Associate-Investments Co-Investments with Crowdlenders Mandate

Application Deadline: May 22, 2023

We are Persistent in our quest to build ventures with a sustainable impact. Persistent is a leading venture builder in sub-Saharan Africa, a thought leader, and pioneer investor in the off-grid energy sector.

We believe that building commercially successful impact ventures in emerging markets can make the world a better place and provide attractive financial returns.

We believe that climate change is the biggest challenge of our time and therefore focus on companies that proliferate renewable energy and other climate mitigating solutions to customers in emerging markets.

We bring expertise and experience, as well as the right financial capital to startup companies through active venture building. The Persistent team can provide business and financial modeling, fundraising, legal and tax structuring, technology architecture, digital strategy, and HR management expertise.

Our model is unique for two reasons. First, we have the capacity to go beyond boardroom advice, roll up our sleeves, and fill operational roles. Second, due to our close involvement and deep experience, we can provide flexible and risk tolerant capital to our companies in an efficient way.

Our model provides positive impact and financial returns because we only work with exceptional entrepreneurs, backed by the most visionary investors, institutions & foundations.

In addition to its core venture building business, Persistent is part of a consortium that manages a EUR 49 million grant to the Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa Foundation (“CEI Africa” or the “Foundation”). CEI Africa was set up by KfW on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The purpose of the Foundation is to promote the development of clean energy sources for people in sparsely populated areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. Persistent is responsible for defining and running the part of CEI Africa dedicated to co-investing with Crowdlenders in mini-grid and off-grid solar companies in Africa. Persistent’s partners in running CEI Africa are Triple Jump and GreenMax Capital.

Your role

We are looking for an exceptional investment professional with a pronounced entrepreneurial mindset and extensive (7+ years) experience to join our work on CEI Africa. In addition, you may have the opportunity to participate in other aspects of Persistent’s business, including our venture building activities and our other consulting and advisory mandates.

Your Responsibilities

As an Associate at Persistent working on the CEI Africa mandate, you will:

• Work on Persistent’s mandate including coordinating operational administration, liaison with the consortium, and leading stakeholder engagement with Crowdlenders and other industry players.
• Lead and conduct due diligence activities, write memoranda analyzing Crowdlenders, investments, etc.,
• Prepare investment papers, build financial models, negotiate with Crowdlenders and investees of CEI Africa.
• Work on Technical Assistance (TA) activities of the Foundation through identifying value-add initiatives for Crowdlenders and investees.
• Identify and evaluate new investment opportunities following the Foundation’s investment policy and strategy.

Your impact will be evaluated by the following KPIs: Value, impact and revenue generated through efficient and effective management of the CEI Africa mandate.

Your profile

• Entrepreneurial experience and mindset: You have been a part of, or have worked with, an early-stage business and know the needs of start-ups in terms of know-how, experience, and financial capital.
• 7+ years’ experience in lending to /investing in Sub-Saharan Africa; working as an Associate on deal origination, deal due diligence, deal negotiation, and deal structuring. Experience in syndication, co-investing, blended finance structures in off grid renewable energy is a plus.
• Self-starter and allrounder: You are willing to take bold steps and to bring the organization with you, resulting in new investment opportunities, sustainable performance of our portfolio, and highly motivated colleagues and portfolio entrepreneurs. You are willing to get your hands dirty and do not consider basic tasks beneath you.
• Business model and financial analysis: You can build financial models and conduct detailed financial analysis generating actionable insights with a sound understanding of corporate finance.
• Team player with strong project management and investment skills: You can take ownership of key workstreams/lead investment processes while empowering other team members.
• Location & Travel: You are based in Africa (preferably can legally live and work in Kenya or Nigeria) and are able to travel as needed.

Ideally, you will also have the following:

• Knowledge of or experience in the Crowdfunding sector .
• Experience working within the framework UN SDGs 6-9.

Build with us

Our culture at Persistent is entrepreneurial, collaborative, and flexible. We seek talented people who are passionate about impact and have a drive for excellence. We offer a dynamic work environment where we work closely with our fast-moving partner companies located in more than a dozen countries in Africa.

Join us at Persistent and benefit from:

Impact: An opportunity to work directly with start-ups in underserved markets and create lasting social and environmental impact.

Steep learning curve: You will join a small, but experienced team that will enable you to become a multi-skilled professional in a short period of time and build the confidence to embrace and tackle most business challenges.

Opportunity to take initiative: Leverage your expertise to create practical and relevant solutions for companies on the frontline and see concrete outcomes of your work.

Flexibility: Exercise a significant amount of discretion in determining what you do and how you do it.

Persistent is a workplace that gives you the flexibility to balance the requirements of work and private life. While you may frequently travel, you will also be able to work from home when necessary and make use of flexible hours and family focused leave policies. We also offer attractive compensation that is designed to reward your performance and impact over the long term.

Applications to be sent to join@persistent.energy

Application Deadline: May 22, 2023