Summer Venture & Economic Development Fellow (Venture Associate)

About the Role

mHUB is seeking a Graduate Fellow/Summer Associate to support mHUB’s leadership team in defining and resourcing venture initiatives to drive economic growth through hardtech entrepreneurship and manufacturing. mHUB’s October 2023 relocation provides an opportunity to catalyze public and private investment in Chicago’s near west side. mHUB, located at 1623 W Fulton Street, is situated within an Opportunity Zone and the Kinzie Industrial Corridor TIF district. The surrounding opportunity zone and planned manufacturing district is ripe for investment to create a national model for decarbonizing industrial settings, while driving inclusive job growth and emerging technology commercialization.

The strategic location on the near west side provides access to jobs and career growth for residents on Chicago’s south and west sides via the convenient Pink & Green Lake/Ashland station, just steps from mHUB’s facility. Pairing industrial growth with decarbonization efforts also demonstrates the ability to provide quality and environmentally healthy manufacturing jobs within the City’s limits. The fellow will support the leadership team in further developing and executing upon this multi-year real estate, venture investment, and economic development strategy.

If you are interested in the role accelerators and venture capital can play in designing regional economic development strategies and are interested in the intersection of entrepreneurship, manufacturing, and technology-based economic growth, this is the role for you. You’ll have the opportunity to help envision how mHUB can drive economic growth through climate & energy, medtech, and manufacturing technology development and commercialization.

It is important that the fellow come with a lens of inclusive economic development and an interest the role of private and public capital can play in driving economic growth and tech commercialization. Fellows receive career and leadership coaching and the opportunity to network with Chicago’s corporate, civic and nonprofit leaders across the tech ecosystem.

About mHUB

mHUB is a leading independent hardtech and manufacturing innovation center located in Chicago, Illinois. Our mission is to enable U.S. hardtech innovation and commercialization by fueling collaboration and providing an accessible, hyper-resourced environment to develop, fund and accelerate clean energy, health, sustainability, and manufacturing entrepreneurship. Since launching in 2017, the mHUB’s community of over 1,000 startups has generated more than $1.96B in revenue, launched more than 1,702 products, hired more than 6,809 employees, and raised over $2.02B in capital. mHUB's three business units – Incubator, HardTech Development Services, and mHUB Ventures/Accelerator – connect startups, innovators, researchers, manufacturers, and investors to spur innovation.

The mHUB team is an ambitious, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven team committed to helping entrepreneurs find a path to success and supporting economic growth in Chicago, the Midwest, and the U.S. We are builders and problem solvers, excited about the potential in hardtech and manufacturing entrepreneurship and by bringing businesses and products to life.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess and execute upon opportunities for mHUB to expand mission and impact through real estate and startup investment within Opportunity Zones, including supporting the research, model development, and planning for an OZ capital strategy
• Advance strategy to develop a district-wide energy system to support existing and future manufacturers with clean energy options.
• Develop proposals to attract public and private capital to the Chicagoland and Illinois region for technology-based economic development initiatives.
• Research, design, and develop new venture platform offerings to support mHUB’s portfolio companies scale
• Drive collaboration between key stakeholders across the tech and manufacturing ecosystem to develop strategies to drive economic growth in the region

Qualififications

• Must be a current graduate program student focusing on areas of policy, economic development, real estate, or business administration.
• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners and donors.
• Expert written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, quantitative, and financial modeling skills, with the ability to synthesize large amounts of information and assess key insights.
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with high-level leaders to work towards outcomes, leading by consensus.
• Experience in grant writing or grant administration is a plus.
• Prior experience with real estate or energy infrastructure development is a plus.

Salary & Duration:

Stipend: $1,500 per month

Timeline: Minimum of 12 weeks between May and August (aligned with your academic calendar), with the possibility of extension.

To Apply

Please send resume and cover letter to info@mhub.org with Summer Associate – Venture & Economic Development in the subject line.

mHUB is an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state ,or local laws.