ventureLAB INNOVATION CENTRE

o/a ventureLAB

Position Profile: Director Business Development

About ventureLAB

ventureLAB is a not-for-profit leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies in Canada. Our organization is led by seasoned entrepreneurs and business leaders with decades of industry experience in building IP-rich start-ups, scale-ups, and global multinationals to help businesses scale. Located at the heart of Ontario’s innovation corridor in York Region, ventureLAB is part of one of the biggest and most diverse tech communities in Canada. Since 2011, ventureLAB has enabled over 4,000 tech ventures to create over 6,800 jobs and raise more than $420 million in investment capital through our initiatives focused on raising capital, talent retention, technology and IP commercialization, and customer acquisition. Together with our community of entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and partners, we enable technology startups to accelerate the commercialization of transformational products on a global scale. ventureLAB is home to the Hardware Catalyst Initiative — Canada’s only lab and incubator for hardware and semiconductor-focused companies.

Our Mission

Powering hardtech founders to build and scale globally competitive ventures that advance Canada's knowledge-based economy.

Our Vision

Born Global. Built to Scale. Inclusive by Design. Inspire a new generation of global founders who choose Canada to scale IP-rich tech titans creating innovative hardware and scale-ready enterprise software solutions that transform communities and establish a blueprint for a more sustainable, inclusive tech ecosystem.

Our Values — Team RIVIR

• Relentless: We are tenacious and resilient. We follow through and remove roadblocks so together we succeed and go further.
• Inclusive: We are empathetic, open-minded and collaborate respectfully so that we build trust with each other and value diverse opinions, ideas and perspectives to learn and make better decisions.
• Visionary: We inspire bold futures with our founders, team, partners and community by challenging each other respectfully and thinking differently.
• Innovative: We celebrate ingenuity and empower the team to create new ideas, processes and strategies. We are curious and resourceful by asking questions for clarity.
• Results: We are proactive and plan. We are accountable and focused. We are direct and transparent through fact-based discussions.

ventureLAB is made up of passionate, driven individuals, and is growing quickly. It is a fast-paced, flexible environment where individual contributors make a big difference and work collaboratively to achieve shared goals. We are proud to be one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures and a Great Place to Work®.

Position Profile: Director Business Development

Location: Markham, Ontario (L3R 9Z7)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Reports To: Chief Growth Officer

Vacancy Status: This is a posting for an existing vacancy. On-site 3 days a week.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary Range: $100,000 – $150,000 per annum (commensurate with experience). Eligible for a robust, uncapped sales commission plan paid on top of the base salary.
• Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, and insurance benefits package included.

The Director of Business Development is a key strategic role responsible for steering the growth and operational excellence of our specialized innovation labs:the Hardware Lab, AI Lab, and Life Sciences Lab. In this role, you’ll balance systems design with people development—implementing robust lead-generation frameworks and empowering the team to navigate intricate, full-cycle sales processes.

Role Overview

Responsible for the expansion of our innovation ecosystem, overseeing revenue sustainability and partnership development for our Hardware, AI, and Life Sciences verticals.

You will be responsible for taking the lab subscription model to scale across new acquisitions while overseeing the organization’s partnership and sponsorship roadmap. You’ll manage a team to ensure our corporate alliances are both high-performing and mutually beneficial.

Key Responsibilities

• Lab Subscription Acquisition & Growth (Net New)

• Pipeline Architecture: Identify and prospect high-growth startups and scale-ups within the Hardware, AI, and Life Sciences sectors.

• End-to-End Sales: Own the full sales cycle, from cold outreach and discovery to negotiating and closing lab subscription agreements.

• Value Optimization: Translate technical lab capabilities into strategic business advantages for founders and technical stakeholders.

• Key Account Management & Retention

• Strategic Retention: Develop and execute the renewal strategy to maintain and grow Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR).

• Account Expansion: Identify “upsell” opportunities, encouraging members to deepen their engagement across multiple lab facilities or ecosystem programs.

• Success Oversight: Ensure a seamless onboarding experience and maintain high-touch relationships with key lab accounts to foster long-term loyalty.

• Partnerships, Sponsorships & Team Leadership

• Vertical Strategy: Define and lead the roadmap for corporate partnerships and sponsorships, ensuring alignment with organizational revenue targets.

• People Management: Lead, mentor, and empower direct report(s) focused on partnership coordination and sponsorship fulfillment.

• Ecosystem Integration: Work cross-functionally to ensure sponsors and partners are integrated into the lab community, maximizing their ROI and visibility.

• Strategic Program Leadership

• Market Intelligence: Serve as a subject matter expert on industry trends to ensure lab offerings remain competitive for modern tech founders.

• Brand Advocacy: Represent the organization at key industry events to build a robust top-of-funnel network for both subscriptions, sponsorships & partnerships.

What Success Looks Like

• Achieves defined Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) targets through the aggressive growth of the Hardware, AI, and Life Sciences lab subscription pipeline .
• Should have the ability & articulate to create & develop ‘value proposition”.
• Maintain a high-performance sales funnel with measurable conversion rates from initial lead generation to signed member agreements .
• Deliver a "best-in-class" founder experience, evidenced by high retention rates and positive Net Promoter Scores (NPS) across the portfolio .
• Facilitate measurable economic outcomes for members, including successful international market entries, capital raises, and strategic partnership closures .
• Ensure 100% data integrity within the CRM to provide real-time visibility into pipeline health and portfolio impact metrics.

Role Requirements

Required Qualifications

• 7 to 10 years of progressive experience in high-growth environments such as tech accelerators, private industry or venture-backed startups .
• Proven track record of "zero-to-one" business development, specifically building and scaling revenue-generating programs or products .
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex technical sales cycles, communicating value propositions effectively to both technical founders and executive stakeholders .
• Expert-level stakeholder management skills with the ability to bridge the gap between private sector startups and public sector innovation partners .
• Deep operational knowledge of CRM tools and data-driven sales methodologies to manage a high-volume pipeline.

Preferred / Asset Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MBA or M.Eng) or specialized certifications in Project Management or Venture Finance .
• Technical literacy or prior professional experience in the Hardware, Semiconductor, AI/ML, or Biotech sectors .
• Existing network of "warm" relationships within the Southern Ontario innovation corridor and global trade commissions .
• Experience in "Hardware-as-a-Service" (HaaS) or subscription-based business models in a B2B context.

How to Apply

Send your resume to hr@venturelab.ca quoting “Director Business Development ” in the subject line. Include your resume and a brief note telling us why you’d be a great addition to the ventureLAB team. Early submissions are encouraged as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

AI Disclosure Statement

In compliance with the Ontario ESA, please be advised that we do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to screen, assess, or select applicants for this position. All applications are reviewed by our recruitment team.

At ventureLAB, we value diversity, inclusion, and respect. Diverse experience, perspectives, and backgrounds bring great ideas and create stronger teams. We embrace it, because we know that by including everyone, we all thrive. Accommodations are available on request for candidates with disabilities taking part in the recruitment process.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only qualified candidates will be contacted.

Note: All applicants who are interviewed will be notified of the hiring decision within 45 days of their final interview.

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