645 Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm backing exceptional founders across Enterprise, Deep Tech, AI Infrastructure, Fintech, Consumer, Cybersecurity, and Health Tech.
About the role
Entrepreneurial Faculty and PhD Engagement : Speak with PhD professors and PhD students each semester to uncover emerging technology, identify startup founders in need of support, and keep us informed about key areas of research and startup formation relevant to potential 645 investments.
What they're looking for
- Academic Excellence : Current Masters or PhD candidate at Cornell Tech with a strong technical background in computer science, AI/ML, cybersecurity, computational biology, systems engineering, or other deep tech fields
- Research Literacy : Ability to read, interpret, and critically evaluate academic papers, patents, and technical research for potential commercialization opportunities
- Technical Rigor : Proficiency in at least one technical area relevant to venture investing (e.g., AI/ML model architectures, distributed systems, security protocols, healthtech/biotech platforms, robotics)
- Analytical Skills : Demonstrated strength in quantitative analysis, including modeling market size (TAM/SAM/SOM), understanding unit economics, and evaluating competitive moats from a technical and business standpoint
- Product/Engineering Experience : Prior experience building products, conducting applied research, or contributing to open-source/technical projects that translate research into real-world applications
- Venture & Commercial Awareness : Familiarity with startup formation, spinout processes, venture financing, and IP commercialization, ideally with hands-on experience in a startup, accelerator, or commercialization lab
More about this role
645 Ventures is seeking an exceptional Masters/PhD student at Cornell Tech to join us as a VC Fellow. This role offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on sourcing and investment experience with a leading early-stage venture capital firm while staying closely connected to the innovative technology and talent emerging from the campus.
645 Ventures seeded one of Cornell Tech’s most successful companies, Nanit, which was founded through the Cornell Tech Runway Startup Program. The firm also hosted NYC GPT//LLM Hackathon at Cornell Tech, judged Startup Awards, and hosted AI Salon conversations with Cornell Tech professors and PhDs. This commitment to the entrepreneurial success of faculty and students underscores the importance of our continued engagement with Cornell Tech.
As part of this initiative, the VC Fellow will serve as our on-the-ground scout and direct connection to the campus. The Fellow will play a key role in having regular conversations with the firm’s investment leadership team, focusing on sharing thoughts on current commercializable research being developed by faculty and PhDs, organizing lists of active on-campus startup ideas and companies, providing investment...
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