Vice President, Catalytic Capital

About this Role: Food System Innovations is seeking an experienced principal investor to build and lead its catalytic investment function. The Vice President, Catalytic Capital will be responsible for developing FSI's investment strategy and pipeline, sourcing and evaluating potential investments, structuring and executing deals, and managing the organization’s investment portfolio following investment close. This role offers a unique opportunity to combine deep investment expertise with a mission-driven approach to financing sustainable protein innovation. The sustainable protein sector is undergoing a significant capital reset characterized by falling valuations, contracting investor participation, and financing constraints affecting even the most promising companies and technologies. FSI recognizes this environment as presenting an unusual opportunity for patient, mission-driven capital deployment. Unlike traditional investment mandates constrained by conventional risk-return frameworks, FSI can invest across a wide range of risk profiles, time horizons, and capital structures tailored to specific opportunities and needs. The VP will bring deep principal-investing experience and judgment to identify opportunities where FSI's capital can have an outsized catalytic effect, particularly in situations where conventional capital is not well positioned to meet the financing need. The initial investment strategy will emphasize balanced proteins, advanced fermentation, and cultivated meat, with a broader mandate to identify and address capital constraints limiting the sustainable protein transition more broadly. For an experienced investor, this represents an opportunity to build an investment function within a philanthropic organization, combining rigorous investment discipline with the flexibility to pursue catalytic and mission-driven outcomes. The VP will draw on FSI's capabilities across science, technology, markets, philanthropy, and finance to develop strong investment theses, challenge assumptions, and identify opportunities that conventional capital may overlook.

Responsibilities: Refine FSI's investment theses across priority areas and translate them into a robust pipeline of companies, technologies, infrastructure projects, and other investment opportunities Proactively source and cultivate high-quality investment opportunities through FSI's network and the VP's own relationships across the sustainable protein and investment ecosystems Identify financing gaps where patient, flexible, or catalytic capital from FSI could unlock progress that conventional sources of capital are unlikely to finance Develop portfolio-level perspectives on how FSI should allocate capital across technologies, stages, risk profiles, and financing structures Lead comprehensive diligence and underwriting of potential FSI investments, including assessment of management teams, technologies, markets, business models, commercialization pathways, unit economics, capitalization, valuation, financing needs, and key risksDevelop and oversee financial models and scenario analyses, assessing expected financial performance, catalytic impact, additionality, and mission alignment Work with FSI's scientific and technical experts to assess technology readiness, scale-up challenges, techno-economics, manufacturing feasibility, and pathways to cost competitiveness Translate diligence into clear investment recommendations and rigorous investment memoranda for FSI leadership Lead the structuring, negotiation, and execution of FSI's mission-aligned investments, in coordination with FSI leadership, counsel, and external advisors Design investment structures that appropriately balance financial risk and return, catalytic impact, additionality, and FSI's charitable objectives, including equity, debt, guarantees, recoverable grants, blended finance, and other structures where appropriate Maintain relationships with portfolio company leadership and monitor financial performance, operating milestones, mission impact, financing needs, and emerging risksDevelop recommendations regarding follow-on investments, restructurings, exits, and other portfolio decisions, while maintaining rigorous documentation of FSI's investment and charitable rationale Work across FSI's scientific, market, philanthropic, and capital capabilities to inform investment strategy, diligence, and portfolio decisions Collaborate closely with FSI's Capital Solutions function on opportunities requiring infrastructure finance, structured capital, blended finance, or other specialized approaches Advise FSI leadership on when investment capital is the appropriate tool relative to grants, research, market interventions, or other philanthropic activities Build and maintain relationships with founders, investors, corporate partners, scientists, advisors, and other senior stakeholders that strengthen FSI's sourcing, diligence, market intelligence, and portfolio support Represent FSI externally and, where appropriate, share FSI's general research and ecosystem insights through public reports, presentations, convenings, and other educational resources consistent with FSI's charitable mission

Requirements: 10+ years of relevant investment experience, including significant principal investing experience in venture capital, growth equity, private equity, corporate venture, special situations, or related investment roles, with experience operating at the Principal, Partner, VP, or equivalent level Demonstrated track record across the full investment lifecycle, including sourcing opportunities, developing investment theses, leading diligence and underwriting, building financial models, preparing investment memoranda, negotiating transactions, and managing investments following close Strong financial and investment judgment, with deep capabilities across valuation, financial modeling, capitalization, unit economics, scenario analysis, and financing structures Experience evaluating technology-driven businesses with significant commercialization, scale-up, financing, or execution risk, particularly at the early and growth stages Exceptional analytical and communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex scientific, technical, commercial, and financial information into clear investment recommendations Judgment and credibility to work effectively with founders, investors, scientists, corporate executives, philanthropists, and other senior stakeholders High intellectual independence, including the ability to challenge assumptions, develop a well-supported point of view, and make decisions under uncertainty Entrepreneurial, hands‑on approach, with comfort operating in a small, mission-driven organization and personally owning work from investment strategy through detailed analysis and execution Direct investment or operating experience in the alternative protein ecosystem is strongly preferred Investing experience in adjacent science‑and‑capital‑intensive sectors, such as food and agriculture, industrial biotechnology, fermentation, life sciences, climate technology, or advanced manufacturing is preferredExperience evaluating technologies and businesses through commercialization and scale-up, including B2B models, complex enterprise sales cycles, manufacturing, and progression from pilot to commercial scale is preferred Strong relationships across the alternative protein ecosystem, including founders, investors, scientists, strategic companies, and other industry participants is preferredExperience with nontraditional and catalytic financing structures, including debt, structured capital, project finance, guarantees, blended finance, recoverable grants, special situations, or distressed transactions is preferredExperience deploying patient, catalytic, or impact‑oriented capital where financial performance, risk, additionality, and mission impact must be considered together is preferred Legally able to work in the United States