How to apply for Vice President, Catalytic Capital

About Food System Innovations

Food System Innovations is a philanthropy that builds, funds, and invests in market-based solutions to accelerate the transition to sustainable proteins. It works across plant-based, fermentation-derived, cell-cultivated, and balanced protein technologies, with the goal of improving performance, reducing costs, and strengthening markets. The organization operates at the intersection of philanthropy and investing, which gives it flexibility that conventional funds may not have.

About the role

The Vice President, Catalytic Capital will build and lead FSI's catalytic investment function from the ground up. This includes developing investment strategy and pipeline, sourcing and executing deals, and managing the portfolio after close. The role exists because the sustainable protein sector is in a capital reset, and FSI sees an opportunity to deploy patient, mission-driven capital where conventional investors have pulled back.

A typical day

A typical day might involve reviewing incoming deal flow, meeting with founders or co-investors, and working through diligence materials for a potential investment. You would also spend time developing FSI's investment strategy, monitoring existing portfolio companies, and coordinating with colleagues on how catalytic capital fits into FSI's broader programs. Because the role is remote and the function is new, you would also be building processes and documentation as you go.

Who Food System Innovations is looking for

• Has deep principal-investing experience, including sourcing, evaluating, structuring, and executing investments, not just advising or analyzing them.
• Can identify opportunities where FSI's capital has an outsized catalytic effect, particularly where conventional capital is not well positioned to invest.
• Understands the sustainable protein sector or can quickly learn the science and commercial dynamics across plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cell-cultivated technologies.
• Is comfortable building an investment function from scratch, including strategy, pipeline, processes, and portfolio management, in a remote-first environment.

Tips for this application

• Show direct principal-investing experience: specify deals you sourced, structured, and executed, including check sizes and outcomes.
• Explain how you have identified or created catalytic effects, where your capital changed the trajectory of a company or technology beyond the dollars deployed.
• Demonstrate familiarity with the sustainable protein capital reset: reference specific valuation trends, investor pullback, or financing constraints in the sector.
• Address how you would build an investment function at a philanthropy, including how you would balance charitable mission with investment discipline.
• If you have worked in remote teams, give concrete examples of how you managed pipeline, diligence, and portfolio monitoring without an office.

What to cover in your cover letter

Your cover letter should focus on: (1) your principal-investing track record, with specific deals and your role in them; (2) your understanding of catalytic capital and how it differs from conventional venture or growth investing; (3) your view on the current sustainable protein financing environment and where patient capital can have the most impact; (4) your ability to build and lead an investment function, including pipeline development, deal execution, and post-close portfolio management.

Research before applying

• Read FSI's published materials on its charitable and educational mission, and understand how its investment work connects to that mission.
• Research the sustainable protein sector's recent capital reset: valuation trends, which investor types have pulled back, and what financing gaps exist for plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cell-cultivated companies.
• Look into FSI's existing grants, programs, or investments to understand what it has funded or built so far and where catalytic capital would fit.
• Identify other philanthropies or foundations that do catalytic investing in food or climate, and compare their approaches to what FSI describes.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a deal you sourced, structured, and executed. What was your specific role, and what was the catalytic effect of your capital?
• How would you build FSI's catalytic investment strategy from scratch? What sectors, stages, or instrument types would you prioritize, and why?
• The sustainable protein sector has seen valuations fall and investor participation contract. Where do you see the best opportunities for patient, mission-driven capital right now?
• How do you evaluate a potential investment when conventional capital is not well positioned to participate? What signals or criteria do you use?
• How would you manage a portfolio after close in a remote-first philanthropy? What processes would you put in place for monitoring and support?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying without principal-investing experience: this role requires having sourced, structured, and executed deals, not just supported or analyzed them.
• Treating this as a conventional venture capital role: FSI is a philanthropy, and the guide emphasizes catalytic effect and charitable mission, not just financial returns.
• Ignoring the sector context: the job description specifically frames the opportunity around a capital reset in sustainable proteins, so generic investing experience without sector awareness is a weakness.