TPZ Ventures Founding Associate, Consumer Product Incubator

Job Description

TPZ Ventures is seeking exceptional Founding Associates to join our product team as part of Launch, our consumer product incubator. Working alongside experienced leaders in physical products and e-commerce, each Founding Associate will aim to bring their own physical consumer product to market through market research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and launch.

This is a one-year opportunity, beginning with a six-month full-time trial period. Those who demonstrate strong performance—through initiative, collaboration, and measurable progress on their product(s)—may be invited to stay on beyond that point to take their venture through launch and will qualify as a profits-interest founding team member. For Founding Associates not asked to stay beyond the six-month mark, the trial period provides a valuable experience to build in-demand industry skills aligned with careers of the future, expand professional networks, and prepare for future opportunities. 

What You’ll Get to Do

As a Founding Associate at TPZ Ventures, you’ll spend 6 months gaining valuable and direct experience in physical product ideation and development, product management, e-commerce and digital marketing, with exposure to advanced manufacturing. You’ll also spend 5 hrs/week as an extra set of hands in the classroom with Boston Public Schools High School Students enrolled in programming  at The Possible Zone, our non-profit parent company. 

Founding Associates will finish their 6-month stint at TPZ Ventures with

• Knowledge and first-hand experience with how E-commerce businesses are structured & run, including Marketing & Branding and ad-testing
• Experience researching product & market trends and performing pattern recognition analyses to generate high-performing consumer product ideas
• Exposure to the end–to-end process of developing a physical product– from prototyping to manufacturing and everything in-between
• Experience monitoring business metrics and financials, and an understanding of data-driven decision making
• An understanding of how to build a business that is financially sustainable
• A portfolio of sharable work samples, such as: product renderings, advertisements, websites, pitch decks
• Software skills and experience across: Shopify, Klaviyo, Figma, Adobe, Canva and other platforms
• Experience working as part of a fast-paced start-up, global and cross-functional team
• Project Management skills and experience, including a formal Google Project Management Certification via Coursera
• Potential for additional badges or microcertifications in TPZ’s STEAM equipment based on skills and interest areas

Founding Associates invited to stay beyond the initial six-month period will gain deeper, end-to-end experience across the product lifecycle — from sourcing materials, identifying and comparing manufacturers, and managing supply chain and inventory, to supporting marketing initiatives, learning from customer experience teams, and assisting with quality control processes.

You’ll succeed in this role if you:

• Are interested in a physical product or manufacturing-based career
• Are interested in direct-to-consumer, e-commerce products
• Are a proactive, motivated, self-starter that is ready to roll-up your sleeves to learn, try and do anything and everything to make a product successful
• Enjoy challenging new learning opportunities and are not afraid to ask questions
• Are self-aware, embrace feedback and self-improvement, and have a growth mindset
• Want to run your own business one day or work at a top performing consumer product or e-commerce brand

Launch Your Career: Post-Program Pathways

With 6-12 months of resume-worthy employment and new skill sets that are in-demand by today’s employers, Founding Associates at TPZ Ventures will have the opportunity to pursue a number of pathways following their tenure. These paths include:

• Positioning yourself for career opportunities in product management, digital marketing, or e-commerce operations;
• Employment as a profits-interest founding team member of the new venture or another investment ready TPZ-based emerging venture
• Choosing to build a new venture outside of TPZ Ventures using the experience and skill sets gained throughout the year;
• Positioning yourself for a career in entrepreneurial/STEAM space education

Compensation & Benefits

This is a temporary, full-time role for at least 6 months. Founding Associates are paid an hourly rate of $25.96. Founding Associates work 80% in person, 20% remote. 

TPZ’s compensation philosophy is designed with checks and balances to ensure pay equity and to fairly recognize and reward employees’ contributions.

TPZ provides full-time employees with a comprehensive benefits package, including, but not limited to:

• Company-subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (80% of the individual premium is paid by TPZ)
• Professional Development opportunities, including the use of state of the art STEAM Makerspace/FabLab
• Basic Life insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability at no cost to the employee
• Mental Health and Wellness resources through partnerships with Calm and Wellable 
• Commuting stipend for walking, biking, transit, or gas
• Retirement plan with employer contributions
• Up to 25 days of paid time off per year
• Approx. 20 paid holidays per year
• Paid parental leave

Prerequisites & Application

Eligibility: Open to residents of the Greater Boston area, with priority for TPZ alumni and those living in Boston proper.
Education Level: High School Diploma or Equivalent (minimum) / May not be a current high school student
Application Due: no later than Monday, December 15, 2025
Send to: venturescore@possiblezone.org with the subject line: “Ventures Product Team Application [your name]”

A FULL application includes:

• Resume with your full contact information (If you need resume assistance please watch THIS VIDEO for guidance)
• Personal Reflection (Part 1)
• Application Case Study (Part 2) 

Part 1: Personal Reflection 

Please answer the following questions, and format your responses with an 11-point font and single spacing. This part of the application should be no more than 2 pages single spaced.

1. Why is this opportunity interesting to you? 
2. What– if any– experience do you have in physical consumer products, e-commerce or digital marketing? If you don’t have any experience in these areas, what abilities or curiosities make you a good fit for consumer product development?
3. What do you hope to gain from participating in this program and how does it set up for your next career step?
4. What is your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?

Part 2:  Consumer Product Challenge – Application Case Study

You’ve been asked to design a new consumer product that solves a real problem or meets an unmet need. We’re not expecting fully developed products—what we want to see is how you approach an unfamiliar problem and design your own path forward. (***We want to see how YOU think. It is ok to lean on the internet to do some research, but please do not use Chat GPT to answer the questions for you as we already know what AI thinks about this prompt! :).

Your Task:

Identify an Opportunity: Pick a category that interests you (home, personal care, fitness, entertainment, etc.) and describe a problem people face. Your idea should come from observing trends, researching online, or your own experiences.

Propose a Solution: Explain your product concept: what it does, who is the customer, and why would they want this product.

Plan for Validation: Describe how you would test if your idea is viable before investing heavily in developing it. How would you measure success?

Think Like a Founder. Outline how you would:

• Determine costs and pricing
• Reach customers through marketing or sales channels
• Source materials or components
• Identify potential manufacturers

What we are looking for:

• Evidence of problem-solving and independent thinking
• Ability to learn and pivot when faced with unknowns
• Clarity of thought, creativity, and logical reasoning

This is not a test of what you already know. We want to see how you tackle a challenge you haven’t solved before—this is exactly the type of work you’ll do at TPZ Ventures.