As a Venture Specialist, you will play a hands-on role in sourcing, evaluating, and executing strategic venture investments, in the U.S. West Coast startup ecosystem, while also supporting venture partnerships and open-innovation engagements across Honda’s global R&D and business units.
You will work closely with stakeholders in the U.S. and Japan, startup founders, and VC/CVC partners, with a strong emphasis on early-stage and growth-stage technologies aligned with long-term strategy. This role requires sound judgment, strong execution skills, and the ability to operate effectively in a matrixed, cross-cultural environment. Focus areas include electrification, mobility, robotics/AI, and sustainability.
Key Responsibilities –
Deal Sourcing & Investment Execution –
- Source deal flow through venture tools (e.g., PitchBook, Crunchbase), VC/CVC relationships, founder networks, accelerators, and active participation in the West Coast Startup ecosystem.
- Identify, screen, and engage with promising startups to uncover high-impact investment opportunities aligned with innovation roadmap.
- Conduct early-stage diligence, evaluating:
- Market potential and competitive dynamics
- Technical differentiation and defensibility (“wow factor”)
- Business model viability and financial outlook
- Team strength and execution capability
- Develop clear, compelling investment proposals and present recommendations to the investment team.
- Track emerging technology and investment trends
- Support end-to-end internal investment processes, including coordination with internal business stakeholders
Open Innovation, Partnerships & Portfolio Support –
- Support open-innovation engagements between startups and Business Units, including pilots, proof-of concepts (PoCs), and early collaborations that may lead to investment.
- Manage follow-up actions, information flow, documentation, and reporting between internal teams and startup partners.
- Help align expectations and ensure accountability across internal stakeholders and external partners.
- If assigned:
- Serve as a board observer for one or more portfolio companies and provide structured internal reporting.
- Support value-creation activities such as Joint Development Agreements (JDAs), Joint Research Agreements (JRAs), and other strategic collaborations.
- Lead and manage relationships with selected accelerator or ecosystem partners, including deal flow reviews, event participation, and potential event planning.
Networking & Ecosystem Engagement –
- Build, maintain, and strengthen a robust network of VCs, CVCs, founders, and ecosystem partners, particularly on the U.S. West Coast.
- Actively represent this Global Automotive Company at industry events, panels, startup evaluations, and judging activities.
- Contribute to strengthening brand, visibility, and credibility within the venture and innovation ecosystem.
Core Competencies –
- Venture & Startup Acumen
- Strong ability to assess early-stage and growth-stage startups for strategic relevance and technology applicability.
- Intellectual curiosity and learning agility across multiple emerging technology domains.
- Analytical & Structured Thinking
- Ability to synthesize complex technical and commercial information into concise outputs.
- Comfortable operating with ambiguity while staying within defined scope and governance.
- Stakeholder & Cross-Cultural Engagement
- Effective communicator across global, cross-functional teams.
- Experience managing inputs and expectations from diverse stakeholders, including engineers, executives, and founders.
- Communication & Professional Judgment
- Clear, concise written and verbal communication skills.
- Sound judgment in handling confidential information and sensitive stakeholder interactions.
- Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple parallel workstreams.
Qualifications
- 2-3+ years of experience in venture capital or corporate venture capital
- Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, or closely related field.
- Familiarity with venture diligence tools, processes, and common deal structures
- Strong interest in emerging technology domains relevant to Honda’s long-term strategy
- Demonstrated experience sourcing, evaluating, and supporting execution of early-stage venture investments
- Willingness to travel domestically (and occasionally internationally) up to 40%
Preferred
- Established network within the VC/CVC and startup ecosystem, particularly on the U.S. West Coast (San Francisco Bay Area preferred)
- Proven track record of developing investment theses, building relationships with founders, and advancing deals through the investment process
- Experience contributing to portfolio support, strategic partnerships, or accelerator engagements
Location – Mountain View, CA (Onsite 4 days per week)External conferences or events attended as part of the role count toward onsite days.
