Research Analyst / Associate, Enterprise & AI Ventures

About the Role

Plug and Play is looking to add a Research Analyst / Associate to its Enterprise & AI Ventures team in Sunnyvale, California. The role sits within one of the world’s most active early-stage venture platforms, known for investing in startups and connecting them with a broad corporate network to accelerate innovation. In this position, you will help shape investment direction by researching emerging technologies, building market theses, and turning complex information into practical insights for the ventures team and enterprise partners.

About Plug and Play

Founded in 1998, Plug and Play has supported more than 2,000 startups, including companies such as PayPal, Dropbox, Soundhound, and Lending Club. The organization operates across 65 locations and 23 verticals, and its model combines venture investing with access to a network of more than 550 corporate partners.

What You’ll Do

• Build and sharpen investment theses and roadmaps focused on Enterprise and AI.
• Monitor market movement, changing regulations, and competitor activity across relevant sectors.
• Spot, evaluate, and profile standout startups and technologies in priority markets.
• Track the progress of notable startups, scaleups, and major industry participants.
• Follow venture funding, M&A activity, and partnership developments.
• Maintain internal knowledge repositories and market maps that support sourcing and decision-making.
• Collect insights from the enterprise ecosystem through interviews, surveys, and structured feedback.
• Convert enterprise feedback into reports and buyer-focused intelligence that supports investment decisions and helps startups understand customer needs.
• Assist with diligence work, including product review, technical assessment, market sizing, and customer reference checks.
• Distill research findings into clear, data-backed updates for the Ventures team and enterprise stakeholders.
• Work closely with senior team members to align enterprise priorities with startup opportunities.
• Support selected events, founder introductions, and content efforts, with research remaining central to your contribution.
• Collaborate with the broader team to understand corporate innovation priorities and make relevant startup introductions.
• Help manage dealflow sessions so suitable startups are presented effectively to corporate partners.

About You

• You have a degree, or equivalent self-taught expertise, in computer science, data science, engineering, mathematics, or a related discipline.
• You are comfortable evaluating technical products and understanding technology trends.
• You enjoy digging into complex topics, connecting scattered information, and turning it into structured insight.
• You are confident speaking with executives, running surveys, and capturing buyer perspectives to strengthen research.
• You can write polished, engaging, and professional content such as research briefs, reports, or public-facing articles.
• You communicate clearly in writing and presentations, and can tailor your message for investors, executives, and founders.
• You are curious, proactive, and motivated to keep learning new technologies, including AI tools.
• You bring an entrepreneurial mindset, work independently, learn quickly, and adapt well in a fast-moving venture setting.
• You have around 2 to 3 years of experience in venture capital, consulting, banking, product, research, or a technical role, or you can demonstrate equivalent capability through exceptional projects.

Additional Information

This is a full-time, onsite role based in Sunnyvale, CA.