Senior Associate

About Alumni Ventures

Alumni Ventures is one of the world’s most active venture capital platforms, with $1.4B+ in assets raised and investments in 1,600+ companies. Our network of 850,000+ members and 40+ dedicated investors connects accredited individuals to high-quality venture deals—typically reserved for institutions—through our alumni-driven communities and diversified co-investment strategy. With offices in Boston, New York, Chicago, Menlo Park, Manchester, NH, London and Tokyo we’re rapidly growing and committed to fueling entrepreneurial success while developing the next generation of VC professionals.

We believe our best work happens when we’re together. AV operates as a 5-day-a-week, in-office culture because collaboration, mentorship, and shared momentum matter.

About the Role

This position will be relocating to Tokyo, Japan

Alumni Ventures is seeking an Investment Professional to join the Japan-based investment team, with an initial focus on the Japan US Bridge Fund. The title and level will be aligned with the candidate’s experience.

This role focuses on sourcing and evaluating Seed-stage investment opportunities in Japanese and Asian startups, partnering closely with US-based investment professionals to conduct diligence and support final investment decisions, and contributing to the broader development of Alumni Ventures’ activities in Japan and the region.

Alumni Ventures operates with the energy and pace of a high-growth startup. The Japan office represents a startup within Alumni Ventures and is building the firm’s presence locally. This role will be part of growing Alumni Ventures Asia and shaping how the firm operates in the region. Success will require flexibility, comfort with ambiguity, substantial self-direction, and the ability to operate autonomously while remaining aligned with a global investment platform.

Critically, success in this role also demands fluency with modern AI tools. Alumni Ventures expects its investment professionals to actively leverage AI—for market research, deal screening, diligence analysis, and memo preparation—as a core part of how they work. The ability to harness AI to move faster, go deeper, and produce higher-quality work is not optional; it is a baseline expectation and a meaningful competitive advantage.

Over time, this role is expected to become part of a larger local investment team as Alumni Ventures expands its presence in Japan. Alumni Ventures is open to applicants globally who bring strong context, networks, and insight into the Japanese and broader Asian startup ecosystems.

Reporting & Collaboration

The substantial collaboration will be with US-based investment professionals across Alumni Ventures.

In Tokyo, this role will support the Regional Executive Managing Director for APAC, the Chairman of Alumni Ventures Japan, and the General Manager of Japan in advancing Alumni Ventures’ regional investment activities.

The position requires strong cross-cultural communication and the ability to operate effectively within a distributed, global investment platform.

What You’ll Do:

Deal Sourcing & Ecosystem Development

Identify and source high-potential Seed-stage investment opportunities across Japan and select Asian markets.

Build and maintain relationships with founders, angel investors, seed funds, incubators, accelerators, universities, institutional LPs, and other ecosystem participants across Japan and the region.

Work closely with sourcing partners including universities, other venture capital firms, and LP networks to generate high-quality deal flow.

Leverage AI-powered research and intelligence tools to identify emerging founders, track ecosystem signals, surface thematic trends, and enhance both the quality and speed of deal sourcing.

Maintain a disciplined and organized investment pipeline.

Represent Alumni Ventures at industry events, conferences, pitch competitions, and ecosystem gatherings across Japan and the region.

Work with the local team to plan and execute Alumni Ventures sponsored events in Tokyo and regionally.

Contribute to the continued development and visibility of Alumni Ventures’ presence in Japan and Asia.

Initial Screening & Investment Evaluation

Conduct first-round screening of potential investments, including founder interviews, product review, market assessment, and competitive analysis.

Evaluate team quality, traction, market size, business model, and technology differentiation.

Utilize AI tools to accelerate market research, competitive landscape mapping, and preliminary company assessment, enabling faster and more thorough first-pass evaluation.

Develop structured investment summaries and preliminary analysis for discussion with US-based investment professionals.

Diligence & Investment Process

Work closely with US-based investment professionals to coordinate full diligence processes, including financial review, legal considerations, and market validation.

Apply AI-assisted workflows to improve the efficiency and depth of diligence—including market sizing, comparable analysis, and investment memo drafting.

Support preparation of investment memos and materials for internal review and investment decision-making.

Assist in structuring and executing investment transactions in coordination with Alumni Ventures legal and back-office teams.

Portfolio Support, Follow-On Evaluation & Global Connectivity

Maintain relationships with portfolio companies and support founders post-investment.

Evaluate potential follow-on investments as Seed-stage portfolio companies mature and progress through subsequent financing rounds.

Contribute to monitoring portfolio performance and tracking key metrics to inform follow-on decisions.

Support Japanese and Asian founders in exploring options to access international capital and growth opportunities, including connections to US-based investors, partners, and market expansion resources.

Develop and maintain market intelligence on the Japanese and Asian Seed-stage ecosystem, including sector trends, emerging themes, and competitive dynamics.

Who You Are

3–8+ years of experience in venture capital, investment banking, consulting, corporate strategy, or an early-stage startup environment.

Knowledge of the Japanese startup ecosystem is preferred; familiarity with broader Asian startup markets is a plus.

Experience in or exposure to the US venture capital ecosystem is preferred.

Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Demonstrated analytical rigor and ability to evaluate early-stage business models and technologies.

Strong communication skills in both Japanese and English, with the ability to collaborate effectively across geographies.

High level of professionalism and judgment when representing Alumni Ventures externally.

Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort operating independently in a fast-paced, evolving investment environment.

Genuine fluency with AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) and a demonstrated ability to integrate AI into daily workflows—including deal research, sourcing, screening, and memo preparation. This is not a “nice to have”: Alumni Ventures expects its professionals to use AI to work smarter, move faster, and deliver higher-quality output.

What Success Looks Like

A consistently strong pipeline of high-quality Seed-stage opportunities across Japan and select Asian markets.

Strong sourcing partnerships with universities, venture firms, institutional LPs, and ecosystem stakeholders that generate differentiated deal flow.

Clear, rigorous first-level screening that enables efficient collaboration with US-based investment professionals.

Thoughtful evaluation of follow-on opportunities as portfolio companies mature.

A visible and respected presence for Alumni Ventures in the Japanese and broader Asian startup ecosystem, with founders viewing Alumni V