Strategy, Venture Finance & Fund Raising Manager

Manager – Venture Finance, Strategy & Fundraising Phonon Digital | Vadodara Part-time: Approximately 24 hours per week Initial mandate: 6–8 months | Potential conversion to a full-time leadership role The Opportunity Phonon Digital is defining and building its next phase of growth across three significant opportunities: 22North Revenue: Helping airlines generate more revenue from every departure through yield maximisation, spoilage reduction, upgrades and ancillary sales. 22North Passenger Operations: Helping airlines manage departures, disruptions, passenger recovery and digital self-service. Phonon 3.0: Building an international AI-native customer-interaction platform combining AI agents, human agents, voice, messaging and enterprise workflows. We are looking for a commercially minded finance professional to work directly with the Founder & Managing Director to develop these opportunities into well-defined, scalable and investible businesses. This is not a conventional accounting, taxation or compliance role. The initial mandate is focused on business planning, growth strategy, venture finance and fundraising. What You Will Own Business Planning and Strategy Work closely with the Founder to define the business proposition, target customers, pricing and route to market for each opportunity. Research global markets, competitors, customer segments and comparable companies. Build detailed three-to-five-year business plans and financial models. Develop product-level revenue forecasts, cost structures and investment plans. Analyse pricing, gross margins, unit economics, cash requirements and scalability. Develop alternative growth scenarios and identify the milestones required for each business. Evaluate whether opportunities should be funded internally, independently or through strategic partnerships. Help management prioritise capital and resources across the different ventures. Challenge assumptions and convert ideas into evidence-backed business decisions. Investment Planning and Fundraising Develop a clear investment thesis for Phonon, 22North and potential new ventures. Determine the amount of capital required, use of funds, funding milestones and valuation scenarios. Prepare investor presentations, financial models, investment memoranda and other fundraising materials. Build and maintain an investor-ready data room. Research and map relevant venture capital funds, strategic investors, family offices and growth investors in India and internationally. Evaluate investor fit based on investment thesis, stage, geography, cheque size and portfolio. Identify potential warm-introduction routes through founders, customers, advisors and the company’s existing network. Initiate suitable investor outreach and build relationships ahead of a formal funding round. Maintain a structured investor pipeline and fundraising CRM. Coordinate meetings, follow-ups, information requests and due-diligence activities. Participate in investor discussions and help refine the proposition based on market feedback. Expected Outcomes During the Initial Mandate Within the 6–8-month engagement, the person should help deliver: Clearly defined business and investment theses for the identified opportunities. Market sizing, competitive analysis and route-to-market plans. Product-wise financial models, unit economics and growth scenarios. Capital requirements, use-of-funds plans and valuation scenarios. Investor-ready decks and investment memoranda. A structured and well-maintained data room. A qualified Indian and international investor pipeline. Initial investor outreach, meetings, feedback and follow-up. A recommendation on the financing and organisational structure for each opportunity. Who We Are Looking For Preferably a qualified Chartered Accountant with approximately 3–7 years of relevant experience. Experience in one or more of the following areas: Transaction advisory Valuation and financial modelling Investment banking Venture capital or private equity Startup strategic finance Due diligence Fundraising or corporate development Strong ability to understand and evaluate business models - not merely prepare financial statements. Excellent financial modelling, analytical, presentation and business-writing skills. Interest in SaaS, artificial intelligence, enterprise technology, aviation and international business. Ability to work directly with a founder, bring structure to evolving ideas and constructively challenge assumptions. Comfortable engaging with business leaders, advisors and investors. High ownership, intellectual curiosity and execution discipline. Ability to spend meaningful working time in Vadodara and remain available across the working week. An existing investor network would be valuable but is not mandatory. The ability to systematically research, qualify, approach and manage an investor pipeline is essential. Engagement Structure This is initially a part-time, outcome-oriented engagement requiring approximately 24 hours per week over 6–8 months. The working schedule can be structured flexibly, but the candidate must remain available throughout the week for business-plan iterations, investor communication and meetings. For the right person, the role can grow into a full-time position leading Strategic Finance, Ventures and Fundraising - and potentially develop towards a broader CFO-track responsibility. Why Join Us? Work directly with the Founder on company-defining growth decisions. Help shape multiple enterprise technology ventures from business thesis to capital raise. Gain exposure to international SaaS, AI and aviation markets. Participate directly in investor strategy, outreach and fundraising. Opportunity to grow from a project mandate into a long-term strategic-finance leadership role.