Investment Associate, Catalyst Fund

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

About Catalyst Fund

Catalyst Fund is a pre-seed Venture Capital fund and accelerator backing tech entrepreneurs who are scaling solutions for a climate-resilient future in Africa. Our thesis focuses on supporting mission-driven founders offering climate adaptation solutions that improve the resilience of African climate-vulnerable communities. The fund invests across several sectors, including agtech and food systems, insurtech and climate fintech, agroforestry, cold chain, waste, sustainable energy and water management.  We take an active, hands-on venture-building approach that leverages our experience as founders and operators in emerging markets, supporting startups on tech, product, data, marketing challenges and more.

BFA Global is the GP and sponsor of Catalyst Fund. The impact innovation firm combines research, advisory, venture building, and investment expertise to build a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient future for underserved people and the planet. We partner with leading public, private and philanthropic organizations, global and local, to catalyze innovation ecosystems for impact across emerging markets.

About the Role

As an Investment Associate at Catalyst Fund, you will be a key member of the investment team supporting the fund’s mission to invest in and accelerate the growth of early-stage startups offering climate adaptation solutions that improve the resilience of climate-vulnerable communities in Africa. Your role will involve the end-to-end investment deal cycle, including sourcing, filtering, analyzing and investment committee presentations following Catalyst’s investment criteria.

What you’ll do

• Deal Sourcing and Evaluation:
• Conduct market research to identify investment opportunities aligned with Catalyst Fund’s investment thesis
• Evaluate potential investment opportunities, including, but not limited to,  financial analysis, including unit economics, business model assessment and valuation, impact analysis, due diligence and preparation of investment committee material
• Collaborate with the investment team to assess prospective investments’ impact potential and scalability
• Due Diligence:
• Led due diligence processes for potential investments, working closely with cross-functional teams to assess financial, legal, technical, and operational aspects, including visiting potential startup leads
• Help manage and assess our deal flow by evaluating pitch decks and participating in the assessment of an investment opportunity
• Perform market analysis, understanding trends and funding environment
• Perform financial analysis, including unit economics analysis and valuation
• Prepare comprehensive investment memos and reports to support investment decision-making during Investment Committees
• Portfolio Management and Reporting:
• Actively monitor the existing portfolio of investments, providing support to portfolio companies as needed
• Liaise with portfolio companies to gather data for the collection of business and impact metrics via our reporting tool
• Preparation of periodic reporting material as per fund requirements and timelines
• Circle of Investors:
• Support in producing monthly updates on climate tech deals as well as on portfolio companies’ fundraising status with Catalyst Fund Circle of Investors
• Managing and maintaining a database of Circle of Investors members and intros made to portfolio companies
• Ecosystem engagement :
• Industry research for thought leadership to advance the profile of the fund
• Engage with the broader startup ecosystem, attend industry events, and build relationships with entrepreneurs, co-investors, and other stakeholders
• Actively participate in team discussions and contribute to the overall success of Catalyst Fund

Qualifications

• Minimum a Bachelor’s degree in relevant areas (finance, engineering, math, accounting etc.)
• 3-5 years of relevant experience working at a VC firm, growth-stage fund, investment bank, or similar,  in Africa
• Previous experience interacting and working with tech startups in Africa
• Experience carrying out end-to-end deal cycles, including sourcing, filtering pitch decks, financial analysis, financial modelling, business valuation and investment memo preparation
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to communicate effectively with a distributed team across several countries
• Must demonstrate the ability to think on your feet, i.e. a “hacker” mentality
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment, with strong attention to detail
• Ability to complete tasks promptly while balancing several assignments with inputs from multiple team members

Any of the following will be considered a plus:

• Familiarity with climate tech investing or climate tech startups broadly
• Familiarity with local startup ecosystems from first-hand experience
• Familiarity working with different cultures and languages
• Spoken and written language proficiency other than English

Anticipated Start Date: Immediate

Preferred location: Nairobi, Kenya

Candidates must have local work permits. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

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