Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR)
mHUB is actively recruiting an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR). This part-time role will work closely with the Programs & Engagement team with a keen focus on supporting the new venture acceleration for our community of entrepreneurs and innovators. This is a 12-month contract role is ideal for a seasoned founder or operator who enjoys advising startups through hands-on, high-impact mentorship. The EIR will work closely with a portfolio of community members, to help them navigate the various stages in the journey to building a hardtech startup. The EIR will support 10 to 20 companies at a time, for a total of eight to ten hours per week.
Responsibilities
- Work alongside the Programs and Engagement team to help founders with their businesses during their residency, which could include customer discovery and development, business model, marketing, financials, pitching and more.
- Help the connect founders to mentors and help facilitate the founder / mentor relationships
- Provide entrepreneurial coaching, support, and business counsel to hardtech startups on an ongoing basis
- Support 10 to 20 companies at a time, for eight to ten hours per week, in the following areas:
- Business plan writing and presentation
- Product market fit
- Product development and design for manufacturing
- Commercialization plans
- Fundraising strategy and execution
- Go-to-market strategy
- Budget and finance management
- Resource planning
- Staffing for growth
- Operations planning
- Board composition and management
- Evidence generation approaches
- Customer acquisition strategy
- Progress reporting and evaluations on assigned startups to the mHUB team.
- Assist with general resource needs such as content creation and curation.
Qualifications
- 15-20 years of experience building, growing and/or investing in hardtech startup companies.
- Ability to manage time effectively between multiple companies and operational responsibilities.
- Demonstrated understanding of growth and commercialization challenges of a startup in the hardtech space.
- Proven relevant experience working directly with hardtech and physical product startups in an operational, advisory or investor capacity
- A strong professional network of individuals (investors, mentors, founders) with the background, experience and passion needed to help tech startups drive toward success
- Operational experience, preferably in high growth technology companies or startups.
- Experience in the accelerator’s vertical focus area is a bonus – smart/sustainable manufacturing, MedTech, and EnergyTech
- A #givefirst attitude toward their community and all the individuals they interact with and a passion for helping startups become successful businesses
Salary and Duration
12 to 24 months - $50,000 annually
Interested?
Send resume and cover letter to info@mhubchicago.com
About Us
mHUB is the nation’s leading independent innovation center dedicated to accelerating hardtech development—where physical products are designed, built, and launched to solve real-world challenges in energy, health, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing. At the intersection of innovation and industry, mHUB incubates high-potential startups to commercialize critical technologies faster and with intention. Based in Chicago, mHUB operates an 80,000+ square-foot prototyping and micro-factory alongside deep technical and entrepreneurial mentorship, a robust investor and pilot network, and U.S.-based suppliers and manufacturing expertise. Since launching in 2017, mHUB has supported over 1,200 entrepreneurs and 500 startups that have generated more than $1.96B in revenue, launched over 1,700 products, created nearly 7,000 jobs, and raised over $2B in capital. mHUB plays a critical role in strengthening U.S. competitiveness and building the physical future from the heart of the Midwest.