What are the responsibilities and job description for the Summer Analyst position at Llama Ventures?
Summer Analyst — Llama Ventures
Bay Area, CA (On-Site) | Full-Time | Summer 2026
Company Description
Llama Ventures is a Silicon Valley–based early-stage venture capital firm investing in founders who combine cutting-edge artificial intelligence with deep domain expertise to transform industries. We specialize in AI-native companies across sectors including industrial automation, healthcare, fintech, climate, enterprise software, and next-generation developer tools.
We invest at the pre-seed and seed stages, backing technically exceptional teams building foundational technologies with long-term defensibility. Our partners are experienced technical founders themselves, bringing empathy, credibility, and hands-on support to entrepreneurs.
Though we are a new and fast-growing VC firm, our early portfolio already includes category-defining companies such as Fasikl, xAI, Anthropic, and several stealth startups innovating across the AI stack. We believe in disciplined investing, high-conviction partnerships, and giving founders freedom when they want it and support when they need it.
Role Description
This is a full-time, on-site Summer Analyst position based in the Bay Area (San Francisco / Peninsula). As a Summer Analyst, you will play a meaningful role in helping the investment team evaluate emerging technologies and identify high-potential founders building in AI and adjacent sectors.
You will conduct market research, analyze industry dynamics, evaluate new investment opportunities, and build internal frameworks to strengthen our thesis areas. Analysts work closely with partners, engage with top-tier AI researchers and founders, attend industry events, and participate in the firm’s decision-making processes.
This role offers an exceptional opportunity to gain exposure to early-stage venture capital, frontier technologies, and the practical realities of backing AI startups in a rapidly evolving market.
ResponsibilitiesInvestment Research & Analysis
- Conduct deep research on AI subfields, technical breakthroughs, and market landscapes
- Evaluate early-stage startups through product analysis, founder backgrounds, and competitive mapping
- Build financial models, scenario analyses, and market size estimates for potential investments
- Support due diligence efforts by synthesizing technical documents, customer feedback, and product roadmaps
Deal Flow & Sourcing
- Assist in sourcing promising founders, teams, and technologies through events, networks, and inbound channels
- Prepare internal memos, deal briefs, and investment recommendations
- Track pipeline metrics and help maintain CRM systems
Portfolio Support
- Collaborate with existing portfolio companies (e.g., Fasikl, xAI, Anthropic, others) to support research, hiring, product insights, and ecosystem mapping
- Facilitate communication between founders and the Llama Ventures investment team
- Contribute to portfolio reporting and strategic updates
Industry Engagement
- Attend AI conferences, meetups, hackathons, and technical seminars across the Bay Area
- Represent Llama Ventures at events and help identify promising ideas and teams
- Build and maintain relationships across academia, developer communities, and startup networks
Firm Development
- Contribute to internal operational improvements as we scale
- Help refine and expand investment theses in areas such as agentic workflows, next-gen AI infrastructure, robotics, developer tools, and applied AI
- Support special projects, community initiatives, and thought leadership content
Qualifications:
Required
- Strong research, data analysis, and writing abilities
- Familiarity with emerging technology trends, especially in AI, LLMs, robotics, or applied ML
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and basic data visualization tools
- Highly self-motivated, detail-oriented, and able to operate independently in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
Preferred
- Pursuing or holding a degree in Business, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related fields
Prior experience in one or more of the following:
- Venture capital
- Startups or founder experience
- Management consulting
- Software engineering
- AI/ML research or applied machine learning
- Experience using tools like Notion, Airtable, Affinity/HubSpot, PitchBook, or Tableau
Additional Details
- Location: Bay Area, CA (in-person)
- Program: Summer 2026 (full-time Summer Internships)
- Compensation: TBD depending on qualifications
- Potential for Full-Time Offer: High-performing Summer Analysts may be considered for a full-time Analyst role