Venture Acceleration Manager

The Cardano Foundation seeks a Senior Venture Acceleration Manager to lead its Venture Hub, connecting startups with capital and enterprise opportunities within the Cardano ecosystem.

This position is designed to strengthen the Cardano Foundation’s Venture Hub by bridging the gap between early-stage startups and both capital and enterprise partners. The role combines the management of the Foundation’s internal accelerator and venture support initiatives with the facilitation of collaborations with external venture programs. It involves high-impact work with founders, ventures, business development teams, service providers, venture capitalists, and startup mentors.

Responsibilities

• Lead and expand the Cardano Accelerator Program, overseeing cohorts of startups developing consumer and enterprise solutions.
• Handle program operations, including budgeting, resource allocation, quality assurance, cross-departmental alignment, and process optimization.
• Advise participating startups on achieving product-market fit, refining blockchain strategies, and executing go-to-market plans.
• Build and maintain a robust network of mentors and advisors spanning various industries and product development fields.
• Identify synergies between venture initiatives and Cardano’s technological roadmap to drive ecosystem value.
• Manage relationships with current and prospective investors through regular updates, tailored communications, and curated events.
• Conduct landscape analysis to track investor interests and inform future cohort themes and competitive positioning.
• Coordinate investor participation in Demo Days and other showcase events to enhance venture visibility and deal flow.
• Design structured follow-on investment pathways, aligning demo days, investor briefings, and post-program funding touchpoints with the overall funding strategy.
• Collaborate with the broader ecosystem to accelerate venture growth and support ecosystem expansion.
• Champion community engagement by fostering consistent communication, inclusion, and collaboration across the Cardano ecosystem.
• Work cross-departmentally to connect startups with enterprise partners through matchmaking, pilot initiatives, and ecosystem showcases.
• Represent the Cardano Foundation at industry events, innovation forums, and investor/mentor networks.
• Amplify ecosystem signals and success stories by collaborating with Marketing and Partnerships to highlight venture progress and real-world adoption.
• Provide ecosystem insights to the Venture Hub strategy, identifying gaps, emerging needs, and partnership opportunities.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience managing startup accelerators, innovation hubs, or corporate innovation programs.
• Minimum of 2 years of active involvement in the Cardano ecosystem.
• Proven experience in helping startups achieve product-market fit, including technical and business advisory.
• Strong understanding of blockchain technology, particularly public infrastructure and decentralized systems.
• Excellent network orchestration skills to engage founders, mentors, industry experts, and enterprise executives.
• Results-oriented mindset.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent networking and relationship-building abilities.
• Highly adaptable and resilient.
• Strong ethical standards and integrity.

About the company

The Cardano Foundation aims to make a real difference in the blockchain industry. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments.

• The role aims to make a real difference in the blockchain industry.
• The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments.