Senior Investment Associate at Founders Factory

The Role

• We are looking to hire a Senior Investment Associate to support our efforts in sourcing and qualifying early-stage startups in Africa.
• The successful candidate will co-lead our ecosystem engagement efforts to source and identify promising startups, as well as lead the investment process which culminates into Investment Committee approvals. 
• The candidate must have a good understanding of technology and business models and have existing networks and exposure to the startup world within Africa.

Responsibilities:

Sourcing new investment opportunities and leading ecosystem engagement efforts:

• Support in developing and maintaining an active partnership referral network within the African Tech ecosystem 
• Conduct market analysis and keep up to speed with sector trends and market performance
• Lead deep dives, industry analysis, and market mapping. Source, identify, and evaluate new investment opportunities - startups and founders 
• Attending, participating, and hosting industry events to promote FFA venture programs, working together with the rest of the sourcing team.

Screening,  Qualifying, and presenting opportunities at the Investment Committee - Lead on converting investment opportunities 

• Take responsibility for all aspects of the sourcing process (initial screening, negotiation, qualification process, due diligence, and stakeholder socialisation) 
• Conduct thorough opportunities assessment, including market and competitor analysis, technical due diligence, impact modelling, and financial model review
• Prepare documentation to present and sell new investment opportunities internally and to the Investment Committee

Portfolio Support and monitoring:

• Work with the portfolio and ventures team in strategic planning for company growth, business model design, and other critical support areas
• Support in reporting expectations, including collecting and analyzing data from portfolio companies to feed to the portfolio team
• Join internal board meetings

Candidate Profile:

• Have a minimum of 3  years of experience in a similar venture capital fund leading the end-to-end investment process 
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, able to build a network, source companies, and develop relationships with top African entrepreneurs and other tech/entrepreneurship eco-system players in key markets across Africa 
• An analytical mind able to qualify and understand different concepts and business models
• Independently be able to form views around investment decisions, make recommendations, and present deals to senior colleagues and the investment committee
• Be proficient in Excel and comfortable manipulating data and building financial models
• Knowledge and experience building financial models
• Extensive knowledge, enthusiasm for, and interest in technology and start-ups
• A self-starter who thrives in an autonomous role, with excellent prioritisation, self-organisation, and execution skills