Investment Associate - Early Stage Ventures (m/f/d)

Beyond evaluating new investment opportunities, you'll actively contribute to our existing portfolio by supporting founders, identifying strategic opportunities and helping connect companies, investors and operating businesses across the broader VGG ecosystem.

We're looking for someone who brings an outside-in perspective—someone who is naturally curious, connects seemingly unrelated trends and identifies opportunities others may overlook. Success in this role requires more than strong analysis; it requires independent thinking, sound judgement and the ability to develop conviction in emerging technologies, founders and markets before they become obvious.

Key Responsibilities

Discover & Evaluate Emerging Investment Opportunities

• Identify promising startups aligned with VGG's investment strategy and thematic focus areas
• Proactively identify emerging technologies, market shifts and investment opportunities before they become widely recognized
• Conduct commercial, financial and market analysis to develop differentiated investment theses
• Form independent investment opinions by combining rigorous analysis with commercial judgement and clearly articulating investment recommendations

Support Investment Execution

• Perform commercial, financial and strategic due diligence
• Develop financial models, investment cases and decision materials that enable high-quality investment decisions
• Prepare investment memoranda and support Investment Committee decision-making
• Coordinate internal and external diligence workstreams throughout the transaction process

Contribute to Portfolio Value Creation

• Support portfolio companies by identifying strategic opportunities, partnerships and follow-on investment potential
• Connect founders, portfolio companies, investors and operating businesses across the VGG ecosystem to unlock long-term value
• Identify cross-portfolio insights, emerging technology trends and AI-driven opportunities that strengthen both investment decisions and portfolio performance

What You Bring

• 3–5 years of experience in Venture Capital, Corporate Venture Capital, Investment Banking, Growth Equity, Strategy Consulting or a high-growth technology startup—with demonstrated exposure to evaluating investment opportunities, strategic transactions or venture ecosystems
• Experience in financial modelling, commercial due diligence and investment analysis
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations
• Strong pattern recognition and the ability to connect the dots across technologies, industries and entrepreneurial ecosystems
• Experience using AI-enabled research and productivity tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini or similar) to synthesize information and support investment analysis is highly valued
• Entrepreneurial curiosity and genuine enthusiasm for startups, innovation and emerging technologies
• Exposure to AI, enterprise software, industrial technologies, defense, climate tech or other technology-driven sectors is beneficial
• Business fluent in German and English