Senior Associate, Investments at Xora Innovation in Palo Alto, CA

ABOUT XORA

Xora Innovation (“Xora’) is a leading global AI & deep tech venture firm, backed by Temasek. At Xora, we provide capital and long-term commitment to exceptional entrepreneurs who are transforming essential industries.

Our investments focus on three key sectors: AI Infrastructure, Applied AI and Deep Tech. We are active as an early-stage venture investor, preferring to enter at the Seed or Series A stage, and remain deeply committed as long-term partners. We also collaborate with founders to form and launch high-velocity startups based on strong market theses.

Xora’s portfolio companies include:

• Celestial AI (Photonic Fabric™ technology platform, exited to Marvell Technologies)
• Amperesand (next-gen power infrastructure for AI data centers)
• Bedrock Robotics (autonomous machines for construction)
• Upscale AI (back-end networking for data centers)
• Vinci (physics-driven AI for hardware simulation and design)

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a Senior Associate who combines intellectual horsepower with relentless hustle. This is not a passive observer role. This is a high-output, high-stakes seat for someone who is already embedded in the AI & deep tech ecosystem and wants to help build companies that matter.

We’re looking for individuals who combine human insight, intellectual rigor, technical curiosity, market perspective, and who are motivated by the opportunity to do the most important work of their career.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Develop deal sourcing pipelines end-to-end where you will build and maintain relationships with founders, researchers, and co-investors across your focus areas.
• Support all aspects of due diligence for prospective investments, including direct engagement with founders and highly technical team members in extremely fast-moving AI sectors.
• Produce investment committee memos, market maps, and technology assessments that drive conviction and shape fund strategy.
• Support portfolio companies post-investment through introductions, follow-on diligence, and board preparation.
• Represent Xora at conferences, research institutions, and within the broader AI & deep tech communities.

WHAT WE REQUIRE

• STEM degree (Bachelor’s minimum) — you must be able to read a paper, stress-test a technology claim, and hold your own in a conversation with a domain expert.
• Demonstrated obsession with startups — you were doing this before it was your job. Meet-ups, founder dinners, tech & market theses development, memo rabbit holes. Working at or advising start-ups and angel checks is a huge plus
• Exceptional interpersonal range — you build genuine relationships with founders, co-investors, and partners alike. You can give hard feedback and still be the person everyone wants in the room.
• Remarkable human intuition — we are hunting for outlier founders who bend industries to their will. You have an ability to recognize special people, understand motivations, and quickly assess strengths and weaknesses across teams.
• High personal output — you self-drive at a relentless pace. This role demands it. We are looking for someone who, within a few years, would be connected to nearly every relevant founder and investor in their space.

WHAT WILL SET YOU APART

• 1–2 years of full-time investing experience, ideally in AI & deep tech, with early signals of strong judgment (portfolio companies trending positively).
• Humble-but-confident intellectual style — you form strong opinions, defend them rigorously, and update them gracefully. You push back on founders and partners alike without burning the relationship.
• Exceptional writing — you communicate with precision and clarity. Your memos convey valuable insights and make people smarter.
• Structured analytical training — consulting background preferred for its problem-framing discipline; investment banking also valued.

BONUS POINTS

• Competitive background in athletics, chess, music, or another demanding discipline — a reliable signal of the discipline and resilience this role requires.
• Entrepreneurship experience — especially if you learned something hard from it.
• An existing network in your focus area — not expected at this level, but genuinely exciting if it’s real.

WHO YOU ARE

You do not need to have checked every box above. What matters most is that you are someone who works relentlessly hard, learns fast, and genuinely cares about the founders and technologies you work with. If the best version of this role sounds like the career you are trying to build — we want to hear from you.