Discover

The Opportunity

Halifax, NS | Moncton, NB | St. John's, NL
Can work Remote
Business Analysis
Experienced
Full-time

Are you passionate about entrepreneurship? Do you consider yourself a leader in the startup ecosystem? Do you have a background in business and technology? Do you want to contribute to the success stories of tech companies in Atlantic Canada?

Propel aims to be a catalyst to establish Atlantic Canada as a nerve centre for technology. We help entrepreneurs build high-value tech companies through our redesigned virtual accelerator Incite. With the successful implementation of Incite in 2018, we have immediate openings for full-time and part-time Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) roles. Like our accelerator, we are a virtual team based throughout Atlantic Canada.

The mission of the Entrepreneur-in-Residence is to help startups build their business idea into a viable venture with growth potential. The EIR works alongside founders in the Incite accelerator program, providing coaching, accountability, leadership, and support. They help to translate the problem the startup is solving into a product customers want to buy.

The EIR draws on their unique expertise and experience in starting ventures to help founders apply "Lean Startup" principles, and other innovative methodologies, to validate their assumptions and their business model through multiple iterations of customer discovery. As a thought leader for innovation and entrepreneurship, the EIR collaborates with other organizations in the startup ecosystem including community resources, mentor networks, and corporate enterprises.

What you'll do

Responsibilities

Please note: The time commitment for the part-time EIR role will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis, but is expected to be a minimum of 10 hours per week.

In this role, you will work closely with the whole Propel team.

Key outcomes of the Entrepreneur-in-Residence role:

  • Recruit potential companies from within Atlantic Canada for selection into Propel's Incite accelerator process
    • Participate in community-based events and lead recruitment workshops to drive application demand for Incite
    • Leverage community partners and networks for applicant referrals to Incite
    • The team target is 250-300 applications per year
  • Coach founders, using the tools and methodologies available, to validate problem/solution fit.
    • Help founders apply "Lean Startup" principles and methodologies and customer-centric activities in order to bridge the technology they're building with the needs of potential buyers
    • Use Incite framework and tools to continually evaluate founder progress and coach towards achievement of objectives and key results
    • Individual EIR target assignment (in full-time role) is 8-10 companies per cohort
  • Coach founders, using the tools and methodologies available, to validate product/market fit.
    • Identify effective growth strategies and prepare companies for growth and scale
    • Hold founders accountable to their objectives and key results
    • Ensure founders are conducting customer-focused validation plans and sprints
    • Aid founders in creating a culture of disciplined experimentation
    • Assist founders with creating a business case for investment
    • Help companies pivot/iterate as needed to establish product/market fit
    • Support founders in building a repeatable sales process
    • Recruit and match mentors with the founders and facilitate the mentor-mentee relationships
    • Individual EIR target assignment (in full-time role) is 8-10 companies per cohort
  • Coach and educate founders about opportunities for funding early stage ventures, including the expectations of the venture capital investment market
  • Be responsible for the delivery and ongoing improvement of Propel's Incite accelerator process as offered to early stage founders, in order to keep it at the forefront of accelerator processes in Canada
    • Work collaboratively with the other EIRs to create a seamless entrepreneurial experience.
    • Design, organize, and participate in fireside chats with guest speakers recognized as experts in their field
    • Develop content for the Learning Management System component of Incite by leveraging relationships with technology startup experts around the globe

What you'll need

Qualifications

  • Previous experience as a startup founder - highly desirable
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Science, or Business - considered an asset
  • A minimum of five years of professional experience since graduating from post-secondary education
  • Fundamental understanding of IT software development processes and techniques is desirable
  • For full time role only - must be based in Atlantic Canada.

We're looking for

Core Skills

Creativity/innovation – generates new approaches to problems Enthusiasm – exhibits passion and excitement in their work. Has a “can-do” attitude Coaching - holds the founders accountable, and doesn’t hold back on objectively analyzing and critiquing another person’s work Organization and planning - focuses on key priorities using Objectives and Key Results (OKR) framework Analytical – is able to structure and process qualitative or quantitative data and draw insightful conclusions from it Persistence – demonstrates tenacity and willingness to go the distance to get something done Proactivity – self-starter, acts without being told what to do. Brings new ideas to Propel and to cohort companies Flexibility/adaptability – adjusts quickly to changing priorities and conditions. Copes effectively with complexity and change Work ethic – possesses a willingness to work hard, sometimes long hours, to get the job done

Look for yourself

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A little bit about us

Propel

Propel is the e-accelerator for tech startups in Atlantic Canada. We work with founders seeking problem/solution fit and then building a repeatable sales process to grow their business. Through our methodology and dedicated one-on-one coaching, we help founders quickly validate (or invalidate) their hypotheses, make meaningful and measurable progress and be well positioned for hiring, growing their customer base and seeking capital investment to scale their business. Our multi-stage programming is provided to groups of founders in programs (“cohorts”) offered throughout the year.

Are you interested?

Work With Us

Propel's team thrives in a high-performance environment and adjusts quickly to keep up with trends and new technology in the startup world.

If the following core values resonate with you, there is a strong possibility that you will excel in our organization:

  • Radical Curiosity - constructive insight is expected and sought
  • Collective Ambition - we are driven by the greater good
  • We are Scrappy - relentless and unapologetic in the pursuit of value creation

In addition to our core values, here are the cultural competencies we seek from our team members:

  • Honesty/integrity - does not cut corners ethically. Earns trust and maintains confidences. Does what is right, not just what is politically expedient. Speaks plainly and truthfully.
  • Teamwork - reaches out to peers and cooperates with senior business leaders in Propel's network to further an overall collaborative working relationship.
  • Coachable - often solicits feedback and is open to constructive criticism and ideas of others.
  • Aggressiveness - moves quickly and is able to take a stand without being overly abrasive.
  • Accountability - lives up to verbal and written agreements, regardless of personal cost.
  • Personal development - embodies continuous personal development as a coach and mentor.