NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

About the Company

Seedstars Africa Ventures (SAV) is a venture capital fund investing in early-stage, high-growth startups across the continent and providing them with world-class support. The fund leverages the existing operations of the Seedstars accelerator in 25+ countries in Sub Saharan Africa and its 10 years of experience on the Continent. The fund is built in partnership with LBO France, a leading $7bn European private equity platform and counts DFIs as well as institutional and private investors as its limited partners.

About the Role

Seedstars Africa Ventures is looking for an Analyst based in Abidjan to assist with the setup and support of its West African office and operations. This is a unique opportunity to work in the VC space in a newly created fund while making a difference by supporting innovating entrepreneurs in Africa.

The Analyst will support the identification, cultivation and assessment of investment opportunities. By leveraging his/her network, the Analyst will be responsible for identifying the most promising and relevant entrepreneurs and investment opportunities and will cultivate close working relationships with them.

The Analyst will support all due diligence aspects on potential investments and will participate along with a Partner in presenting the opportunity to the IC, which will expect the Analyst to defend ideas based on in-depth research. The Analyst will also participate in structuring and converting the deal. Post investment, the Analyst will contribute to monitoring the companies that have contributed investing in.

The Analyst can expect the role to divide into:

Finding new investments:

• Network, chase and land companies he/she believes in and that are fit with the investment thesis
• Build and leverage his/her personal network for deal flow, as well as all relevant sources
• Analyse and track companies and sectors relevant to the fund’s investment thesis
• Cultivate strong relationships with founders and other investors
• Be visible within relevant ecosystems
• Ensure that the companies we are interested in are interested in us

Evaluating new investments and market intelligence:

• Support the completion of due diligence on potential investments
• Build sound and well-structured rationale to support investment decisions, supported by extensive research
• Build and present investment notes and memos for potential deals
• Provide his/her own flavor of cogent analysis and due diligence as we move closer to a deal, including market and competitive analysis, customer references, and financial modelling

Contribution to our portfolio companies:

• Participate in monitoring activities and support the partners in our value addition strategy
• Support the partner in charge with board meetings and their preparation
• Participate in fund reporting and preparation for major events
• Analyse portfolio companies on an ongoing basis, as an aid to company building and performance
• Support portfolio companies on specific projects and cultivate our philosophy of experience sharing across the portfolio

The candidate must have:

• Some experience in an investment fund, an investment bank, a management consultancy or a leading tech company in Africa; Entrepreneurs who have raised over $2mn on the Continent are encouraged to apply as well;
• Strong cultural ties and established networks in the entrepreneurial space across West Africa; Specific experience in working with women entrepreneurs is a plus;
• A strong interest in the VC space, in startups, as well as in emerging markets, and particularly Africa;
• Strong Financial, analytical and writing skills, with capacity to multi-task and meet deadlines; you must be able to absorb and challenge large amounts of information, and summarize it in a clear and articulated manner to form an opinion;
• A strong command of English (both written and verbal) and French;
• Experience in using Office, including Excel and Powerpoint.
• Autonomous and self-starter attitude as part of a team spread across the Continent

You should only apply if you are legally authorized to work in Cote d’Ivoire. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Given the regional nature of the job, it will require travel throughout West Africa to visit key ecosystems and meet with stakeholders.