a network across two biotech ecosystems that would take years to assemble any other way.

We also want your ideas. As you grow, you’ll have the opportunity to originate and drive your own projects, take on operating roles inside our NewCos and potentially found a company of your own. Whether your long-term path is becoming a professional venture investor or a top-tier biotech operator, this role is built to get you there faster.

Why This Role Is Different

02   WHAT YOU'LL DO

Evaluate and diligence opportunities

• Manage the LIBRIS pipeline and help own and refine the NewCo evaluation framework that guides our funding decisions, including therapeutic rationale, differentiation, defensible IP, value milestones, development pathway, market and reimbursement fit, capital efficiency and exit potential.
• Evaluate programs sourced from IBRI and external partners, assessing scientific data, reproducibility, IP position, translational path and competitive landscape, and turn findings into clear advance, watch or pass recommendations.
• Source new opportunities and support structured external diligence with KOLs, clinicians, regulatory experts and industry operators.
• Conduct commercial and market assessments covering the treatment landscape, the differentiation required for adoption and investor appetite.

Build the thesis and the plan

• Develop investment theses for prospective NewCos, including indication strategy, target product profile, development plan, value milestone and capital requirements.
• Build program budgets, R&D plans, cap tables and dilution models.

Finance and launch companies

• Lead or support the creation of pitch decks, data rooms and supporting materials for investor and business development discussions.
• Support financing, licensing and company formation, and contribute to NewCo execution after launch, including potential operating roles.

Represent LIBRIS and grow the network

• Build and maintain relationships across the biotech ecosystem, including investors, pharma BD, KOLs, advisors, CDMOs and operators, through proactive outreach and active networking.
• Represent LIBRIS and IBRI science at biotech events, forums and conferences.

Shape the platform

• Bring forward your own ideas for new companies, therapeutic themes and areas of science worth pursuing.

03   WHAT YOU'LL BRING

Required

• A recent PhD, MD, or MD / PhD in the biomedical sciences, or equivalent depth of scientific training.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to synthesize scientific, clinical and commercial inputs into a clear point of view.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the emotional intelligence to engage confidently with senior stakeholders, KOLs and investors.
• A self-starter mindset: comfortable doing outreach, running diligence calls and owning follow-through independently.
• Genuine enthusiasm for networking, including occasional evening events and forums, and for representing LIBRIS and IBRI in the biotech community.
• A positive, "roll-up-your-sleeves" attitude and a real appetite for ambiguous, early-stage environments.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered in lieu of the qualifications listed above.

Preferred

• An existing network among biotech investors, business development professionals or KOLs, for example through a biotech or venture club, or similar organizations.
• Prior exposure to consulting, biotech operating roles or venture capital.
• Comfort using AI tools to accelerate research and analysis.

04   WHAT WE OFFER

Libris Innovations offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees' health, financial security, and overall well-being.

• Health benefits: Choose coverage from a full benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans for you and your family, plus life and disability insurance, HSA or FSA options, and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Employer-paid insurance: Libris Innovations pays the full cost of short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance.
• Paid time off and leave: 25 days of paid time off each year, 8 company holidays plus a floating holiday, a paid company-wide shutdown at the end of the year, and paid parental bonding leave.
• Retirement: You can start contributing to the retirement plan on your first day, and Libris Innovations matches 100% of your contributions up to 6% of your salary. Your contributions and the match are fully vested immediately.
• Compensation: Final pay is determined by experience, skills, and internal equity benchmarked against comparable organizations to remain fair and market-aligned. Annual salary range: $100,000 – $150,000 USD.
• Annual bonus: Eligible for an annual bonus tied to organizational performance.

05   LOCATION & TRAVEL

Location. Hybrid, based at our office at CIC @ 245 Main Street in Kendall Square, Cambridge. We expect three or more in-person days per week for internal collaboration and face-to-face meetings with external partners.

Travel. Occasional travel to IBRI in Indianapolis and to industry conferences, not to exceed X% of your time.

06   ABOUT LIBRIS INNOVATIONS

Libris Innovations is a Boston-based venture creation firm and a subsidiary of Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI), an independent, nonprofit translational research institute in Indianapolis. We identify compelling science—both inside IBRI and through external opportunities where IBRI's capabilities can materially advance or de-risk a program—and turn it into standalone, investable biotech companies. This includes building the investment thesis, defining the development plan and the milestones that matter, securing the intellectual property (IP), and assembling the founding team and capital to stand up the company.

Our first company, Volari Therapeutics, is developing next-generation incretin programs in obesity and is actively fundraising. A dozen more opportunities are moving through our pipeline today at different stages of evaluation. Our team brings decades of company-building experience, with backgrounds spanning Third Rock Ventures, Arena BioWorks, Polaris Partners, 82VS/Alloy, Millennium, and the co-founding of Checkmate Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Regeneron).