Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Entrepreneurship Coach

🎯 Role Definition

We're on the hunt for a passionate and deeply experienced Entrepreneurship Coach to join our vibrant ecosystem. In this pivotal role, you will act as a strategic partner, mentor, and guide to a portfolio of ambitious early-stage founders. You are someone who has "been there, done that" and is driven by the success of others. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of innovative companies, leveraging your hard-won expertise to help them navigate the turbulent waters of startup life, from initial concept to market leadership and scalable growth. If you thrive on transforming great ideas into viable businesses and fostering resilient leadership, we want to talk to you.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Successful Founder / C-Level Executive of a scaled startup
Venture Capitalist / Angel Investor
Senior Product Leader or Growth Manager from a tech company

Advancement To:

Director of an Incubator / Accelerator Program
General Partner at a Venture Capital Firm
Chief Innovation Officer or Head of Ventures
Senior Advisor / Board Member for multiple companies

Lateral Moves:

Executive Coach (focusing on C-suite leadership)
Management Consultant specializing in innovation and growth
Corporate Venture Capital Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide intensive, one-on-one coaching and strategic advisory to a diverse portfolio of early-stage founders, guiding them through the entire startup lifecycle from ideation and validation to launch and scaling.
Challenge and refine core business assumptions by guiding founders through rigorous customer discovery processes, market validation experiments, and MVP testing based on Lean Startup principles.
Lead the development and facilitation of a comprehensive curriculum of workshops, bootcamps, and masterclasses on topics like business model generation, product-market fit, and financial modeling.
Act as a primary guide for fundraising strategy, assisting founders in identifying appropriate funding sources (angel, VC, grants), preparing compelling data rooms, and refining their investor pitch and narrative.
Coach founders on building and articulating a compelling vision, mission, and company culture that attracts top talent and aligns the team towards common goals.
Deliver expert guidance on go-to-market strategies, including customer acquisition channels, pricing models, sales funnels, and early-stage marketing tactics.
Assist startups in developing robust financial models, unit economics, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to effectively manage cash flow and track progress toward profitability.
Facilitate critical strategic planning sessions with founding teams to set quarterly and annual objectives (OKRs), identify key risks, and define pathways to key milestones.
Provide direct, actionable, and empathetic feedback on product roadmaps, user experience (UX/UI), and technical development priorities to ensure alignment with business objectives.
Leverage your personal and professional network to make high-value introductions for startups, connecting them with potential investors, strategic partners, key hires, and industry experts.
Help founders navigate the complexities of team dynamics, co-founder relationships, and the initial stages of building a high-performance organizational structure.
Serve as a consistent source of accountability, helping entrepreneurs stay focused on their most critical priorities and maintain momentum through regular check-ins and progress reviews.
Mentor founders on the art and science of storytelling, helping them craft compelling narratives for customers, investors, and employees across all communication platforms.
Prepare and conduct mock board meetings and investor Q&A sessions to equip founders with the confidence and skills needed to perform under pressure.
Evaluate the viability and potential of new venture applications, participating in the selection process for new cohorts or portfolio companies.
Stay at the forefront of industry trends, emerging technologies, and new venture creation methodologies to ensure coaching and curriculum remain relevant and impactful.
Develop and maintain detailed records of startup progress, key metrics, and coaching interactions to report on portfolio health and program effectiveness.
Counsel founders on legal and structural considerations, such as incorporation, equity distribution, and intellectual property protection, often directing them to qualified legal resources.
Support founders through the emotional highs and lows of the entrepreneurial journey, acting as a trusted sounding board and fostering resilience and a growth mindset.
Cultivate a strong, collaborative community among the cohort or portfolio companies, facilitating peer-to-peer learning and support networks.

Secondary Functions

Scout and recruit promising early-stage startups for inclusion in our programs or portfolio through networking and market research.
Cultivate and manage relationships with a broad network of mentors, investors, and industry experts to serve as a resource for our founders.
Represent the organization at industry conferences, demo days, and networking events to build brand presence and strengthen our position in the startup ecosystem.
Contribute to the ongoing refinement and improvement of our coaching methodology, program curriculum, and resource library based on founder feedback and outcomes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Lean Startup & Agile Methodologies: Deep, practical knowledge of applying principles of rapid iteration, customer feedback loops, and validated learning.
Financial Modeling & Projections: Ability to build, analyze, and coach on pro-forma financials, cap tables, and cash flow forecasts for early-stage ventures.
Venture Capital Fundraising: Expertise in the entire fundraising process, from pitch deck creation and term sheet negotiation to due diligence and closing a round.
Go-to-Market Strategy: Proven ability to develop and critique strategies for market entry, customer acquisition, and sales channel development.
Business Model Canvas / Lean Canvas: Mastery in using and teaching frameworks to deconstruct, analyze, and innovate on business models.
Product Management & Roadmapping: Experience guiding product strategy, feature prioritization, and the creation of a compelling product roadmap.
KPI / OKR Development: Skill in defining meaningful metrics that align with strategic goals and drive accountability and performance.

Soft Skills

Empathetic Listening: The ability to listen deeply to understand a founder's core challenges, fears, and ambitions beyond what is explicitly stated.
Strategic Questioning: A talent for asking insightful, challenging questions that unlock new perspectives and guide founders to their own solutions.
Radical Candor & Constructive Feedback: The capacity to deliver direct, honest, and actionable feedback in a way that is both supportive and challenging.
Inspirational Leadership & Motivation: A natural ability to energize and motivate individuals and teams, especially through periods of uncertainty and adversity.
Exceptional Network Building: A proven track record of building and maintaining a broad, high-value network and a willingness to leverage it for others.
Resilience and Adaptability: The personal experience and mental fortitude to coach others through failure, pivots, and the inherent stress of startup life.
Public Speaking & Facilitation: Polished and engaging communication skills, comfortable leading workshops and presenting to diverse audiences.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance, or a related field, OR equivalent, profound practical experience (e.g., successfully founding, scaling, and exiting a venture-backed company).

Preferred Education:

Master of Business Administration (MBA) or another advanced degree in a relevant discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Entrepreneurship
Finance
Marketing or Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

10-15+ years of relevant professional experience.

Preferred:

The ideal candidate will have direct, hands-on experience as a founder of a technology or venture-scalable company, having navigated the journey from inception through at least one round of institutional funding (Seed or Series A). Alternatively, we strongly value experience as an early-stage venture capital investor, accelerator program director, or a senior leader (e.g., Head of Product/Growth) at a rapidly scaling startup. A demonstrable history of mentoring or advising other entrepreneurs is a significant plus. You must possess a deep well of "pattern recognition" for what works and what doesn't in building a new business from the ground up.