Executive in Residence (EIR) - CPG, Product Innovation, Research & Development

Location: Northwest Arkansas

FIELDBOOK, a studio operated by High Alpha Innovation, is dedicated to creating and accelerating advantaged “retail value chain” startups. We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Entrepreneur-in-Residence to lead an early-stage growth company in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Our newest concept is in the Consumer Package Good (or “CPG”) product innovation space. With this new concept, we’re accelerating a major shift in the way CPG brands analyze, identify, and bring products to market. With the global CPG market size predicted to reach $3 trillion by 2030 — we see an enormous opportunity to support the fast changing pace of consumer trends and retailer strategies in Northwest Arkansas. This platform will unite product-centric consumer generated content to derive trends, category and retailer data to derive product “white space”, and support the launch of product innovation through collaborative spaces.

As the EIR and potential NewCo Cofounder, you will be responsible for building an engaged, high-performing team, prioritizing the team’s early-stage focus, defining a scalable growth strategy, and setting the company's vision for the future. You will work to build conviction with the market, investors, and early customers as you bring the product to market. You will also set the go-to-market strategy and get the MVP into the hands of early customers. This is a unique opportunity to be a zero-to-one creator, builder, and innovator. Ideally, this role will transition to CEO (or alternative C-level title) and Cofounder after launch and incorporation.

A preferred candidate will have a strong leadership background in CPG research & development, product innovation, or sourcing and manufacturing business models, and experience scaling a high-performing team between $3 million to $25 million and beyond. The candidate can express a deep understanding of CPG brands and the lifecycle of products as well as a strong understanding of the behind-the-scenes operations of sourcing, manufacturing, and product innovation collaboration.

If you are a visionary entrepreneur passionate about revolutionizing the CPG research and development space, we invite you to apply to join us on this exciting journey at Fieldbook Studio. The selected candidate gets to build this business in Northwest Arkansas with the Fieldbook Studio’s innovative team and support model. Together, we will revolutionize the way CPG brands collaborate, innovate, test, and launch new products that truly move the needle for their brand. 

What You'll Do/Responsibilities:

• As the Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) for our newest venture, focused on building unique capabilities to streamline and accelerate new product-line innovations for CPG brands, you will lead the strategic vision and execution of building a disruptive solution. Reporting directly to the Fieldbook Studio executive leadership team, you will be responsible for:
• Market Opportunity Analysis: Continue in-depth market research and analysis to refine the pain points, trends, and opportunities within the product innovation and development space, specifically targeting CPG leaders and related personas.
• Product Vision and Execution: Develop a comprehensive vision for this product innovation platform, aligned with market demands and customer needs. Define the roadmap, prioritize business planning, and partner with our early customers to deliver a valuable market solution.
• Customer Validation: Engage with potential customers and stakeholders to validate product-market fit and gather insights for business iteration and enhancement. Build strong relationships with key stakeholders to drive adoption and advocacy.
• Team Building and Leadership: Recruit, onboard, and lead a high-performing cross-functional team composed of CPG brand and innovation leaders. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence within the team.
• Go-to-Market Strategy: Define and execute a comprehensive go-to-market strategy, encompassing sales, marketing, and partnership initiatives. Drive demand generation efforts and establish strategic partnerships to accelerate market penetration and revenue growth.
• Serve as a leader to shape corporate strategy and company vision while building conviction in the market, with investors, and customers
• Drive growth, profitability, and company value while implementing scalable and efficient strategies to ensure consistent results and exponential growth
• Align resources to achieve key business goals and milestones 
• Own the operational budget and manage burn rate and runway
• Report updates to all stakeholders regarding progress on strategic goals
• Assist with creating and executing a fundraising strategy to drive interest from outside VC investors
• Set the vision for the company and define the overall strategy from launch to scale.
• Structure a thoughtful organizational hiring plan and recruit, retain & develop world-class talent against that plan.
• Drive strategy and decision-making across all functional areas, including business development, product, marketing & content, operations, and finance.
• Determine the highest-order KPIs and build the plan and team to measure, monitor, and improve them.
• Lead all fundraising activities to support growth objectives in partnership with our studio partner,High Alpha Innovation.
• Develop a comprehensive framework for initiating and supporting relationships across the product development value chain to include; brands and innovation management.
• Develop strategic relationships with stakeholders and partners to further this concept’s offering.
• Design, execute and continually iterate go-to-market strategies.
• Assist in defining, evaluating, and evolving the business by identifying new opportunities and gaps through strategic relationships with CPG brands.
• Drive operations and operational rigor, including full P&L and cash flow management.
• Create and sustain a great company culture with articulated values that provides inspired leadership and enables a great working relationship to the team across all levels.

• Proven track record of entrepreneurial success, ideally as a founder or early-stage executive in a technology startup, with experience in the B2B SaaS or retail industry preferred.
• Deep domain expertise in building successful software platforms, business models, or process automation, with a strong understanding of the CPG ecosystem and its complexities.
• Demonstrated ability to identify market opportunities, develop innovative solutions, and drive scalable growth strategies from ideation to execution.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to inspire and influence cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and investors toward a common vision and goal.
• Demonstrated experience in building high-performing teams
• A passion and vision for working with brands to streamline their innovation operations and improve their product development process and new product launches. 
• Founder experience is preferred or experience working in an early-stage venture-backed company in a key leadership role
• Venture capital fundraising experience preferred or other relevant experience across sales, negotiations, or corporate development
• Strong track record of tackling difficult challenges, a strong work ethic, and desire to build a high-growth company
• A resourceful mindset along with the grit and determination to scale a company from scratch
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, computer science, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree is a plus.

• Competitive compensation  Note that this will be a 1099 position until the concept is launched and incorporated, which could take several months. At that time the role will transition into a W2 position with founder shares issued. 
• A collaborative, entrepreneurial environment with a proven venture studio playbook
• A highly validated concept and business model hypothesis developed by our team 
• The support of the venture studio and platform services, our goal is to surround the startup with world-class expertise in every discipline required to build a market-leading company

About Fieldbook: 

Fieldbook Studio conceptualizes, launches and grows innovative startups in the Retail Value Chain sector. Our team works with entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate partners to identify and develop new business opportunities and provide support and resources to help startups succeed. Fieldbook Studio leverages the experience and expertise of the High Alpha Innovation team and partners to offer a wide range of services, including business strategy development, product design and development, marketing and branding, fundraising, and mentorship. 

About High Alpha Innovation: 

High Alpha Innovation (HAI) is an Indianapolis-based venture builder that partners with leading organizations and entrepreneurs to unlock growth and transformation through startup creation. Its dedicated team of company builders and Go-To-Market experts have decades of collective experience guiding founders on GTM strategy; including securing early customers and investors, and even establishing early product development and sales functions.  For more information, visit highalphainno.com. 

Equal Opportunity Employer

High Alpha Innovation and Fieldbook Studio is an equal-opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our company. We do not just accept diverse backgrounds, we celebrate them. Our company, the work we do, and our partners benefit from the value of a diverse team. No team member's value lies alone in their diversity, and because we value diversity so highly, we reiterate that all hiring and employment decisions are made on merit, performance, competence, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.