Venture Builder, Product

About Us

At 1848 Ventures, we're not just building companies—we're shaping the future. As a venture studio focused on B2B SaaS startups powered by data and AI, we're on a mission to transform the SMB market in industries that are the backbone of the economy, such as construction, real estate, hospitality, retail, and restaurants. Our team of venture builders, data scientists, engineers, and designers leverage cutting-edge AI to build products that empower SMB businesses to succeed.

We're not following traditional playbooks; we're creating our own. Join us and help drive innovation in industries where data and AI can make a real impact.

The Opportunity

You'll be the driving force leading early-stage venture building. This is a unique opportunity to guide the cyclical process of creating validated AI-powered ventures that serve SMBs. Dive into industry challenges, understand the customer, and spearhead experimentation that helps derisk early-stage concepts. We're looking for someone who will embrace this highly iterative and ambiguous work, understanding that this ongoing cycle is key to the success of our Studio.

What You’ll Do

In short, you'll be at the forefront of our venture-building approach, enabled by our unique Studio Model. We don't have 'standard' days here, but your day-to-day will largely be filled with:

• Customer Discovery and Synthesis: conduct extensive customer discovery, ensuring a deep understanding of pain points, JTBD, needs, and preferences
• Market Research: conduct comprehensive market research, analyzing industry trends, competitors, and potential market gaps to inform venture development (and turn analysis into right-sized market sizing to inform decisions)
• Business Model and Value Proposition Ideation and Iteration: turn analysis and insights into early-stage business models and value propositions and continually refine these through in-market learning and experimentation
• Experimentation Planning and Execution: develop and execute experiments to validate assumptions and hypotheses, embracing the ethos of 'failing fast' and learning from failures
  • We leverage a significant breadth of experimentation techniques, from customer interviews to prototyping to marketing experimentation, etc. - you should have comfort with a breadth of methodologies
• Day-to-Day Decision-Making: leverage data and insights to drive informed decisions (keeping in mind the highly ambiguous nature of early-stage work), constantly reassessing and iterating on venture concepts
• Collaborating with Diverse Teams: work closely with other expert team members, including product designers, software engineers and data scientists

Who You Are

You're a strategic and creative problem-solver who thrives in ambiguity, leverages market insights, and balances innovation with practicality to drive product success in fast-paced, early-stage environments. You:

• Thrive in connecting the dots between disparate information and make decision points in the face of uncertainty and often conflicting information. Have a take, test it, iterate.
• Excel in steering product development within the dynamic landscape of early-stage startups (or other similar early-stage environments).
• Demonstrate proficiency in conducting early-stage customer discovery and market research to drive informed decision-making in the development process.
• Have a proven track record of balancing the art and science – Digital Product/Design/Creativity - bringing ideas to life through the art of the possible while being grounded in reality.
• Are passionate about taking complex ideas and communicating them in a way that is clear and simple to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Possess humility and open-mindedness, actively seeking feedback and being receptive to the possibility of pivots or idea termination.
• Bring a minimum of at least 8 years of professional experience, and while startup experience is not mandatory, a proven ability to conceptualize, strategize, and execute tasks independently, coupled with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in dynamic environments, is essential. Venture Studio experience is preferred.

Bonus Points If

• You have a passion for true early-stage work - connecting dots, being 'wrong' more than you're 'right', getting your hands dirty, sitting in the ambiguity.
• You don't attach your professional worth to an idea. The vast majority of early-stage ideas will fail - we're a team who tests, iterates, and makes the tough calls. If you're prone to falling in love with an idea early, you may find our environment challenging.