Advisory & Investment Manager (f/m/x)
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About Ignite Next
Ignite Next is Europe's scale-up program for deep tech innovation, founded by the former Intel Ignite leadership team and now independently operated. We accelerate early-stage, high-impact startups developing breakthrough technologies in semiconductors, physical AI, advanced computing, and other frontier domains.
Non-dilutive and founder-first, Ignite Next works with leading technology companies—including Infineon, Intel, and Synopsys—to connect startups with world-class technical and business expertise, turning breakthrough innovation into breakout success. We are headquartered in Dresden, Germany, at the heart of Silicon Saxony.
The Role
We're hiring an Advisory & Investment Manager to lead the advisory projects Ignite Next sources: commercial strategy, go-to-market, partnership and deal structuring, and market and technology assessments. You work with startups from our cohorts and alumni, and with deep tech startups beyond the program. On the investment side, you prepare founders for their funding rounds, structure the investment case, and build our network of deep tech VCs, corporate venture arms, and angels.
You work shoulder-to-shoulder with the leadership team, own your engagements end-to-end from day one, and grow over 2-3 years into leading our advisory work with a team of your own. As in consulting, you go where the work is: when the program needs support on dealflow, selection, or partner topics, you step in.
Your Responsibilities
- Advisory projects. Lead engagements end-to-end: scope the work, structure the analysis, deliver the recommendations, and manage the founder relationship. Typical topics: commercial strategy and go-to-market, partnership and deal structuring, market and technology assessments.
- Investment readiness. Prepare founders for fundraising: investment case and narrative, financial model and valuation logic, data room, investor targeting, term sheet and negotiation support.
- Investor network. Build and maintain relationships with deep tech VCs, corporate venture arms, and angels across Europe. Run investor touchpoints from selection to demo day and track follow-on rounds.
- Project pipeline. Shape proposals with the leadership team, turn cohort, alumni, and ecosystem conversations into mandates, and run several engagements in parallel.
- Program support. Step in on program matters where needed: startup screening and selection for each batch, partner conversations, and curriculum modules on fundraising and go-to-market.
What We're Looking For
- Senior consultant or manager level. 5 to 9 years in strategy consulting, transaction or venture advisory, a deep tech VC, corporate venture arm, or venture builder. You've led engagements end-to-end: scoping, analysis, recommendation, and delivery, with your own client relationships.
- Investment literacy. You've supported fundraising rounds, investment decisions, or transactions: investment memos, financial models, valuation, term sheets, due diligence. You know how VCs and corporate investors decide.
- Deep tech exposure. You've worked on projects or deals in semiconductors, physical AI, robotics, advanced computing, or adjacent hardware-heavy domains, and hold your own in a substantive technical conversation.
- Analytical rigour and founder-facing weight. You structure ambiguous problems fast and write it up so that decisions get made: market maps, business cases, investment memos, board-ready recommendations. Founders and leadership teams take your advice seriously.
- Network in the European deep tech ecosystem. Investors, spin-out programs, technical universities, research institutions, and industry, long enough to know whom to call.
- Flexibility. You switch between advisory engagements, investor work, and program support without friction, as you would between projects in consulting.
- Bilingual fluency in German and English. Both written and spoken, at a working professional level.
What We Value
- Drilling Deep. You dive into the technology, the founders, and the partners — not just the surface.
- a = F/m. Force over mass — find the bottleneck, find ways to unlock it, focus on what truly matters.
- Bar raisers. You optimize for founder outcomes, not partner vanity. Compounding daily.
What to Expect
- A front-row seat to breakthrough innovation from all across Europe.
- Direct interaction with founders, investors, and industry leaders.
- A small, agile team where your contributions have immediate impact.
- Hybrid work with Munich as your home base. DACH and EU travel to startups, investors, and ecosystem events.
- Lunchit, Wellpass, mobility allowance, MacBook, AirPods, mobile plan support, dedicated travel budget.
- Competitive base, performance bonus tied to advisory outcomes and fundraising results.
- End-to-end ownership of your engagements from day one, and a clear growth trajectory into leading our advisory work with your own team.
Don't Apply If You Are
- a consultant without startup or deep tech exposure,
- an analyst or associate without independent client- or founder-facing responsibility,
- a pure financial analyst or banker without hands-on work with founders,
- an enterprise sales rep or account manager without program or portfolio experience, or
- a pure event or community manager.
Next Steps
- Submit your application using the apply form
- We review applications on a rolling basis and aim to respond within 48 hours
- Initial video call with a member of the leadership team
- On-site interview in Munich including an advisory case and an investment case exercise
- Final conversations with the team and offer decision
We aim to move quickly from first conversation to offer for the right candidate.
We Can't Wait to Hear From You
Join our team and help shape the Future of Computing.