Investment Manager – Airbel Ventures (Kenya)

The Investment Manager will play a central role in sourcing, evaluating, and managing investments in early-stage companies that deliver both strong impact and financial returns. The role reports to the Managing Partner of Airbel Ventures and works closely with IRC's Country Programs and technical teams to build traction for portfolio companies within humanitarian markets.

Responsibilities

• Identify and cultivate relationships with relevant startups, accelerators/incubators, and investors across Africa.
• Lead due diligence processes, including market analysis, financial modeling, impact assessment, and risk evaluation.
• Develop Investment Memos (IMs) to present to the Investment Committee.
• Support portfolio companies post-investment through strategic guidance, fundraising support, and impact assessments.
• Build traction and use cases in humanitarian markets in coordination with IRC's Country Programs and technical teams.
• Contribute to deepened sector mapping and refine investment theses across Airbel Ventures' focus sectors, sub-sectors, and verticals.
• Represent Airbel Ventures in regional investor networks, events, and conferences, strengthening its visibility and partnerships in the African venture ecosystem.
• Manage relevant IRC internal stakeholders through the full investment cycle and post-investment.
• Support the Managing Partner on fundraising, overall portfolio strategy, and broader internal stakeholder engagement within the IRC.

Requirements

• Right to work in Kenya required.
• 6–8 years of experience in venture capital, impact investing, development finance, or management consulting, with project experience in impact investing.
• Experience managing due diligence processes from sourcing to closing.
• Experience within African startup ecosystems, with existing networks across the African startup ecosystem.
• Excellent financial analysis skills, including financial modeling.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated interest in impact investing and innovation for underserved or frontier markets.
• Comfort working across diverse sectors and geographies.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, high independence, and ability to thrive in an early-stage team environment.
• Ability to drive execution while navigating multiple internal stakeholder segments within a large global NGO.
• Ability to leverage AI tools strategically in research and analysis, reviewing AI-generated content for accuracy, quality, and alignment with the IRC's mission and values.
• Master's degree in finance, business, economics, or a related field preferred.

Skills

• Venture Capital
• Impact Investing
• Development Finance
• Management Consulting
• Due Diligence Management
• African Startup Ecosystem
• Financial Analysis
• Financial Modeling
• Analytical Skills
• Verbal Communication
• Written Communication
• Impact Investing Strategy
• Cross-sector Experience
• Stakeholder Engagement
• AI Tools Usage
• Investment Opportunity Sourcing
• Investment Analysis
• Portfolio Management

Languages

English