ABOUT PLUG AND PLAY
Plug and Play is one of the most active early-stage venture investors globally. Since 1998, we’ve backed over 2,000 startups — including PayPal, Dropbox, Soundhound, and Lending Club — and today operate across 65 locations and 23 verticals. Our unique model combines venture investing with a global network of 550+ corporate partners to accelerate innovation worldwide.
We are expanding our Enterprise & AI Ventures team and seeking a Research Analyst / Associate who will focus on building investment theses, tracking emerging technologies, and producing high-quality research that guides our venture strategy and helps Enterprises stay ahead of disruption.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
-Thesis & Market Intelligence
- Develop and refine investment roadmaps in Enterprise & AI.
- Track industry trends, regulatory shifts, and competitive landscapes.
- Identify and profile the most promising startups and technologies in target markets.
- Company & Ecosystem Tracking
- Monitor performance of notable startups, scaleups, and major industry players.
- Track venture investment activity, acquisitions, and partnership trends.
- Maintain internal knowledge bases and market maps to guide sourcing and decision-making.
- Enterprise-Driven Insights
- Gather intelligence directly from our enterprise ecosystem through interviews, surveys, and feedback loops.
- Translate enterprise perspectives into reports and buyer-driven insights that inform investment theses and help startups understand customer needs.
- Support Investment Process
- Contribute to company diligence: product analysis, technical reviews, market sizing, customer references.
- Summarize research into clear, data-driven insights for the Ventures team and Enterprises.
- Strategic Exposure
- Partner with senior team members to align Enterprise needs with startup opportunities.
- Support occasional events, founder introductions, and content initiatives — with research at the core of your contributions.
- Collaborate with the Plug and Play team to understand corporate innovation needs and facilitate targeted introductions between startups and corporate partners
- Manage dealflow sessions, ensuring relevant startups are presented effectively to corporate partners
ABOUT YOU
- Analytical & Technical: Degree (or self-taught expertise) in computer science, data science, engineering, mathematics, or related field. Able to evaluate technical products and trends.
- Research-Oriented: You love deep dives, connecting dots, and building structured insights from fragmented information.
- Ecosystem Connector: Comfortable engaging with executives to extract insights, run surveys, and capture the “voice of the buyer” to enrich your research.
- Content Creator: Skilled at writing clear, engaging, and professional content — from research reports to blog posts and public-facing insights.
- Strong Communicator: Clear, concise writer and presenter; able to tailor insights to investors, executives, and founders.
- Curious & Proactive: You thrive on learning new technologies, experimenting with AI tools, and staying on the cutting edge.
- Experience: 2–3 years in VC, consulting, banking, product, research, or a technical role — or exceptional projects that prove your ability.
- Entrepreneurial Mindset: Independent thinker, fast learner, and self-starter who thrives in a dynamic, venture environment.
Skills Required
- Degree (or self-taught expertise) in computer science, data science, engineering, mathematics, or related field; ability to evaluate technical products and trends.
- 2-3 years experience in VC, consulting, banking, product, research, or a technical role; or exceptional projects demonstrating equivalent ability.
- Strong research skills: ability to perform deep dives, synthesize fragmented information, and build structured insights.
- Comfort engaging with executives and enterprise customers to gather insights via interviews and surveys.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; able to produce clear research reports and presentations for investors, executives, and founders.
- Curiosity and willingness to experiment with AI tools and stay current on emerging technologies.
- Entrepreneurial mindset: independent, fast learner, self-starter in a dynamic venture environment.
What We Do
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform and venture capital firm. Its mission is to make innovation open to anyone, anywhere, by connecting entrepreneurs, corporations, and investors worldwide. With a presence in 60+ locations, it supports over 100,000 startups and 550+ corporations across 25+ industries, providing acceleration programs and investment to drive technological advancement across multiple sectors.
