Strategic Advisor – Higher Education

CO/MEMBER ROLE: Strategic Advisor – Higher Education

LOCATION: Remote

PROJECT: University Ecosystem Development

VENTURE/CLIENT: CO/STUDIOS

About CO/STUDIOS

CO/STUDIOS is an independent venture platform that builds meaningful brands and companies by integrating creativity, entrepreneurship, and hands-on leadership. We specialize in emerging industries and provide strategic and operational support to help companies grow.

ROLE OVERVIEW

As Strategic Advisor – Higher Education, you will be an ambassador and relationship-builder within the entrepreneurial and startup ecosystems at universities, starting with Northwestern University. This role is ideal for a business school graduate student with prior business experience who is passionate about fostering entrepreneurship and emerging industry growth in higher education.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic University Partnership Development: Lead the creation of a deep, long-term relationship with Northwestern University—focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and emerging industries. Build inroads across business school leadership, venture labs, interdisciplinary departments, and relevant student/alumni communities.
2. Ecosystem Access & Integration: Unlock institutional assets across the university ecosystem—including access to research centers, fellowships, pitch competitions, investment networks, and career services—to position CO/STUDIOS as a trusted partner within the graduate-level innovation landscape.
3. Founder & Talent Pipeline Strategy: Develop relationships with current graduate students, alumni entrepreneurs, and operator talent. Build a pipeline of potential collaborators, Members, and future talent to support CO/STUDIOS’ portfolio and community.
4. Academic & Faculty Engagement: Identify opportunities for CO/STUDIOS to engage in co-curricular or academic activities—guest lecturing, applied research partnerships, or co-hosted workshops—across programs with aligned focus areas.
5. Stakeholder Liaison & Relationship Management: Act as a connector between CO/STUDIOS and the broader Northwestern innovation network, including VCs, incubators, accelerators, and internal university funds. Represent CO/STUDIOS in identifying and advancing collaborative opportunities.
6. Scalable Engagement Model: Document learnings and relationship-building processes into a scalable model that can be replicated across other universities, with an emphasis on strategic value, access, and long-term collaboration.

FINAL DELIVERABLES

1. Strategic Partnership Plan: A detailed partnership roadmap outlining departments, stakeholders, and opportunities for collaboration between CO/STUDIOS and Northwestern University.
2. Ecosystem Intelligence Report: A comprehensive landscape analysis of Northwestern’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem, including recommended points of entry and strategic leverage.
3. Talent & Founder Pipeline Map: A working database of high-potential founders, operators, and creative talent sourced from the university network, categorized by potential engagement type.
4. Institutional Engagement Playbook: A repeatable framework for graduate ecosystem engagement—including outreach strategy, stakeholder mapping, and key success metrics—for future expansion to additional universities.
5. Pilot Activation Plan: A short-term tactical plan outlining recommended events, programming, or content partnerships to activate the relationship in its first 90–180 days.

PROJECT COMPENSATION

1. Model: Profit share
2. Compensation Structure: Advisor will receive 20% of all profit generated as a direct result of the Northwestern University relationship for the duration of their engagement.
3. Payment Terms: Profit share to be distributed as part of the CO/STUDIOS standard partner payout process, based on collected revenue tied to this relationship.
4. Engagement Type: Part-time / Advisory

PROJECT DURATION

TBD — anticipated to align with a full semester or a defined pilot period during the beta phase