Venture & Climate Funding Strategy Fellow

## About FairwAI FairwAI is building the AI bias detection and compliance platform that industries will rely on to ensure fairness in hospitality, and healthcare. We operate at the intersection of AI, policy, and accountability — backed by a team from MIT, Oxford, and Harvard. Our work blends rigorous research, thoughtful product development, and ethical innovation at global scale. You'll own our funding research across three channels: non-dilutive grants, debt and working capital, and equity. Your work will directly shape what we pursue and when. This is ideal for someone interested in venture finance, climate tech, public funding, or startup strategy. ## About the role The company just won a large federal contract. ## Responsibilities - Build and maintain a living funding tracker covering all active and pipeline opportunities — source, type, amount, eligibility, deadlines, fit, and status. - Research three categories of capital: - Non-dilutive grants: federal (DOE, ARPA-E, NSF SBIR/STTR) and state (MassCEC programs including AmplifyMass, Catalyst/DICES, InnovateMass) - Debt and working capital: federal contract-backed credit lines, SBA 7(a), invoice and PO financing - Equity: angel networks, climatetech syndicates, accelerators, and pitch competitions - Verify eligibility precisely. Read the fine print. Flag dealbreakers early. - Draft outreach for founder review — inquiry emails, eligibility questions, short concept summaries. You draft; founder approves and sends. - Produce a weekly brief: new opportunities, upcoming deadlines, recommended priorities, open questions. One page. ## Requirements - Strong research skills — you can read a program's terms and extract what actually matters - Excellent written communication; able to draft clear, professional emails - Detail-oriented and organized — you treat deadlines and eligibility rules seriously - Comfortable working independently with minimal supervision - Genuine interest in climatetech, venture finance, public funding, or startup operations - Discretion with sensitive financial and contract information ## Nice to have - Familiarity with government grants or SBIR - Airtable or spreadsheets - Prior startup or VC exposure - Background in finance, public policy, economics, environmental studies, or business is a plus — but not required. ## What we offer - Direct mentorship from a Forbes Next 1000 founder with active relationships at MIT, NYSERDA, Columbia University, and Oxford Saïd Business School - Real, portfolio-worthy exposure to how an early-stage company raises capital across grants, debt, and equity - A funded tracker and research pipeline you built from scratch — yours to show in interviews - A reference from a founder with institutional credibility across climate, AI governance, and policy ## About the company FairwAI is building the AI bias detection and compliance platform that industries will rely on to ensure fairness in hospitality, and healthcare. We operate at the intersection of AI, policy, and accountability — backed by a team from MIT, Oxford, and Harvard. Our work blends rigorous research, thoughtful product development, and ethical innovation at global scale. ## Team Shaurjya Mandal – Head of Research, AI Systems & Clinical Innovation Role: Shaurjya leads FairwAI's research function and the development of its AI methodology — including structured retrieval architectures, sentiment and bias detection