Capi helps businesses in Africa pay their international suppliers. We’ve raised over $18m from Creandum, Y Combinator, General Catalyst, Firstminute, Janngo, Kima Ventures, and some great angels from Revolut, Checkout, Stripe, Onfido, and Remitly.
Capi was founded by Mitch Riley, Scott Liddle, and Tom Watson. Mitch and Scott were COO/CFO/GC and CRO/CMO at Taptap Send, a remittance unicorn, and have spent two decades between them working in emerging markets. Tom is a third-time founder having founded Hubble and P4SD.
Role OverviewAs Capi’s second full-time legal hire, you will be a foundational member of our growing Legal & Compliance team. You will partner with the business to find creative, pragmatic, and legally sound solutions to complex problems.
From advising on payments and financial services regulation across our markets, to negotiating key banking partnerships, to engaging with regulators, your work will be varied, fast-paced, and impactful. You’ll collaborate closely with the Head of Legal and cross-functional teams to secure licenses, launch new products, and scale into new markets.
To succeed you’ll need to thrive on tackling problems you’ve never encountered before, remain curious and adaptable, and always seek the solution that balances business ambition with legal integrity.
Key ResponsibilitiesRegulatory advice on products & strategic partnerships
Provide forward-looking legal advice across payments, financial services regulation, commercial contracts, intellectual property, data privacy, and related corporate matters.
Help structure new products and partnerships so they are both innovative and compliant.
Negotiate partnerships with banking partners and key service providers behind Capi’s product
Advise on intellectual property, data privacy, and other regulatory compliance issues
Market Expansion & Licensing
Assist on license applications and regulatory partnerships in new markets, across Europe and Africa.
Draft and adapt AML/CFT and other regulatory policies to suit different legal contexts.
Alongside the Head of Legal and Capi’s in-market teams, build trusted relationships with regulators by implementing robust legal frameworks and processes across the Capi Money group.
Corporate, commercial & employment legal advice
Assist the Head of Legal on corporate governance topics (both as part of regulatory licensing applications and as part of business as usual)
Assist the Head of Legal on debt and equity fundraising
Draft and negotiate commercial contracts
Support People team with employment law matters across Europe and Africa.
Coordination
Coordinate with external counsel where specialist expertise is needed, ensuring advice is both practical and cost-effective.
Qualified lawyer; open on total years of experience, however 2+ years in-house ideal
Experience in both private practice and in-house settings.
Top-tier law firm training strongly preferred.
In-house experience at a high-performance company (ideally VC-backed or high-growth fintech/tech).
Fluency in French and English
Work experience in financial services regulation strongly preferred.
Experience working in or with emerging markets, particularly West & Central Africa, is a plus.
Curiosity and resilience when facing unfamiliar challenges.
Creativity and pragmatism in solving novel legal problems.
Willingness to travel to our markets up to once per quarter.
You see legal not as a blocker but as a strategic business partner.
You put yourself in the shoes of your clients and look for solutions that make their lives easier while safeguarding Capi’s interests.
You have an appetite for working in a fast-paced and changing environment.
You are a clear communicator who can simplify complex issues for non-legal stakeholders.
You are collaborative and approachable, with the ability to build trust quickly.
You are data- and process-minded: you value transparency, clarity, and continuous improvement and are adept at using data to inform decisions.
You are a reflexive user of AI to enhance your legal abilities and are at ease using collaborative IT tools such as Notion and Google Suite (GSheets, GDocs, GSlides etc).
Be a builder: As one of our earliest legal hires, you’ll shape how the Legal & Compliance function grows and how it is perceived—transforming it into a trusted partner and enabler of the business.
Regional & global impact: You’ll work on cutting-edge fintech and financial services challenges across Africa and Europe, with direct exposure to partners, Capi leadership and regulators.
High-growth environment: Join a fast-scaling, innovative company where legal isn’t an afterthought but a driver of strategic decisions.
Continuous learning: Work on diverse legal problems across multiple jurisdictions, with opportunities to expand your expertise and take ownership quickly.
Location: Paris or London
Reporting to Head of Legal (who in turn reports directly to CEO), you’ll form part of the growing Legal & Compliance team at Capi
Start Date: Ideally December 2025; we know people will have notice periods and we will accommodate accordingly
Competitive Benefits + Equity
Capi is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Top Skills
What We Do
Capi helps businesses in Africa pay their overseas suppliers. Importers of goods in Africa pay up to 10% to settle an invoice and wait weeks for the payment to arrive. We’re on a mission to give businesses in Africa the same price and speed as businesses expect in the US and Europe.
We're backed by Firstminute Capital, Y Combinator, General Catalyst, Raba, Kima Ventures, Africa Fintech Collective, Musha Ventures, Four Cities, former a16z and YC partners (including Paul Graham), scouts from a16z and Sequoia, and co-founders and operators from Onfido, Taptap Send, McKinsey, Earnest, GiveDirectly, and Turquoise Mountain
