Student Founders Need YOU: Join the Dorm Room Fund HQ Team
This is the application for Dorm Room Fund’s remote HQ team. Applications for our Boston, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco Investment teams will launch in the Fall of 2020.
Are you ready to help run the world’s leading student venture fund? If so, keep reading.
Welcome to Dorm Room Fund, a student-run venture fund created to help student founders build game-changing startups. Built by students and powered by the nation’s premier early-stage VC fund, First Round, our volunteer organization helps student founders win with a strong network of investors, world-class mentors, a dedicated portfolio support team, and a $20,000 check.
If building world-class brands, telling powerful stories, and using great design to move mountains runs in your blood, we want YOU to apply to be Dorm Room Fund’s next Head of Content or Head of Design.
How much do these roles matter at DRF? Hint: a lot.
Dorm Room Fund isn’t just some extracurricular club or student group. Since 2012, our community of founders has gone on to raise over $500 million in follow-on investments in their companies from the world’s leading VCs and created over $2 billion in market value. We’ve invested in category-defining companies like Brooklinen, Blockstack, FiscalNote, and Bevi because their founders saw the power of Dorm Room Fund’s community and unique support capabilities first hand.
But how did Dorm Room Fund build the most recognized brand and most capable portfolio support resources in student startups?
It’s all thanks to our remote HQ team.
What is the DRF HQ team?
Our HQ team is the engine that powers DRF and the compass that defines the fund’s strategic direction. The team’s eight members own three core goals:
- Enable DRF to find and engage the world’s best student founders
- Use diverse skills and expertise to help our founders succeed
- Strengthen the DRF community
Whether advising portfolio companies on their go-to-market strategies, launching a newsletter and podcast to engage and inspire new student founders, or leveraging analytics to help target the next great campus innovation ecosystem, our founders and partners count on HQ to make the magic happen — and tell the DRF story along the way. HQ team members are the strategic thinkers driving DRF’s growth, the creatives behind its brand, and the first call for founders in need.
Working closely with our CEO Molly Fowler, HQ is a swat team of top-notch student operators with backgrounds ranging from Bridgewater to SpaceX, Airbnb to Silicon Valley Bank and startups at every stage of growth. Members of our HQ team have gone on to found venture-funded startups, grow businesses to millions in revenue, become first engineers at some of the nation’s hottest startups, and lead teams in senior positions at tech companies post-grad.
Who can apply?
For all roles, to be eligible to apply, you must be:
⚡️ An active, full-time student, currently enrolled in an accredited academic institution (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, JD, MBA, etc.), with at least one full year left in your program.
⚡️ Willing to commit 10+ hours per week to DRF for at least one year.
Deadline to apply: Monday, April 13th @ 11:59 PM PST.
What are the roles?
Head of Content
Top-notch written, audio, and visual content are critical to sharing DRF’s story with the world and our ability to find the best student founders. DRF’s content isn’t just a “nice to have,” it’s a core, closely measured part of our strategy. Dorm Room Fund’s new Head of Content will serve as the strategic driver of our content efforts and a key voice for the DRF community.
DRF’s content does more than just inform our founders and our partners: DRF is a home for the entire student entrepreneur ecosystem. The Head of Content will manage, create content for, and define the strategic direction of our blog, bi-weekly newsletter (The Syllabus) and podcast (Office Hours).
Whether we’re sharing the latest tips on hiring your first engineer, interviewing the founder of a multi-billion dollar company for our podcast, or connecting top talent to job opportunities, DRF’s content channels help founders and student entrepreneurs inside our community and out — regardless of their university or location.
What will you do as Head of Content?
⚡️You will serve as a key voice for DRF — helping founders and budding VCs across the country with sage advice, awesome connections, and the occasional well-placed meme.
⚡️You will take the lead on managing, creating content for, and defining the strategic direction of DRFs blog, newsletter, and podcast.
⚡️You will work with partners and guest creators to develop a full suite of integrated content, including blog posts, newsletter content, social posts, e-books, website content and interviews for our podcast.
⚡️ You will manage all of Dorm Room Fund’s audience growth across social channels.
⚡️You will advise DRF founders on content and social strategies.
⚡️You will help grow DRF’s online community.
⚡️ You will keep DRF partners up to speed on media, tech trends, and on how other companies are marketing themselves successfully.
What skills do you have?
Must-have
⚡️ You are an excellent writer and online raconteur with a portfolio of written work to show for it.
⚡️ You are an ace editor of other people’s work with an eye towards maintaining DRFs brand voice and high standards.
⚡️ You enjoy jamming with other members of the marketing squad, including DRF’s Managing Partners, to make sure all DRF’s external communications and campaigns work together.
⚡️ You’re a social machine and know how to drive organic growth on existing and emerging platforms.
⚡️ You’re not afraid to dive into analytics to understand where DRF’s content is working and where it’s not.
Nice-to-haves
⚡️You have podcasting skills and love audio.
⚡️You have experience growing a subscription newsletter audience.
⚡️You have experience partnering with a full marketing team to meet and exceed ambitious goals.
Head of Design
Dorm Room Fund is looking for an enthusiastic lover of all things brand and design to join the HQ team as the Head of Design. Design plays a critical role in all that we do here at DRF HQ — we care deeply about our brand and design and continue to strive to improve both as we expand nationally and internationally. And guess what: you could be the person leading the charge!
What will you do as Head of Design?
In this role, you will work directly with DRF portfolio companies on design needs they may have, including but not limited to:
⚡️Reviewing pitch decks and assessing their current brand identity
⚡️Advising on hiring a freelance designer or their first full-time designer
⚡️Giving feedback on their product and/or website
⚡️Light design touch-ups, but nothing major!
In addition, you will be responsible for all of our internal Dorm Room Fund brand identity and design work, including:
⚡️Evolving and maintaining the DRF brand
⚡️Creating assets for our newsletter, blog, website, annual retreat, and much more
⚡️Driving the aesthetic for DRF as we expand to more campuses and reach more founders
⚡️Building UI workflows for internal products
What skills do you have?
This is the perfect role for someone looking to gain real design leadership experience while working directly in the VC and startup space.
Must-haves:
⚡️An obsession with all things brand and brand design
⚡️Experience with the Adobe Creative Suite
⚡️A keen understanding of how to design within Microsoft Office products and Google Suite
⚡️Basic knowledge of and background in Product (UX/UI) Design
⚡️A positive, can-do, no-such-thing-as-grunt-work attitude
Nice to haves:
⚡️Mastery of Figma
⚡️Experience working with a pro design organization at a leading tech company or startup
⚡️Love of products and product design
This role is fun and requires significant self-direction, since the Head of Design is a one-person show, for the most part. For all students interested, please apply below and include a portfolio link! Applications without a portfolio link included will not be considered.
Get more Dorm Room Fund news and updates on Twitter and learn more on our website. Want more DRF content? Subscribe to our newsletter and podcast. Ready to take your startup to the next level? Apply here to be considered for an investment from Dorm Room Fund. Until next time! 🚀
