Investment Manager or Principal

About the Company

Seedstars Africa Ventures (SAV) is a 100m$ 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 Investment Manager or Principal based in Abidjan to

setup and lead 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 Investment Manager or Principal will lead the identification, cultivation and assessment of

investment opportunities. By leveraging his/her network, the Investment Manager or Principal will be

responsible for identifying the most promising and relevant entrepreneurs and investment

opportunities and will cultivate close working relationships with them.

The Investment Manager or Principal will lead 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 Investment Manager or Principal to defend ideas based on in-depth research. The Investment

Manager or Principal will also participate in structuring and converting the deal. Post investment, the

Investment Manager or Principal will contribute to support the companies that have been

invested in.

The Investment Manager or Principal will also support with the setup of the local office, including

participating in the recruitment and management of junior staff.

The Investment Manager or Principal 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 all relevant ecosystems

• Ensure that the companies we are interested in are interested in us

Evaluating new investments and market intelligence:

• Lead and complete due diligence on potential investments

• Back his/her recommendations with sound and well-structured rationale, supported by

extensive research and building credibility of your chosen sector expertise

• Build and present investment cases for potential deals, with ownership for his/her own 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:

• Cultivate relationships with portfolio companies, acting as an advisor to these businesses

and adding value to their operations along with the partners

• 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

General Management:

• Support the partners in the setup of a local office (in Abidjan) across all aspects from legal

to operational

• Participate in the identification, recruitment and management of junior talents

• Be involved in fundraising activities along with the partners

The candidate must have:

• 4 to 7 years’ experience in an investment fund, an investment bank, a management

consultancy or a leading tech company, preferably 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;

• Knowledge of technology and market trends

• 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

• Investment structuring know-how

• A strong command of French and English (both written and verbal);

• Experience in using Office, including Excel.

You should only apply if you are legally authorized to work either in Cote d’Ivoire or Senegal.

Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Given the regional nature of the job, it will require extensive travel throughout West Africa to visit

key ecosystems and meet with stakeholders.

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