DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS
About Funga
Funga is the forest microbiome company. We are a pre-seed stage startup focused on understanding and improving forests’ sub-soil symbiotic fungi communities to accelerate tree growth and carbon capture. We are aimed at having a huge impact on carbon drawdown and timber production, while also enhancing belowground forest fungal biodiversity.
We are in the earliest stages of spinning out from academia, where our Founder and CEO Dr. Colin Averill has been on the forefront of understanding biological carbon reservoirs and forest mycorrhizal fungal genomics. We have an unprecedented bioinformatics pipeline paired with a proprietary dataset of tree growth statistics and soil fungi genomes that allows us to understand which soil fungal communities should be present for optimal tree growth based on site microclimate, soil chemistry, tree species, and many other inputs. So far, academic trials of our technology have shown 30% - 70% faster tree growth just in the first year and potential for as much as 3x faster tree growth over the lifetime of the tree.
About the Role
Years of research and in-field trials have gone into developing this powerful technology for improving the health and performance of forestry projects, which are vital to addressing many of our current crises. We are in the middle of a climate crisis, and Funga can pull down tens-of-millions of tons additional CO2e every year. We are in a global shortage of timber and building materials, and Funga can accelerate the delivery of board-feet in a way that improves managed forest ecologies, rather than destroys them. The current extinction crisis has roots underground where sub-soil ecologies have been destroyed and homogenized. Funga aims to catalogue and restore foundational soil biodiversity.
Each of these solutions requires the development of a profitable business model to propel them to global scale. We are in the first few months as a company outside of a University lab, and we need a leader to join the team and help us develop the business model(s) that will solve these problems at a global scale. This role will work directly with our CEO, our investors, and our customers to develop and execute business solutions that enable the widest positive impact of our technology possible.
Responsibilities include:
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Structuring, negotiating, and executing high-level business deals with our key partners, including forestry collaborations and carbon removal customers.
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Identifying new market opportunities for our technology and developing go-to-market plans to meet them.
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Collaborating with our CEO and investors to develop financial models.
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Collaborating with our CEO to develop pitch materials and deliver them in meetings with prospective customers, investors, and government partners.
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Managing marketing and other communications asset production projects, including forward facing website, explainer videos, informational publications, and more.
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Supporting with general business development strategies and HR while we are still in the earliest stages of company building.
Candidate Attributes
This is a role for someone hungry to jump into an early stage technology startup as the first leader focused solely on business development. Someone who is successful in this role will have enough experience in the business world to know how things work, but also be creative and open-minded enough to develop innovative solutions to the unique business questions our revolutionary technology creates.
Required Attributes
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3+ years of experience in a business oriented role at a technology company
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An independent strategic thinker and compassionate leader
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A strong drive to build a historically significant company
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Dedication to decarbonization, forestry, and biodiversity
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Strong written and verbal communication
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Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects independently