Talent Lead Culture & Founder

The Studio is part of Utopia Capital’s integrated venture platform — combining AI-native venture building, capital, and shared infrastructure to help founders build faster and smarter. Every role here directly contributes to launching and scaling AI-native companies across the Global South, from idea to Series A.

The Studio is an AI-native venture builder for the Global South, purpose-built to transform high-barrier problems into scalable, investable companies.

Partnering with domain experts & high-agency founders from concept to Series A, it both builds new ventures and re-engineers existing ones for AI-driven growth.

Powered by UTOPIA OS — a modular, adaptive stack tailored to each venture — it compresses the path from concept to Series A to under 24 months.

We're hiring a Talent Lead to build and nurture the people systems that power the Studio, its founders, and the ventures we build.

You’ll lead culture, talent, and people systems across the Studio — helping founders attract, develop, and retain exceptional teams.

You’ll support internal platform HR and performance management, working closely with the Head of Operations & Compliance to ensure consistency across Utopia’s shared functions.

This is a hands‑on, early‑stage role for someone who thrives at the intersection of venture building, talent design, and founder support — building scalable systems for hiring, onboarding, and learning that make “talent as a service” one of Utopia’s most valuable offerings.

Reports to: Studio Directors

Dotted line: Managing Partner (for platform-wide HR and performance initiatives)

Growth path: Head of People / Partner, Talent & Culture

• Lead end-to-end recruitment across the Studio — hiring world-class engineers, operators, and entrepreneurs

• Design and run recruitment processes for EIRs, venture teams, and platform hires

• Build and manage a founder talent pipeline aligned with our EIR model, Fellowship, and PODs system

• Partner with leadership to define roles, evaluate candidates, and ensure cultural fit

• Create hiring playbooks and interview frameworks that reflect our AI-native, founder-centric approach

• Leverage analytics and AI tools to improve sourcing, candidate assessment, and hiring efficiency

• Use AI tools for sourcing intelligence, talent mapping, and predictive hiring insights — designing data-driven recruitment strategies that improve quality and speed.

• Prototype and pilot “AI-native” talent processes such as automated screening, culture-fit evaluation models, and adaptive job design to support fast-changing venture needs.

• Embed Utopia's AI-native culture across the Studio — fostering curiosity, speed, and collaboration

• Champion a one-team culture — ensuring the Studio, Funds, and Platform teams work cohesively, with shared rituals and aligned values across all parts of Utopia

• Lead onboarding and internal learning programs so every team member and founder understands our mission, tools, and approach

• Organize rituals, workshops, and events that build belonging and psychological safety

• Coach team leads and founders on people leadership, feedback, and performance practices that scale

• Implement performance frameworks that balance accountability with learning

• Support leaders in designing incentive and retention models that align talent growth with venture outcomes

• Experiment with AI-enabled learning systems, internal mobility tracking, and real-time feedback tools that make performance data actionable.

• Collaborate with the Design Lead and Platform Engineers to create “people dashboards” that align team metrics (learning, engagement, retention) with venture KPIs.

• Pilot early experiments with AI copilots and HR assistants to enhance candidate experience, onboarding, and internal learning workflows.

• Provide HR advisory and culture-building support to founders within Studio ventures

• Help early-stage companies design hiring systems, onboarding processes, and talent development plans

• Build a network of advisors, coaches, and specialists who can support founders with leadership and team-building…