VC Associate

Intro

UCP is an early-stage VC based in Milan and Rome investing in Pre-Seed and Seed rounds seeking out (very rare) unreasonably skilled and ambitious Italian founders wherever in the world they may be. The team is young international and uninterested in doing things just because thats the way theyve always been done. Since 2019 UCP has invested in 28 companies across 3 investment vehicles with 70 LPs and laid the groundwork for big things to come.

UCP is currently supporting the launch of two new funds under a new name.

The first fund to launch (very soon) will focus on dual-use startups. The fund will be backing pre-seed and seed deeptech startups developing critical technologies in the space AI robotics defense biotech cybersecurity manufacturing and energy sectors.

Tasks

Role

As a VC Associate you will work in the Rome office directly with the two General Partners. The job is simple to describe and hard to do well:

1. Find standout companies early.
2. Build conviction in the right founders and earn trust so that they build conviction in us.
3. Show up for the founders and startups in the funds portfolio in ways that actually matter.
4. Amplify the funds voice through media community and ecosystem presence.

Because the fund will be new the role also involves helping to build the operational foundation from the ground up. This is not a narrow and clearly defined role but an opportunity to flex your agency and grow into a role of your own making. If you consistently find ways to do more for the fund and for the portfolio founders your role will grow with it.

What you will do

• Source with intent: hunt for the outliers early and stick to them like glue.
• Earn access: build real relationships with founders operators investors researchers and technical communities not transactional ones.
• Do the diligence properly: talk to customers learn the technology map competitors run references and write memos that make the decision clear.
• Take a position: develop clear conviction articulate it simply and recalibrate on the fly when given contrasting evidence.
• Be useful after the investment: get creative helping founders solve concrete problems (hiring GTM intros fundraising) and do it without asking how can I help
• Build the funds structure as you go: keep the CRM clean improve the internal docs and templates and ship lightweight process and automation improvements (experimentation side projects and heavy Claude Code use are encouraged!)
• Evangelize and amplify the voice: create content that draws founders inbound show up at the right events host small gatherings and help build credibility across Lazio and the broader ecosystem.

Requirements

Who you are

This role rewards a specific kind of person:

• Borderline obsessive passion for entrepreneurship technology and the startup ecosystem ideally with strong knowledge of the Italian scene.
• High curiosity energy and humility: you get excited by brief but deep rabbit holes you always have a pointed follow-up question ready youre an exceptional and attentive listener and youre an unrelenting optimist.
• Strong judgment under uncertainty: you can form well-reasoned convictions communicate them clearly and quickly update your priors when the evidence changes.
• Builder mindset: you believe that creation is virtuous enjoy turning ambiguity into simple systems and rally those around you to the cause.
• Taste and discretion: you can be direct without being abrasive and you understand how to earn trust in small ecosystems.
• Proactive by default: you spot whats missing take ownership and act without overthinking.

Ideal Tangibles

• 2 to 5 years of relevant experience as a VC as an operator at a fast-moving startup or tech company or high-performing traditional background.
• Comfort going deep on technical topics and learning fast enough to ask the right questions.
• Strong network in the Italian startup ecosystem especially Lazio or a credible plan to build one quickly.
• Interest in and ideally proximity to relevant domains and communities (deeptech industrial and space cyber security and defense energy).
• Comfort with tools and process work (Notion Airtable CRMs automations).
• Fluent in English and Italian; additional European languages are a plus

Practical Details

• Location: Rome with frequent travel across Italy and occasional international travel.
• Start: as soon as possible.
• The Cover Letter is optional. Use it to share something distinctive that isnt already in your CV (e.g. a dual-use company youre excited about or a sharp take on a trend in Italian space cyber or robotics).

UCP is intentionally building a diverse team. Venture capital still struggles with representation and the goal is to avoid reproducing that imbalance. Candidates from underrepresented backgrounds or those who bring perspectives that have been missing from venture are strongly encouraged to apply even if they dont meet all the listed criteria.