Senior Investment Associate

About Us: 

Founders Factory Africa (FFA) is unlike any place else you’ve ever worked. We are venture builders dedicated to solving some of Africa’s biggest challenges and capitalising on its incredible potential by leveraging market and tech opportunities. Over the next five years, we’ll build 24 businesses from scratch and scale 64 existing growth-stage ventures through our venture development programs. Backed by leading corporates, such as Standard Bank – the continent’s largest bank – we have access to their vast resources, infrastructure, and expertise and will bring those to bear for all our ventures and entrepreneurs. 

Our Culture 

Our goals are audacious, and we want to work with people who share our passion for pursuing transformation at scale. We believe that good ideas can come from anywhere - not just the top - and we love to build our way out of uncertainty. At FFA, you will work with and meet outstanding and diverse talent from across the continent and help us build a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive network. You will work faster (and learn faster) than you ever have before. 

With offices in Johannesburg and London, we are building an ambitious, talented, and passionate team, ensuring that Founders Factory Africa is the continent’s best partner for founders. 

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 will need to 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 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 critical support areas

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 ecosystem 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

Benefits:

The role is in a fast-moving company, with a startup culture - this offers lots of opportunities to learn, be hands-on, agile, and have the freedom to develop strategy and execute it without bureaucratic constraints This is an exciting opportunity to join one of Africa’s largest venture development and investment companies, to help shape the future of Africa’s startup ecosystem Growth and Learning: work with and meet exceptional talent and learn faster than you ever have before. We are in a startup environment, not corporate 9-5, so you determine where you want to grow and how quickly you want to do this.  Variety: Opportunity to work on hundreds of different products across a variety of sector Health and Wellness: Comprehensive extended health care coverage  Network: Founders Factory Africa is part of the strongest global network for startup founders. Our relationships with corporate executives, established entrepreneurs, and funders are unparalleled.