Portfolio Curation Lead
Role Overview
BLOCK71 Singapore is evolving from a traditional incubator into a commercially outcome-driven engine. The Community:Portfolio Curation Manager will play a central role in this shift: owning the quality and composition of the foundercommunity, ensuring the curated startups and scale-ups are aligned with goals and ambitions of BLOCK71 Singapore.
The successful candidate will have the instincts to identify startups and scale-ups with genuine commercial potential, and have the rigour to manage intake, onboarding and portfolio health. He/she will work proactively with other NUS Enterprise teams to identify quality startups and scale-ups, as well as through other external channels to develop meaningful founder communities.
He/she will also work in close partnership of the Community: Growth team to ensure the selected startups and scale-ups joining BLOCK71 Singapore is set up for meaningful commercial progress.
Key Focus Areas
Portfolio Sourcing, Curation and Health
- Build and manage a proactive sourcing pipeline that identifies startups and scale-ups with genuine commercial potential, working across NUS Enterprise teams and external channels.
- Own the intake and selection process, applying consistent criteria to assess commercial readiness, founder quality, and fit with Block71's direction, prioritising depth of evaluation.
- Partner with other NUS Enterprise units to ensure collaborative and consistent efforts are engaged to improve quality of intake, such as but not limited to Marketing to shape value proposition and narratives, Hangar, NOC and GRIP to identity high potential start ups that could join BLOCK71 Singapore.
- Engage relevant external channels and partners to attract high-potential startups and scale-ups to Block71 Singapore.
- Design and manage the onboarding experience so every company joining BLOCK71 starts with clear goals, the right introductions, and a strong understanding of what we can achieve together during the incubation or acceleration.
- Work closely with the Portfolio Growth team to ensure every startup and scale-up is properly oriented before handover, so the path to commercial progress is clear from Day 1
Showcase, Ecosystem Presence and Community
- Design and manage the visitor experience, including delegation briefings, portfolio showcases, and doorstop founder introductions so the space communicates BLOCK71's portfolio quality at all times. This will include collaborating closely with Portfolio Growth team in selecting and refreshing showcases, and rotating demo-ready founders.
- Work with the marketing team to attract quality startups and scale-ups through the right channels, whether social media, conferences, or sector-specific platforms.
- Develop quality founder communities within and around BLOCK71 that bring genuine peer value and commercial relevance to resident startups and scale-ups.
- Monitor portfolio health on an ongoing basis — tracking engagement, spotting disengagement or misalignment early, refreshing the resident mix, and managing exits fairly and with clear criteria when a company is no longer the right fit.
Qualifications
- Degree holder; advanced degree preferred
- 8-10 years of experience in startup ecosystems, innovation platforms, venture building, community leadership, or partnerships
- Proven track record in ecosystem building, founder programmes, and the ability to identify and attract high-potential founders.
- Strong commercial instincts with the ability to challenge founders constructively
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and execution skills
- Startup founder experience will be advantageous
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