Nelnet · 19 hours ago
Director, Venture Factory
Lincoln, NE
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/StaffNelnet Business Solutions is a division of Nelnet, Inc. that provides payment technology and education services. The Director, Venture Factory will lead the design and operation of a venture creation engine, focusing on identifying and prototyping new business opportunities to drive market growth.
Financial ServicesInformation TechnologyPayments
Responsibilities
Lead the development and execution of a repeatable opportunity-sourcing system to surface high-quality venture candidates across markets and domains
Engage with market, startup ecosystems, customers, and internal resources to identify and synthesize venture hypotheses
Define and maintain formal opportunity qualification criteria, including strategic fit, differentiation, and risk-to-ROI profile
Construct and manage a ranked venture backlog with explicit hypotheses, kill criteria, and investment caps
Launch prototypes and pilots required to produce validated business potential, enforcing tight time-boxing and capital discipline
Personally participate in venture builds, customer onboarding, and validation discussions to ensure hands-on execution
Apply risk-adjusted investment logic and run weekly venture reviews with clear recommendations for continuation, pivot, or termination
Own promotion readiness and handoff to business units, ensuring clarity on use cases, customer targets, and scale requirements
Track and report on success metrics, including validated business potential, pilot deployment, and time-to-signal
Prevent zombie initiatives and premature scale pressure through disciplined decision-making
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field
Proven experience as a founder or early-stage operator, with a track record of building, selling, and killing ideas
Demonstrated success in hands-on venture creation, product development, and go-to-market execution
Experience in managing cross-functional teams and driving rapid iteration in ambiguous environments
Preferred
Advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) or relevant entrepreneurial experience
Experience in AI-enabled product building and experimentation
Exposure to market and startup ecosystems, including venture studios and emerging products
Benefits
Medical
Dental
Vision
HSA and FSA
Generous earned time off
401K/student loan repayment
Life insurance & AD&D insurance
Employee assistance program
Employee stock purchase program
Tuition reimbursement
Performance-based incentive pay
Short- and long-term disability
Robust wellness program
Company
Nelnet
Nelnet provides business, communications, and financial services.
Founded in 1996
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Nelnet has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2022 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Erin Harms
Chief Financial Officer
Ben Focht
Chief Information Security Officer, Nelnet Bank
Recent News
2026-01-16
Silicon Prairie News
2025-12-06
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2025-11-23
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