Program Co-Director, FoundersBoost SoCal CommerceTech Accelerator

About the role

This position is to oversee the Fall CommerceTech accelerator, however, the right candidate may continue to co-Direct the Spring B2B accelerator under a separate contract.

Responsibilities

• Lead all phases of the accelerator cohort, including recruiting, in-program sessions, and post-programming support.
• Manage a small support team including a Program Manager and Associate and liaise with HQ.
• Deepen community partnerships and leverage startup ecosystem leaders such as mentors, investors, and other seed-stage accelerators.
• Represent FoundersBoost at industry events.
• Help in sourcing startup teams within the local community.
• Decision-making responsibility for selecting 8 startup teams from a pool of applicants.
• Act as the Lead Mentor for cohort founders. Provide guidance to entrepreneurs on business model refinement, market strategy, partnerships, and pitch preparation.
• Host 3-hour, in-person, weekly sessions. Source potential mentors, guest speakers, and industry experts to participate in the weekly sessions.
• Find and work with ecosystem partners and sponsors to help further the capacity of the program.
• Guide participants in preparing for demo day, ensuring they effectively showcase their progress and potential to investors and stakeholders.
• Oversee, coordinate, and delegate tasks for our exclusive in-person Demo Day event. Manage additional events (~2) held in coordination with our partners.

Requirements

Strong operational expertise, with a track record of pro-actively managing projects and teams effectively.

Exceptional leadership skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate, and guide participants and team members.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders. Comfortable speaking to audiences in excess of 50 people.

Experience in pre-investment stages of startups, including fundraising and investor relations, is highly desirable.

Strong local network of startup leaders, exited founders, and other professionals with deep, early-scale experience, to serve as mentors and speakers.

Passion for supporting local startup ecosystems and a commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.

Qualifications

Not specified.

Skills

Not specified.

Benefits

Not specified.

Pay

$10k per cohort (5 months) with the possibility of additional sponsorship commission.

Schedule

Part-time position requiring a consistent 10 hour per week time commitment, with some weeks averaging 10-15 hours, depending on the cohort program cycle. The sessions, office hours, and demo day will require the candidate to be in-person, while much of the remaining commitment can take place remotely.