Contractor - Investment Analyst at Village Capital

Village Capital, a grant-supported 501(c)(3) and a global organization supporting diverse, seed-stage, impact-driven startup, is seeking a contractor for the next 12 months to support Village Capital’s Financial Inclusion for Migrants Program - an investment readiness training program for early-stage fintech companies that are tackling problems around financial inclusion for migrants in Sub-Saharan Africa and MENA. 

The contractor should be experienced in Financial Analysis, especially with early-stage companies, have good knowledge of the entrepreneur ecosystem in both MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa regions, have a working proficiency in English (preferably has also fluency in either French or Arabic) and preferably have direct entrepreneurship experience. 

Scope of Work

The contractor is expected to complete the following deliverables:

1. Sourcing and Selection: 
   1. Develop an entrepreneur  sourcing strategy document, including:
      1. Conducting market research and analysis to understand market needs, available solutions and existing business models in the financial inclusion space in the region, with a focus on migrants and refugees.
      2. Helping define and finalize start-up eligibility criteria for the program, based on market trends and gaps. 
      3. Creating a central sourcing spreadsheet
      4. Finding diverse networks, including  entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs),  that are  contributing to the start-up ecosystem in the region
   2. Identify and recruit high-potential companies to apply to the “Financial Inclusion for Migrants” program 
   3. Conduct initial screening and due diligence on companies
2. Financial Narratives Support: 
   1. Engage with companies in both group and individual (1:1) sessions to 
      1. Request and review their financial information
      2. Go through their financial narratives (projections, unit economics, etc.)  and give feedback, guidance, and ways entrepreneurs can improve the financial narratives in order to achieve their objectives (fundraising, cost optimization, etc.)
3. Program Design and Implementation: 
   1. Facilitate an assigned set of virtual and/or in-person sessions
   2. Design and develop a workshop’s content/slides for assigned sessions
   3. Prepare and take part in semi-finalist and finalist selection, providing an analysis of the pros and cons of the companies you’ve interviewed
   4. Create one-pagers for external distribution, for every company you interview
   5. Provide guidance and consulting for cohort companies who request support during the course of the program, including coaching for investor pitching sessions.
   6. Assist in the mentor/investor matching process with cohort companies
4. Mentor and Investor Engagement Strategy: 
   1. Analyze the investor outreach and engagement strategy and provide critical feedback on the current plan
   2. Brainstorm and develop ideas to improve investor outreach and engagement processes
   3. Upon finalization of the strategy, develop a work plan for implementation
5. Mentor and Investor Outreach: 
   1. Contact mentors and investors via email/LinkedIn with personalized emails and recruit them to engage with companies during the program
   2. Compile mentor and investor data, in particular, their focus areas and selection criteria
   3. Organize mentor and investor data in  the Abaca platform 

Note on Location: While we have a strong preference for the contractor to be in Egypt or North Africa, we are open to considering candidates across the two regions - MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa.