Job Location: Toronto, ON or Montreal, QC

Who we are:

Diagram is a venture builder and early-stage investor that conceives, launches, and invests in transformative companies in the Fintech and ClimateTech sectors. Since 2016, we’ve raised over $480M and launched or invested in around 50 companies.

We work hand-in-hand with experienced founders, combining access to capital, hands-on support, and a deep ecosystem of partners to launch and scale businesses. Our ecosystem includes 200+ investors, including 60+ entrepreneurs with exits exceeding $15B, as well as a global network of corporate partners.

Diagram is part of Sagard, a global multi-strategy alternative investment platform with over US$46B in AUM

What we are looking for:

We are looking for an Associate, Venture Creation to help launch new Diagram ventures, reporting to Diagram’s Fintech Venture Creation Principal.

The successful candidate will bring a highly entrepreneurial mindset and strong desire to build the next generation of technology companies.

This person will work directly with Diagram Partners, potential founders and expert advisors to lead the development, evaluation, de-risking and building of new Fintech/Insuretech ventures. The Associate will play a key role in turning ideas into companies, and shaping Diagram’s portfolio.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Identifying opportunities for new ventures to build and developing in-depth theses and perspectives on opportunity areas;
• Conducting user and market research, assessing business models and unit economics, assessing moat/defensibility to evaluate potential ideas;
• Generating and pitching new venture ideas, including developing pitch decks and investment memos
• Building prototype leveraging AI tools, leading build of MVP in collaboration with engineering, AI experts and other technical expert;
• Owning the work plan and leading the venture during pre-seed (E.g., leading partnerships with early design partners, securing pilot customers);
• Pitching ideas to potential founders, participating in the vetting and team x idea matching process, and building close relationships with founders
• Contributing to building Diagram's culture and brand in the community (e.g. attending startup community events, conferences, etc)

You should have:

• A track record of outstanding performance
• A proven entrepreneurial mindset, high degree of ownership and a self-starter mentality
• Intellectual curiosity and rigor
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written) - be comfortable pitching ideas, and be able to produce high-quality deliverables
• Demonstrated ability to use AI technologies to create/build and leverage to assist in day to day work/activities
• 1-3 years of work experience in relevant fields such as:
• • Early stage venture capital investing (Seed or Series A)
  • Early-stage tech incl. product management, design-thinking / human-centered design, engineering, or other experience within tech startups
  • Consulting or advisory focused on tech products / businesses
  • Venture building at a venture studio
• Analytical skills and the ability to build financial models
• A technical (Engineering, Computer Science, Economics) or business degree
• Knowledge, experience or network in FinTech or InsureTech are a plus

What we offer:

• A unique opportunity to learn how to build a VC-backed company 0-1;
• An essential role in something big, meaningful and different;
• The opportunity to push yourself, have ownership and impact;
• A team of accomplished, ambitious and supportive individuals that will help you grow;
• An ecosystem with many stretch opportunities including the potential to join a Diagram portfolio company;
• Competitive compensation, including upside in the companies Diagram creates;
• Beautiful offices in great locations (Montreal, Toronto);
• Generous benefits including a telemedicine service for you and your family.

How to apply:

In order to be considered for the role, please apply to the role and attach:

• Your resume
• One thematic analysis - show us an example of how YOU think like a founder/entrepreneur by sharing with us an area you see opportunities for innovation
• Tell us how have you meaningfully used AI in the last 12 months

Guidance for the thematic idea: Create a max 2 page (word) memo or 10-slide presentation around a Fintech or Insuretech theme of your choice, addressing the following questions:

• Pain Points: What are big problems to be solved in the theme?
• Market Timing: What makes this area ripe for disruption today? What are the market headwinds and/or tailwinds?
• Market Sizing: How big is the market today? What’s the market size projected in 2040?
• Competition: Who are a few venture backed companies in the space?
• Interesting Angles: What are a few ideas you’d be interested in exploring?

We are less interested in exhaustive research and more interested in how you think. Approach this as if you are pitching a new venture theme internally at Diagram. We’re looking for sharp insight, strong judgment, and clear venture angles - not a consulting-style industry report.

We encourage you to focus on a clearly defined theme within Fintech or Insurtech rather than covering the sector broadly. For example, instead of writing about “AI in Fintech,” you might explore a focused theme such as agentic payments infrastructure. Depth within a well-defined wedge is stronger than a high-level overview of an entire category.

Note: we will select the top applicants to present their thematic analysis to us. Interviews will start following the close of applications.