Partner Innovation Lead

About Philo Ventures

Philo Ventures is Utah’s leading venture studio, located in the heart of Silicon Slopes. As a venture studio, we don’t just fund startups; we build them. Our unique model combines the agility of a startup studio with the scale of corporate partnerships to create value for Philo, our partner organizations, our team, and our communities. We work with large, established corporations to drive innovation by identifying, building, and investing in new businesses that increase partner enterprise value.

The Opportunity

Philo is preparing to launch a strategic, high-impact innovation partnership with a major local CPG leader in the Health and Wellness space. We’re seeking a high-powered leader to serve as the primary owner of this partnership. As Partner Innovation Lead, you will act as the bridge between Philo’s venture building capabilities and our partner’s vast industry knowledge and resources. You will lead a multi-year, nine-figure innovation and venture-building partnership with a global Health and Wellness brand, with direct access to their C-suite and Philo’s investment committee. You will dig deep into the partner’s ecosystem to identify opportunities to drive efficiency and value creation, translating those opportunities into investment theses, including new businesses launched through Philo’s studio, as well as CVC investments and M&A targets.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Partnership Management

• Own the day-to-day relationship with the partner’s executive leadership and operational teams.
• Act as a trusted advisor, navigating the complexities of a large CPG organization to uncover "ground truth" problems and opportunities.
• Drive delivery of value to the partner through all relevant activities and strategies.
• Maintain a high-touch, positive relationship founded on trust and performance, ensuring long-term value creation for both our Philo and our partner.
  
  

Opportunity Identification & Thesis Generation

Manage continual discovery efforts with the partner to identify high-value investment opportunities, including:

• New venture creation: Identify tangential business opportunities that solve a critical partner problem (e.g., supply chain efficiency) and have the potential to be spun out as standalone, scalable SaaS or service companies sold to the broader market.
• CVC investments: Source and vet external startups that align with the partner’s areas of focus and criteria for financial return and/or strategic utility.
• M&A strategy: Identify potential acquisition targets that allow the partner to capture market share and/or critical capabilities.
• Internal innovation: Identify core areas for process improvement, product expansion, and digital transformation within the partner’s existing operations.
  
  

Analysis & Execution

• Translate complex partner data and insights into clear investment memos and business cases.
• Leverage applicable finance and investor frameworks to underwrite opportunities.
• Present findings and recommendations to the partnership investment committee and other applicable teams; support execution on / implementation of recommendations as needed.
  
  

Team Leadership

• Build, mentor, and manage a lean, high-performance team of analysts and associates.
• Guide the team in market research, financial modeling, and due diligence efforts.
  
  

What Success Looks Like

• Deal Flow: You identify a consistent volume of high-quality investment and development opportunities that pass initial investment committee criteria.
• Partner Satisfaction: The partner feels understood and valued, resulting in a strong relationship of trust and value creation potential.
• Value Creation: You successfully support the progression of opportunities from the "idea on a whiteboard" phase to tangible business launches or investment transactions.
  
  

Qualifications

• Experience: 7 years of experience, ideally in a mix of management consulting, venture capital/private equity, innovation strategy, product management, or similar.
• Management: Proven experience managing client relationships and leading high-caliber teams.
• Industry knowledge: Experience in CPG, health & wellness, or supply chain management, IoT, SaaS or other relevant industry is highly preferred.
• Financial acumen: Strong understanding of P&L management, financial modeling, and unit economics. You should be comfortable reading a balance sheet and building a simple financial projection.
• Analytical rigor: Ability to quickly digest information across various industries and roles to understand and assess the value of an opportunity.
• Founder/VC mindset: You don't just see a problem; you see a market opportunity. You can distinguish between a "nice to have" feature and a "venture-backable" business.
  
  

Core Attributes

• Consultative & persuasive: You can gain and maintain the trust of both executive andsna operational staff. You listen more than you speak, but when you speak, it drives action.
• Autonomous: You thrive in ambiguity. You don't need a playbook; you are excited to write one.
• Creative & expansive thinker: You can connect the dots between a partner’s logistics issue and a potential SaaS solution for the broader logistics industry.
• Strong communicator: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex concepts for diverse audiences.
  
  

Why Philo Ventures?

• Work at the intersection of established corporate resources and startup speed.
• Opportunity to co-found or hold equity positions in the companies we build.
• Located in Utah’s vibrant Silicon Slopes, surrounded by a rapidly growing tech ecosystem and world class outdoor venues.