(Senior) Associate – Venture Capital (gn) @ FoodLabs Investment Team, Berlin

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FoodLabs seeks a (Senior) Associate to source and own early stage deals across bioeconomy, AI, and deep tech from Berlin. The role combines scouting, thesis building, and end to end deal execution in a small team that values impact over category. You’ll define white space, map markets, reach founders early, and move opportunities from first meeting through diligence, memo, IC and close while supporting portfolio companies. Ideal candidates have startup or VC experience, a STEM background is a plus, strong founder empathy, and the ability to translate science and product into clear investment theses. To apply, share concrete deals, a tight thesis, and evidence of proactive sourcing.

About FoodLabs

FoodLabs is a Berlin-based early-stage VC and venture studio. We invest and co-found internationally from day zero across food, health, climate, and the broader bioeconomy. We back tech- and science-driven founders early and help them build category-defining companies.Think AI and software to design or understand biology faster, technologies that reinvent how food, agriculture and materials are produced, and the nextgen software stack that redefines how massive real-economy markets are orchestrated. 

Portfolio includes: InPlanet, Project Eaden, Klim, Mycolever, Kolum, Evanium and Voltrac 

We go beyond capital. Deep sector network and knowledge, operational support, a builder mindset.

The role

The food system is one of the biggest levers we have on human health and the planet. Changing it requires everything: new biology, new software, new infrastructure. We invest across all of it.

This role is about finding the best early-stage founders in Europe before anyone else does. Whether they're engineering a new protein, building fermentation infrastructure, or writing software that makes supply chains transparent. What matters is the impact, not the category.

Small team. No layers. You source it, you lead it, you own it. For someone early in their career, the exposure to real deals, real founders, and real decisions is unmatched.

What you'll do

• Source and win pre-seed and seed deals across bioeconomy, B2B software, AI, and deep tech

• Define and evolve our thesis: white space, market mapping, emerging bets

• Get to founders early. Help them sharpen their thinking before the pitch is polished

• Own deals end-to-end: first meeting, diligence, memo, IC, close

• Stay ahead of the market: labs, incubators, spinouts, software ecosystems

• Support portfolio companies on fundraising, GTM, product, and intros

What it takes

Sharp analytical instincts. Real founder empathy. The ability to go deep fast on unfamiliar territory and form a view without being told what to think.

You might have...

• Built or worked in a startup: biotech, B2B SaaS, deep tech, anything hard

• A stellar academic background; STEM is a plus

• Experience in early-stage VC, scouting, product, or commercializing technical IP

You need to be...

• Finding deals before they surface, not reacting to inbound

• Able to translate science, strategy, and product into clear investment cases

• Commercially sharp: business models, GTM, unit economics, competitive dynamics

• A strong communicator with founders, scientists, engineers, and ICs

• Comfortable deciding with limited information and limited time

What you get

Small team. Real deals. You'll own your outcomes.

Fast decisions, no politics, direct access to senior dealmaking from day one. If you perform, you grow. We're growing one of Europe's most focused early-stage funds at the intersection of biology, software, and climate, and you'll help shape where it goes.