Careers

VoLo Earth Ventures provides first-in funding and hands-on leadership to founders building category-defining companies across the energy transition, climate tech, and frontier technologies. We partner early, lean in deeply, and invest where better science, better systems, and better economics reinforce one another.

WHY VOLO EARTH

VoLo Earth is built by operators and investors who have been in the trenches. We don’t create urgency through hype or alarm — we create it through clarity, evidence, and economics that work. If you’re motivated by substance over noise, systems over slogans, and outcomes over optics, VoLo Earth is a place where your work will matter.

How to apply

Please submit the following to elaineh@voloearth.com:

  1. Your resume
  2. A short (1-page max) investment memo on a private, early-stage climate or energy company you believe is overlooked or undervalued, or 2–3 concise sentences describing an investment thesis or sector that excites you.

VoLo Earth Ventures is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity across backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.

Apply now

Investment Associate / Senior Associate

Title commensurate with experience

Location

Flexible (SF Bay Area / NYC preferred)

The Opportunity

We are hiring an experienced Associate or emerging Senior Associate to join our investment team. This role is designed for an early-to-mid level investment professional who is ready to take meaningful ownership over diligence, thesis development, and deal execution, while growing into a more autonomous sourcing and investment role over time.

You will work closely with the partners across the full investment lifecycle – from identifying new themes and sourcing opportunities, through diligence and execution, to supporting portfolio companies post-investment. This is a generalist role with increasing opportunity to develop sector-specific depth across energy, climate, and hard technology.

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Core Responsibilities

This is a self-directed role. Success requires initiative, sound judgment, and the ability to move from ambiguity to action without waiting for instructions.

Investment Evaluation & Diligence

  • Source and evaluate early-stage investment opportunities across climate tech and energy transition sectors
  • Conduct rigorous market, competitive, technical, and financial diligence
  • Build and analyze financial models, including unit economics, sensitivity analyses, and scenario cases
  • Lead customer calls, expert interviews, and reference checks
  • Synthesize findings into clear, concise investment memos for the partnership

Thesis Development & Market Research

  • Identify emerging themes and white spaces through structured market research and independent analysis
  • Execute deep dives into priority sectors, including analysis of technology readiness, cost curves, regulatory drivers, and go-to-market dynamics
  • Attend industry conferences, demo days, and technical forums to build domain knowledge and networks

Deal Process & Execution (Scope Increases with Seniority)

  • Support or lead deal processes from first meeting through term sheet and closing
  • Coordinate external diligence providers and manage data room
  • Assist with valuation analysis, term negotiation, and investment committee preparation

Portfolio & Firm Support

  • Support portfolio companies with ad hoc strategic, financial, and operational analyses
  • Assist founders with fundraising strategy, hiring, and business development introductions
  • Contribute to firm-level initiatives including fund analytics, knowledge management, and investment process improvement
  • Support firm brand-building through content creation, events, and ecosystem engagement
  • Synthesize investor requirements into repeatable processes and tools that build compounding knowledge.

Role Scope by Level

Associate

Experience: 2–4 years in investment banking, consulting, venture capital, private equity, or high-growth climate/energy startups

Profile:

  • Highly analytical and execution-oriented
  • Comfortable building models, analyzing data rooms, and drafting investment memos with limited oversight
  • Demonstrates strong learning velocity and curiosity about venture investing

Success Metrics: Quality and rigor of diligence, speed of execution, clarity of written analysis

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Senior Associate

Experience: 4-7 years, including prior VC/PE experience and/or significant operating experience in relevant sectors

Profile:

  • Able to independently run diligence workstreams and manage deals end-to-end with limited guidance
  • Developing a differentiated point of view in one or more climate or energy subsectors
  • Increasingly proactive in sourcing and building founder relationships

Success Metrics: Quality of independent judgment, sourcing contribution, thesis depth, ability to manage parallel processes

Note for Senior Associate candidates: This role is designed for someone ready to step into real ownership. You will be trusted to develop conviction, run diligence with autonomy, and contribute meaningfully to investment decisions — not just support them. If you are looking for a seat close to decision-making, with a clear path to increased responsibility based on judgment and execution (not tenure), this role offers that trajectory.

This Role is Not:

  • A role with tightly defined tasks, daily checklists, or constant direction
  • A passive learning role or a short-term credential before business school
  • A narrow modeling or research-only position removed from founders and real decision-making
  • A hype-driven platform chasing headlines, hot rounds, or momentum investing
  • A role with rigid playbooks or excessive hierarchy — this is a small team where contribution is visible

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Qualifications

Required

  • Self-starter mentality with a demonstrated ability to identify what needs to be done and execute without prompting
  • Strong passion for climate, energy transition, and technology-driven decarbonization
  • Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and comfort operating in unstructured environments
  • Excellent analytical skills, including financial statement analysis and modeling
  • Ability to synthesize complex technical and market information into clear written and verbal communication
  • Strong interpersonal skills and comfort engaging with founders, executives, and technical experts
  • Bachelor’s degree required

Preferred / Differentiating

  • Technical or scientific background (engineering, physical sciences, materials, chemistry, energy systems)
  • Prior experience evaluating or operating within hard-tech, energy, or infrastructure-heavy businesses
  • Familiarity with energy markets, industrial systems, grid infrastructure, or climate-relevant policy and regulation
  • Experience supporting early-stage founders or startups

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Culture & Benefits

  • Competitive base salary and performance-based bonus
  • Carried interest participation
  • Health, dental, and vision coverage
  • Flexible work environment with high autonomy and ownership
  • Small, collaborative team with significant exposure to partners and decision-making

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Why Volo Earth

VoLo Earth is built by operators and investors who have been in the trenches. We don’t create urgency through hype or alarm — we create it through clarity, evidence, and economics that work.

We lead with economics. The companies we back replace inefficient incumbents with systems that deliver better performance, lower costs, and faster payback. Climate impact follows from stronger productivity and better business models.

We’re quietly confident and technically fluent. Founders don’t need to oversimplify their work here. We bring deep technical and operating backgrounds, ask hard questions with respect, and engage as true partners — especially when things get difficult.

We take the long view. With a family-office mindset, we’re patient but not passive. We understand that building foundational energy and industrial companies takes time, and we support founders accordingly without performance theater or artificial pressure

We show up. We’re the investor who helps clear the dishes, stays late in the hard moments, and does the work alongside the team. Our credibility travels because it’s earned through action, not positioning.

If you’re motivated by substance over noise, systems over slogans, and outcomes over optics, VoLo Earth is a place where your work will matter.

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