Associate

The most important companies of the next decade will be rebuilding the physical foundations the country let atrophy -  the satellites, reactors, chips, batteries, and factories that decide whether the US and its allies stay safe and prosperous. We've spent the last decade backing the founders doing exactly that, and we're looking for someone in LA to double down with us.

Upfront Ventures has invested out of Los Angeles since 1996. We write first checks to early-growth rounds across the US, EU, and Israel, currently from our 8th early-stage and 4th early-growth funds. We are on the boards of most of our portfolio companies, from beginning to end.

Almost 40% of our portfolio is in hard tech, concentrated across four areas:

• Aerospace & defense — AnySignal, Apex, CX2, Fortastra, Observable Space
• Chips & compute — Bright.AI, Efficient Computer, Itera, Majestic Labs, and a stealth datacenter-security company
• Energy & critical resources — Critical Energy, Cypress Battery, Rainmaker, Zeitview, and a stealth nuclear company
• Advanced manufacturing — Abyss, Metal Cross, and a stealth factory-AI company

🚀 The job

You’ll get exposed to the full scope of a lead VC Partner: you'll source the best founders reindustrializing the country; build theses and research through first hand sources on space, industrial automation, energy, and AI infrastructure; join board meetings and support portfolio companies on everything from hiring, GTM to supply chain and fundraising; and expand the Upfront platform through public writing, events, and automations (we have a dedicated team working on AI agents across the firm) .

Do it well and you'll come out with hard-won views on where technology is heading, a real understanding of how startups operate at every stage, and a deep network across founders, operators, and investors. Past Associates have made Partner at Upfront and other VCs, joined portfolio companies in leadership roles, and started their own companies.

🚀 Who we're looking for

You have 1–5 years of high-trajectory operating experience at a fast-growing hard tech company across space, defense, manufacturing, robotics or adjacent sectors. Think the caliber of SpaceX, Anduril, or the next ones in that lineage. We care more about trajectory and how embedded you are in the LA hard tech scene than the exact logo.  Investing, angel, or scouting experience is a plus. Beyond that:

• You genuinely care about how technology modernizes the industrial base, and what that means for the safety and prosperity of America and her allies.
• You’re a connector, building relationships with top talent when they’re still ideating, putting them together to help spark the next thing.
• You're sharp with numbers, building analyses that would make good training data for LLMs.
• You get up to speed quickly and can translate technical concepts clearly. For example, you can explain how different nuclear reactor fuels and designs vary, the supply-chain and operational realities of building and running them, and why a given power profile is worth more to one customer than another.
• You are high agency and own your work. You don’t wait to be told. You see what needs doing and you’ve already started, whether it’s chasing a lead, finding off-sheet references, or starting a founder dinner series.

The role is onsite in our West LA office with regular travel to major tech hubs. You'll report to Kevin Zhang, GP and co-manager of Upfront, who started as an Associate 14+ years ago, and work closely with the entire investment team, especially Nick Kim and Jacques Sisteron, Partners who lead our hard tech work in LA.

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Interested in applying?

If this sounds like you, please fill out our short application form here. If the role is a match, we will reach out directly via email to begin the interview process. Please note that we unfortunately cannot offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Upfront Ventures is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

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