Connecticut Innovations I CBIF Managing Director/Director

Job Description

Job Description

Connecticut Innovations (CI)

CI is Connecticut's strategic venture capital arm and one of the most active early-stage investors on the eastern seaboard. CI has a portfolio of 250+ companies across 5 equity funds and a 1 venture debt fund. We have $550 million in assets under management, and our venture portfolio employs 4,000 jobs. In a typical year, we deploy $50 million and write between 60-80 checks. We review 750 companies per year and invite over 100 founders in to pitch us each year. We add 30 new companies to our portfolio annually, and we also invest as an LP in Connecticut-based venture capital funds.

We measure success through both financial returns and economic impact, including job creation. Over the past decade, CI has generated more than $400 million in returns and cumulatively, our portfolio companies have raised over $8 billion.

• Fiscal 2026 was our best year on record. We generated $76.1 million in cash proceeds from all investment activities. Most of those proceeds came from our strong New Haven bioscience sector. In FY26 actuals, we invested $59.3 million into 75 early-stage companies and venture funds, and those deals pulled an additional $1.2 billion of outside capital into the state.
• As of July 2026, CI earned the #1 spot in New England for portfolio exit value and ranked among top 5 East Coast venture firms investing at the Series B stage or earlier. Over the past 365 days, CI generated more than $125 million in cash returns.

Our culture is vibrant, diverse, collaborative, and inclusive. We embrace perspective and have mission alignment on our impact to Connecticut's innovation ecosystem.

Connecticut Bioscience Innovation Fund (CBIF)

CBIF is a $200 million fund that deploys equity and loans to move bioscience breakthroughs to market faster. The portfolio spans more than 100 companies across therapeutics, biotech, diagnostics, medical devices, life science tools and digital health. Since 2013 our bioscience investment activity has more than doubled, and the portfolio has leveraged $3.5+ billion in outside capital.

In November 2025, Johnson & Johnson announced its acquisition of Halda Therapeutics for approximately $3.05 billion in cash. Just three months later, in February 2026, New Haven's Veradermics raised $256.3 million in its IPO, with market cap today exceeding $4 billion. In April, its lead candidate, VDPHL01, posted positive Phase 2/3 topline results, meeting all primary and key secondary endpoints.

• Recent bioscience IPOs : Arvinas, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, RallyBio, Sema4, Veradermics
• Recent bioscience acquisitions : Avitus, Biorez, Dia Imaging Analysis, Diameter Health, Halda Therapeutics, Medically Home, Modifi Bio, Populi.

CBIF Managing Director/Director

The CBIF Venture Team is a small team. Each team member plays a pivotal role as part of the investment due diligence process and post-investment, as part of scaling the portfolio company. It is a team that embraces diversity of thought, listens with an open mind, thinks big and concretely, and invests with the mission in mind.

We are hiring a CBIF Managing Director/Director to support the bioscience portfolio. This is a unique hands-on venture capital experience in an innovative and collaborative work environment. This opportunity to contribute, add value, and make an economic impact in the State of Connecticut is extraordinary. We seek an absolutely elite team member to hit the ground sprinting.

Team members play a key role in executing our investment strategy by researching and cultivating promising investment opportunities and participating in all phases of the investment process including sourcing, due diligence, meetings with management, focused company and industry research, financial modeling, writing investment recommendations. Post-investment, team members monitor the portfolio company and support the business' strategic growth initiatives and potentially serve as a board member or observer.

Senior members of this team also set direction, mentor associates and analysts, and represent CI publicly across the ecosystem.

Responsibilities

• Investment origination - building and converting a proprietary pipeline of bioscience opportunities across therapeutics, medtech, diagnostics, tools and digital health.
• Deal execution - leading market, product, competitive, technical and valuation analysis; setting and negotiating deal terms; managing the path to close.
• Financial modeling and valuation, working with and supporting the rest of the CBIF team.
• Investment recommendations and presentations to CI advisory committees and committees of the CI Board of Directors.
• Portfolio company management - board seats and observer roles, follow-on strategy, investment syndicate building, and hands-on support through hard decisions.
• Commercial partnering, recruitment and exit introductions for portfolio companies
• Shape CBIF strategy and sector theses
• Represent CI across the ecosystem - with founders, universities, co-investors, LPs and policymakers.

Role Requirements

• Master's degree in biosciences strongly preferred. PhD or MD/PhD is a meaningful advantage.
• 10+ years in venture capital, private equity, or corporate development (or an equivalent role) within a pharmaceutical, biosciences/life sciences or healthcare company.
• A demonstrable track record across investment origination, due diligence, deal execution and portfolio company management.
• Depth in market, product, competitive and valuation analysis in biosciences, life sciences and healthcare.
• Startup or growth-stage experience at a venture-backed company is highly valued, especially as a founder or operator
• Fluency with financial statements, business plans, and legal documents.
• Strong oral and written communication - you will write memos that get picked apart and present to a board that asks hard questions.
• An existing network across academia, co-investors, strategics and operators that you can put to work on day one.

Personal Characteristics

• Entrepreneurial, ambitious, curious, self-starting. High energy, high effort, positive attitude - and fun to be around on a long day.
• Demonstrated excellence in multiple pursuits and love for hard work essential.
• Comfortable with autonomy and ambiguity, and good at solving problems without waiting to be handed a process.
• Willing to move between routine detail work and high-judgment thinking without losing quality in either - seniority here does not mean delegation of everything.
• The right mix of self-confidence and humility - a consummate teammate with a history of making teams perform at a higher level.
• Motivated by the double bottom line: this is public capital, and the returns fund the next generation of Connecticut companies.

How We Work – The CI Way

• We think as individuals and invest as a team. Our goal is never consensus - it is the best decision. Titles do not determine whose ideas matter. The best argument wins.
• We distinguish bad decisions from bad outcomes. Good decisions sometimes produce disappointing results, and poor decisions sometimes get lucky. We grade the quality of the thinking.
• Courage is a job requirement. When we believe an investment is wrong, we say so - in the room, on the record.
• Founders come first. Within the bounds of good judgment, we go out of our way to help entrepreneurs. We are allies, not obstacles.
• Humility and institutional memory. Every investment starts with a blank page. We are often wrong, so we stay open. We capture what each deal taught us so the next decision is better than the last.

Location

This role is based at Connecticut Innovations' headquarters in New Haven, CT at District | Coworking Space . Our team is in the office most days, unless we are out visiting companies. Connecticut residency is required ; candidates from out of state are welcome to apply if you (and your family) will relocate to Connecticut before your start date.

Compensation and Benefits

Connecticut Innovations offers a competitive venture capital starting salary, with additional bonus opportunities based on team and individual investment performance, excellent benefits including health/dental insurance, generous paid time off, retirement plan options, flexible work schedules, and a culture that encourages work-life balance.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Connecticut Innovations is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We welcome all candidates to apply regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or status as a protected veteran.

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