Lead Partnership – Deshpande Startups

Established in 2016, Deshpande Startups of Deshpande Foundation is Section 8 – Not-for-profit Technology Business Incubator (TBI) affiliated to Department of Science and Technology(DST), Govt. of India and supported by K Tech, Govt. of Karnataka, which endeavours to support student innovators, budding entrepreneurs, and market focussed founders who are building solutions for BHARAT (rural and small towns). As India’s Largest Technology Business Incubator In Bharat, it is an ecosystem of knowledge, domain expertise, mentorship, funding, infrastructure, technology labs, and one-stop services to incubate and scale their startups by understanding the divergent needs, culture, and capabilities of communities.

Position description

Deshpande Startups is building an entrepreneurship ecosystem to solve real-world problems of 1.1 billion people in non-metro areas of India. We offer state-of-the-art facilities and technologies, as well as networking opportunities to build successful and sustainable businesses. A Research Associate is responsible for conducting research, managing data, interpreting data or findings in an actionable way.

Education: UG/MBA
Experience: 4 – 6 years
Reporting To: CEO

Level/Grade: L4
Job Location: Hubballi
Tentative Date of Joining: Immediate

Education and experience

• UG/MBA
• 4-6 years of relevant experience in engaging/managing partnerships
• Have worked with incubators, accelerators, startups, or have been an entrepreneur by yourself (preferred)

Key competency and skills

• Experience with digital tools, infrastructure, and processes.
• Excellent teamwork, collaboration, and operational management skills.
• Fluency in English, excellent written, digital, and verbal communication skills. Knowledge of other languages would be an asset.
• Entrepreneurial, Openness to learning and adapting to the ecosystem.
• Respectful, Proactive, and Accommodating

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

• Building relationships with Govt, the Corporates, HNI’s and other donor institutions.
• Understanding the organization’s needs and identifying appropriate resources to connect mentors, investors, CSR, stakeholders, and other opportunities that can enable the growth of the partnership in the context of Deshpande Startups.
• Every month, invite 05 corporates & government officials to the organization and take them for social immersion.
• Bring in market access to sector agnostic startups, connecting leads (Business Opportunities) and investments, and identifying opportunities & connecting respective programs of the organization.
• Educate about the organization and proactively maintain deep relationships & communication with existing/upcoming partners to ensure high satisfaction. Work diligently to ensure the partnership is successfully implemented, adhering to key success metrics.
• Travel & Participate/Represent the Deshpande Startups in startup conferences or similar ecosystem events to build network & leverage
• Manage the day-to-day interaction with the partners, stakeholders, community, startups, and team members.
• Manage projects to assure on-time delivery with quantity and quality to meet organization success criteria.
• Track project performance to ensure successful completion of the organization and project’s short- and long-term goals. And sharing of periodic reports.
• Working alongside cross-functional teams for information and support.
• Perform other duties as required and appropriate to the objectives of this position, program and the organization’s needs.