The Washington University in St. Louis Office of Technology Management (OTM) and BioGenerator are proud to sponsor the Venture Fellows Program for Postdocs.
The Venture Fellows Program is currently available to Washington University postdoctoral researchers and offers an intensive 6-month curriculum that provides experiential learning in venture capital investing and company creation, as participating Fellows work alongside entrepreneurs, investors, and faculty in the St. Louis ecosystem. In addition, the program offers exposure to biotech startups, with hands-on training to develop capabilities across the spectrum from deal flow generation to exit opportunity evaluation.
Venture Fellows will utilize their scientific and analytical skills to learn how to:
- Provide analyses of potential investments through written and oral recommendations, including all aspects of the technology and business.
- Engage with venture capital experts and successful entrepreneurs
- Connect with the St. Louis entrepreneurial ecosystem
Program Guidelines
- Approval from your faculty mentor is a non-negotiable requirement of this program.
- This program is designed to be part of your professional development. You will commit to dedicate 25% of your effort (10 hours/week) for 6 months to this program.
- The program’s agenda requires in-person attendance at the Office of Technology Management office @ 4240 Duncan Avenue, or at the BioGenerator office @ 4340 Duncan Avenue or at the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Danforth Campus. These discussions and interactions are not amenable to remote meetings.
- The Venture Fellows Program for Postdocs requires a 10 hour a week commitment for 2 blocks of 3 months each, total of 26 weeks. You will be responsible for managing that commitment with respect to the needs of your research program.
- As a Venture Fellow, your overall compensation will remain the same. The program will compensate your lab for a total of 260 hours of work.
If your postdoctoral researcher is selected as a Venture Fellow, you will be expected to:
- Allow your postdoctoral researcher to dedicate 25% of their effort (10 hours/week) to this program for 6 months (September-November 2024 AND January-March 2025). The time dedicated to this program is compatible with University policy on professional development for postdoctoral researchers (see here).
- Keep your postdoctoral researcher’s compensation unaltered. In return, your lab will be compensated at a rate of 10 hours per week, for a total of 6 months of salary/ 26 weeks. The total amount will be prorated from your postdoctoral researcher’s current salary and will be allocated in a cost center to cost center transfer of funds. In this way, there will be no change to your lab budget.
- Provide your postdoctoral researchers with flexibility in their daily work during the tenure of the program. It is expected that the Fellow would be away from the lab for a total of 260 hours, at a rate of 10 hours per week, for 26 weeks.
Applications for the 2024 – 2025 Venture Fellows Program for Postdocs are now closed.
