Contrary is a talent and research-driven investment firm, backed by some of the world’s most iconic entrepreneurs. We invest in a small number of exceptional people and the companies they build, and work closely alongside them to build enduring businesses from seed to scale.
With this approach, we’ve backed iconic companies like Anduril, Ramp, Hallow, Zepto, and many others.
Each year, we assemble a selective team of exceptional student Venture Partners (VPs) to work with us on the HQ team. They hail from universities across the US and Canada, and are a diverse group of founders, builders, engineers, designers, researchers, writers, and everything in between.
As we approach the upcoming academic year, we're thrilled to begin our search for the next cohort of students to join the Contrary family.
Being a Venture Partner
As a Venture Partner, you'll be the go-to resource for founders and builders on campus. One day, you might grab coffee with someone brainstorming ideas for space manufacturing. The next, you'll research the latest AI trends or enterprise sales software as we evaluate relevant companies.
You'll join a team of like-minded builders, learn how to think like an investor, and see what goes into starting and scaling a successful company.
We look for independent thinkers with diverse experiences and a history of excellence.
Previous VPs have started companies in high school, forgone careers as professional athletes, and built software projects with millions of users. There is no specific VP archetype. The only requirements are that you love tech and early-stage startups, and will put in the time and effort to make the most of the opportunity.
All the details you'll need
- We're hosting our National Info Session on Tuesday, September 3rd at 8pm ET/5pm PT. We'll give an in-depth overview of Contrary and the Venture Partner role. RSVP below.
- We review applications as they come in, so apply now. The sooner the better. We have a final deadline of Sunday, September 15th at 11:59pm PT.
- We generally prefer people with more than one year of school left, but have made exceptions in the past.
- Our selection process includes 3 steps: an interview with a member of the Contrary HQ team, a more casual chat with existing VPs at your school (if applicable), and a conversation with our founder, Eric.
- Reach out to vp@contrary.com with any additional questions. We're always happy to chat and/or direct you to the appropriate resource.
- The Venture Partner role is a school-year commitment that lasts until you graduate. The community and network you join is life-long.
Genuinely, we can't wait to hear from you, and we look forward to reading your applications!
RSVP for the National Info Session
Disclosure: Nothing presented within this article is intended to constitute legal, business, investment or tax advice, and under no circumstances should any information provided herein be used or considered as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any investment fund managed by Contrary LLC (“Contrary”) nor does such information constitute an offer to provide investment advisory services. Information provided reflects Contrary’s views as of a time, whereby such views are subject to change at any point and Contrary shall not be obligated to provide notice of any change. Companies mentioned in this article may be a representative sample of portfolio companies in which Contrary has invested in which the author believes such companies fit the objective criteria stated in commentary, which do not reflect all investments made by Contrary. No assumptions should be made that investments listed above were or will be profitable. Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual events, results or the actual experience may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in these statements. Nothing contained in this article may be relied upon as a guarantee or assurance as to the future success of any particular company. Past performance is not indicative of future results. A list of investments made by Contrary (excluding investments for which the issuer has not provided permission for Contrary to disclose publicly, Fund of Fund investments and investments in which total invested capital is no more than $50,000) is available at www.contrary.com/investments.
Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by Contrary. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Contrary has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Please see www.contrary.com/legal for additional important information.