Camber's XIR Program

Camber Partners is excited to announce our Executive-in-Residence (XIR) program formally.  Our goal for the XIR program is to identify and work with exceptional operating executives on identifying and acquiring high-potential product-led growth (PLG) software companies.  During the roughly six-month program, the XIR will work closely with Camber’s investment team to identify acquisition opportunities, conduct due diligence and join the company as CEO post-investment.

For the XIR, the program provides an opportunity to evaluate markets thoughtfully, leverage Camber’s sourcing infrastructure to speak with many of the companies in a sector, and find the best fit and opportunity for their skill set and interest.  It also allows the XIR to get to know the Camber team and how we work with portfolio companies, setting the CEO/Investor relationship up for future success.  It’s a unique opportunity to chart the next step in your career proactively versus hoping a recruiter brings a great role to you.

While Camber doesn’t have a preference or bias toward replacing CEOs upon investment, we’ve found that many bootstrapped founders/CEOs are looking to transition out of a full-time capacity as a part of the transaction with Camber.  The XIR program allows us to identify future CEOs upfront and to jointly find investment opportunities that align with the XIR's experience and interest.  Camber also values getting to know the future CEO during the due diligence process, and jointly defining the post-close operating plan allows us to hit the ground running on day one.

Based on where we’ve seen success in the past, we’ve identified the following characteristics of an ideal candidate for the XIR program:

• A founders mindset: Even post-investment close, <$10MM SaaS companies are small with limited resources.  A successful CEO needs to be hands-on and scrappy, excited to talk with customers, close deals, write blog posts, and learn the nuances of the product. This is for builders, not managers.
• Experienced in product-led growth done well: PLG is core to Camber’s investment thesis and allows for predictable and capital-efficient growth.  The successful candidates will understand the PLG dynamics intimately based on hands-on experience at the VP- or C-level in product, product marketing, growth, or marketing at leading PLG companies during their formative growth ramps.
• Strong perspective:  We’re looking for people that bring a strong perspective to the table.  Coming into the program with a market thesis based on experience increases the odds of finding a successful investment.  Post-close, building conviction on where the market is headed and why and aligning the stakeholders on that vision is critical to building a big company. We’re looking for thought partners, not someone that simply executes what they are told.
• Looking to make their mark: We’re looking for people eager to build and accomplish something we can all be proud of.  The XIR program probably isn’t right for serial CEOs or typical PE Operating Partners.  We expect that for many of our XIRs, this will be their first CEO role, but that they have demonstrated the ability to build and lead high-performing teams, create cultures of alignment and accountability, and drive successful outcomes at outstanding companies that we admire.

Camber’s XIR program typically lasts six months and results in successful placement as CEO in a new investment or taking a leadership role at an existing portfolio company.  While we do not require a full-time commitment to the XIR program, we do expect that the majority of your time will be spent dedicated to sourcing and evaluating opportunities.

If you think you’d be a good candidate, please reach out to talent@camber.io.  Due to the high volume of interest, we may not be able to respond immediately.  We typically have one or two XIRs at any given time and will be adding additional people on a rolling basis.

For more on what it’s like to work with Camber Partners, please visit our blog.