The Innovations & CVC Specialist role, structured as an Investment Officer, is critical in shaping deal flow and executing investments for Betalab, Britam's Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) platform. This is a hands-on position focused on driving investment operations and engaging the venture ecosystem. The specialist will work directly with the Group Director of Strategic Partnerships and Investment Consultant(s), gaining exposure to the African startup ecosystem, corporate partners, and investment committee processes.
Key Responsibilities
- Deal Sourcing & Screening: Identify, research, and evaluate early-stage startups across Betalab’s core focus sectors. Conduct introductory calls with founders and maintain pipeline tracking.
- Research & Thesis Development: Conduct market mapping, competitive analysis, and trend identification. Assist in shaping investment theses in collaboration with the Principal and General Partners (GPs).
- Financial & Commercial Analysis: Build financial models, analyze data rooms, and assess unit economics, scalability, and competitive positioning.
- Investment Process Support: Draft and refine investment memos, prepare materials for the Investment Committee, provide administrative support (pipeline tracking, data entry, preparation of materials for leadership), and coordinate diligence across technical, legal, and commercial efforts.
- Internal Contribution: Help codify best practices in pipeline management, reporting, and knowledge sharing as part of building a new investment platform from scratch.
- Operational Support: Provide support to the leadership on selected administrative and operational functions related to fund management, governance, and reporting.
- Value Creation: Support portfolio founders' post-investment by facilitating introductions, strategic partnerships, and access to Betalab’s corporate network.
- Ecosystem Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with founders, co-investors, accelerators, and corporate partners. Represent Betalab at key ecosystem events.
Knowledge, Experience, and Qualifications Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Actuarial Science, Economics, or a related business field.
- Preference for candidates with a degree focused on corporate finance and investments, complemented by professional qualifications in financial investments.
- A postgraduate qualification (MBA, relevant Masters, CFA, or equivalent) is a plus.
- 3-5 years of full-time experience in strategy consulting, investment banking, corporate development, venture capital, or high-growth startups (specifically in BD, growth, and/or strategy roles).
- Experience in the banking, financial services, and insurance industry is desired, but not mandatory.
- Ability to articulate fund strategy, investment theses, and engage effectively with the Investment Committee (IC).
- Strong analytical and writing skills, with the ability to synthesize complex ideas into clear recommendations.
- Curiosity about technology and startups, coupled with an eagerness to learn new sectors quickly.
- Strong interpersonal skills and comfort engaging with founders and senior executives.
- Strong network and working experience in Africa and sector-relevant ecosystems.
- Familiarity with CRM systems (like HubSpot) and research tools and databases (like Statista or Crunchbase).
- Commercial mindset with the ability to spot opportunities, assess markets, and propose creative go-to-market or distribution strategies.
- Strong financial modelling skills in Excel/Google Sheets is desirable, but not compulsory.
- Proven track record of sourcing, evaluating, and/or executing early-stage investments.
- Bonus: Prior exposure to Venture Capital (VC) or Private Equity (PE) deal flow and/or startup fundraising.
