Investment Intern

Application Deadline : 20th of November, 2026

We are Persistent in our quest to build climate ventures in Africa

Persistent is a leading climate venture builder in sub-Saharan Africa, founded by thought leaders and pioneer investors in the off-grid energy sector.

We believe that building commercially successful climate impact ventures in emerging markets can both 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.

Our model is simple. We bring expertise and experience, as well as the right financial capital to start-up companies. 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 go beyond boardroom advice, roll up our sleeves and fill operational roles. Our sector experience helps companies avoid making mistakes we have already seen in the sector.  Second, due to our close involvement and deep experience, we can provide risk-tolerant capital to our companies in the most flexible way.

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

Your role
We are looking for an exceptionally entrepreneurial person bringing some intial experience in investment and research to play a key role as an Intern in pipeline development, investment and research. Your contribution will be in tandem with Persistent’s investment strategy and value proposition to investors, partners, and the wider industry.

Your responsibilities
You will:

• Provide support to the investment team in evaluating new investment opportunities in the pipeline based on our investment thesis
• Provide support to the team on ongoing portfolio management including and investor reporting, including assessment of key performance and impact indicators
• Conduct research on the climate-positive sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, including in the renewable/off-grid energy sector, AgTech (Agricultural Technology), Circular Economy, e-mobility, carbon tech, climate tech, clean cooking, cooling, water, ESG, and impact, among others.
• Drafting of screening and Investment Committee memos.

Your profile

• Excellent investment, and research skills as well as exceptional writing skills particularly in the creation of investment and research papers and reports. Experience working with Word and Excel relevant to the above. Experience in leveraging AI to do so is a plus.
• Experience working in a climate-positive or renewable energy investment fund, impact investor, or other related organization is a plus.
• Educational background in business administration, economics, accounting, finance, investment or related field, or equivalent demonstrated grounding in accounting principles and financial analysis.
• Solid grasp of accounting principles and working knowledge of financial modelling and analysis (e.g. building or interpreting three-statement models).
• Self-starter and all-rounder: You are willing to take bold steps to achieve the success of Persistent and our portfolio entrepreneurs. You are not afraid to get your hands dirty and do not consider even basic venture-building tasks beneath you
• Building relationships and representing: You are able to build trustful relationships with peers, key partners, and stakeholders on the ground
• You are a team player with an analytical mindset and strong problem-solving abilities
• Location: You are based in Africa (preferably can legally live and work in Kenya or Nigeria)

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

Join us at Persistent for a six months period 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 will frequently travel to our partner companies and be with your colleagues, 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.

To Apply, use the link: Application Link