Bridge Partners, an executive search firm, is representing an approx. $4m Purpose-Driven Startup

The Opportunity:

An established and well-regarded nonprofit institution is launching a wholly-owned for-profit, purpose- driven subsidiary to bring pioneering educational content to market. With an existing business plan and initial funding, this independent venture will develop and scale digital training products for investment professionals, while simultaneously supporting the parent organization’s mission. Our products will be delivered through a partner online learning educational platform and will leverage the expertise and assets developed by the parent organization.

We are seeking an entrepreneurial and visionary CEO to lead B2B and B2C sales for the new company, which will have an anticipated annualrevenue of $4 million.

Due to the confidential nature of this new venture, additional details about the company’s origins, mission and digital training products will only be shared with those candidates who advance past the initial conversations.

Location: Hybrid arrangement with flexible location dependent on where the successful candidate is currently based. Selected location will then become the company headquarters and base for future team members. Some preference for New York, Boston Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, or San Francisco

The Leader:

As founding CEO, you will:

Drive the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the company;
facilitate the creation of digital training products from content developed by the parent organization;
build the customer acquisition and sales pipeline;
and translate the pipeline into sustained revenue stream.

This role requires a dynamicand seasoned leader with a proven ability to grow revenue and build teams in early-stage B2B organizations, a strong track record in securing and expanding enterprise relationships, and a passion for sales innovation.. The ideal candidate will be versatile and able to wear multiple hats, building a small team and a culture of high performance, collaboration, and agility. Success in this role requires both commercial drivefor business growthand the finesseto operate withinthe mission-focused framework of organizational structure.

The CEO will report to the company’sBoard of Directors.

Key Responsibilities:

As the first employee of the company, this role requires both versatility and flexibility. You will be expected to build the business while simultaneously defining and shaping both your role and the team needed for success. Specific areas of focus will include:

Strategic Leadership:

Vision and Strategy: Building upon an existing 5-yearbusiness plan, developand refine the company’s vision, mission and long-term strategy for B2B and B2C sales, ensuring alignment with market trends, competitive landscape, and growth opportunities.
Business Planning: Create and execute the next iteration of the business plan, set milestones, and ensure the company meets both short-term objectives and long-term goals.
Governance: Manage strong relationships with Board members and the parent organization.

Fundraising and Financial Management:

Investor Relations: Engage with investors, manage current stakeholders, and lead future fundraising efforts (mission-driven investors, angel investors, seed funders, and possibly venturecapital investors, etc.) to fuel growth.
Financial Oversight: Oversee the financial performance of the company, including budgeting, forecasting, compliance, and ensure profitability while managing cash flow and burn rate.
Capital Allocation: Make strategic decisions on capital allocation, balancing growth needs and initiatives with maintaining financial health.

Team Leadership:

Culture and People Leadership: Build a small team and maintaina strong, inclusive, and performance- driven culture that motivates and retains top talent.
Team Building: Ensure the optimal organizational structure is in place to support rapidscaling, including the recruitment and development of high-caliber talent.

Product and Market Development:

Product Oversight: Oversee the development roadmap for digital training products, ensuring the company delivers innovative solutions that meet market demand; manage key suppliers of the online learning experience platform and educational content to ensure continuous product improvement to meet customer demand.
Market Expansion: Identify new market opportunities, including expanding into new geographies, customer segments, and/or product categories.
Customer Focus: Maintain a customer-centric approach to product development and market positioning, ensuring high satisfaction and loyalty.

Operations and Risk Management:

Operational Efficiency: Optimize internalprocesses and systemsfor scale, ensuringthe company can meet growing demand while maintaining quality and efficiency.
Risk Management: Identify and mitigate key risks facing the company, from market competition to regulatory changes.
Compliance: Ensure that the companyadheres to all legal, financial and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications & Experience:

The successful candidate will be a cross-functional, growth-oriented, agile leader and culture champion. You are a mission-aligned executive who possesses a majority of the following professional and personal attributes and competencies:

Entrepreneurial Experience: Proven track record of leading or founding startups,and then scalingthem, with experience navigating throughdifferent stages of growth.
Marketing & Sales Leadership: Track history of driving revenue growth and building a B2B sales function, with demonstrated success in marketing/brand awareness, strategic partnership development, and customer retention.
Strategic Thinking: Strong business acumenwith the abilityto balance high-level strategy and detailed execution.
Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading teams and driving a positive, performance-based company culture.
Mission and Values Alignment: Demonstrated ability to deliver a successful and profitable businesswhile upholding the exceptional standards of rigor, ethics, and integrity that our parent organization commits to.
Fundraising Expertise: Experience in raising capital (venture capital, angel investors, etc.) and managing investor relations.
Financial Acumen: Solidunderstanding of financialmanagement, budgeting, cash flow, and P&L oversight.
Market Knowledge: Strong knowledge of the investment industryand market landscape, with the ability to stay ahead of trends and competitors.
Product Vision: Experience overseeing digital product development and a strong understanding of customer-centric product strategies.
Communication: Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to inspire both internal teams and external stakeholders.
Judgment: Exceptional professional judgment, demonstrated through a history of making sound, strategic decisions in complex, high-stakes environments.
Resilience and Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment with constant change and high demands.
Network: A strong network of investors, industryleaders, and partnersin the relevant ecosystem.
Technical Skills:Familiarity with the technical aspects of the business (i.e.learning experience platform (LXP), requirements for optimal customerexperience) and/or experience managing technical teams (LXP and content suppliers).

Compensation and Benefits:

Compensation: Total compensation of up to $250,000, split between base salary and performance-based bonus based on milestone achievements, with final offer based on candidate’s level of experience and expertise
Benefits: The foundingCEO will have the opportunity to develop and shape the new company’sbenefits program as it grows.

Bridge Partners - Executive Search jobs

Confidential - Purpose Driven Startup - Chief Executive Office