Investment Associate

Job Description

VENTURE FOR AFRICA

Venture for Africa is an immersion program and talent community designed to enable experienced local and global non-tech talent to transition into the African startup ecosystem.

We enable experienced talent who might be new to the startup space or the particular market or industry they’re looking to enter, to soft-land and gain context while working with a startup or venture fund that's hiring.

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HOW IT WORKS

• Get Matched: Apply and get matched with a VFA startup partner in your area of interest.

• Get Immersed:
  

  • Part-time: De-risk your potential transition by spending an initial 3 months in this role, part-time. During this time, you will have the opportunity to work closely with the team, experience the company culture, and evaluate whether it makes sense as a potential long-term option.
  • Full-time: For those actively looking for a role, who are ready to dive right in, you can skip ahead to the next step.
  • Get Hired: VFA startup partners have the opportunity to make full-time offers to candidates directly after the matching process or after VFA's trial-to-hire model.

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Engagement Description

Potential partners are generally on the lookout for Associates to join their Investment Teams.

In roles like this, you can expect to play a critical role in building out the fund's portfolios in their industries of focus and will be involved in supporting all aspects of the investment process alongside the Principals.

During an engagement like this, you will be primarily responsible for supporting the fund's sourcing, screening, due diligence, investment analysis, and negotiations/closing.

You might also be involved in the full investment lifecycle, with the ability to work with portfolio companies post-investment.

If you consider yourself a proactive networker capable of building a deep pipeline of investable opportunities, identifying promising deals, and collaborating with a wide range of advisors to close investments, then this role is perfect for you. It not only offers a clear path for professional growth, but also provides training opportunities and the prospect of leading and managing projects as you progress.

• Long-Term Growth Opportunity: This role offers a long-term growth prospect. After gaining experience and demonstrating excellent performance, the associate may receive support to raise their mini-fund within the larger fund. This opportunity will allow them to lead the investment strategy for an industry or area of interest, thereby further contributing to the fund's mission and their professional development.

Key Deliverables

• Foster strong relationships and strategic partnerships with incubators, accelerators, peer investors and other ecosystem actors

• Performing detailed financial model and three-statement financial report analysis, lead valuation assessments, and sensitivity forecasting

• Develop a deep and broad pipeline of potential investments that meet the fund's investment theses and criteria

• In collaboration with the Investment Team, lead investment structuring, negotiation, documentation, and execution.

• In conjunction with the Principals, present investment opportunities to the Investment Committee for debate and approval

• Assist, facilitate and/or lead deal-closing processes, including local legal due diligence, definitive document development, and any other regulatory requirements

• Where needed, support portfolio management including working with portfolio companies where needed and tracking operational & financial performance

Reports to: Managing Partner