Expansion Manager
Designer Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage tech companies using design to improve health, sustainability, or prosperity for people. It backs founding teams, particularly those with design backgrounds, across sectors like fintech, healthcare, climate tech, and developer tools.
About Designer Fund
Designer Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in tech companies leveraging design to drive positive outcomes in health, sustainability, and financial prosperity. Its portfolio spans a wide range of sectors including financial infrastructure (Stripe), preventative health (Omada), collaborative tools (Notion), developer tools (Netlify), product management (Linear), payroll and benefits (Gusto), design tools (Framer), and healthcare infrastructure (Commure), among dozens of other companies across fintech, climate tech, healthcare, EdTech, and AI. The firm also runs 'Designer Founders,' a community and platform highlighting designers who have gone on to found and lead companies, reflecting its focus on backing design-driven founders and design-centric startups from early stages through growth and acquisition.
Skills
About the Role
You will help shape the future of mobility by enabling sales, product, and operations teams to bring Via's solutions to municipalities and transportation operators nationwide. You'll join a fast-growing Tokyo team at the center of partner engagement, operational insight, and strategic decision-making. You will support the full partnership lifecycle - from early sales scoping to deployment and ongoing performance improvement - serving as a trusted advisor to internal teams and external partners to ensure solutions deliver measurable impact.
Requirements
- 3+ years of relevant experience in SaaS, mobility, operations, implementation, customer success, or solution engineering
- Strong communication skills in both English and Japanese (verbal & written), including client-facing settings
- Tech-savvy and quick to learn new tools, systems, and product concepts
- Experience working with municipalities, public sector partners, or transportation operators
- Understanding of mobility, transit operations, or technology platforms
- Proactive, resourceful problem-solver who enjoys tackling ambiguous challenges
Responsibilities
- Own high-visibility initiatives that help Japan partners adopt and optimize Via's technology
- Drive CRM excellence and sales pipeline visibility
- Support the sales team in scoping solutions that address partner mobility challenges
- Analyze transportation, operational, and rider behavior data to uncover insights
- Serve as a communication hub bridging partners and Via's global teams
- Troubleshoot operational or product challenges with speed and empathy
- Represent Via in meetings, workshops, and presentations in English and Japanese