Head of Ecosystem, Cedar-IBSi FinTech Lab
On-siteMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Job Summary
Own the Cedar-IBSi FinTech Lab end-to-end, from strategy and startup curation to program design, corporate partnerships, and community presence. Identify, evaluate, and onboard high-potential early-stage fintech companies across India, the Middle East, and APAC, while designing structured cohort programs including milestone tracks, mentorship sessions, and demo days. Execute go-to-market enablement for portfolio startups through enterprise sales playbooks, pilot structuring, and warm introductions to bank and NBFC buyers. Cultivate relationships with banks, regulators, VCs, and enterprise buyers to originate sponsorship revenue and represent the Lab at industry events. Coordinate closely with Cedar Hill Capital to support deal flow sourcing and enable a seamless pathway from Lab engagement to investment consideration. Build and manage a small team while reporting on startup outcomes, partner engagement, and brand equity to Cedar Group and IBSi leadership.
Required Qualifications
- At least 5-7 years of experience
- At least 3-4 years in a leadership role at an incubator, accelerator, corporate innovation lab, or fintech ecosystem platform
- Demonstrated track record of building and running startup programs
- Deep, genuine relationships in the early-stage fintech ecosystem: founders, angels, early-stage VCs, and enterprise buyers
- Experience designing and delivering training or capability-building programs for founders or enterprise teams
- Working knowledge of BFSI — banking, insurance, lending, or payments — as a founder, operator, investor, or practitioner
- Exceptional relationship-building instinct
- Strong commercial orientation: able to originate partnerships, sponsorships, and program revenue
- High energy, ecosystem-native presence — comfortable on stage, in a boardroom, and in a first meeting with a first-time founder
- Collaborative, low-ego builder mentality suited to an entrepreneurial, lean environment
- Comfort with ambiguity and ability to create structure where none exists
Desired Qualifications
- Prior experience in India and/or international markets (Middle East, APAC) preferred
- UAE or Singapore exposure a strong plus
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