Venture Associate (SPARK Internship) at East Africa Market Development Associates (EAMDA)

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Development & Business Advisory

• Support business diagnostics and assessments for MSMEs, farmer organizations, cooperatives, and startups.
• Assist entrepreneurs in identifying business growth opportunities and operational improvements.
• Support the development of business growth plans and enterprise action plans.
• Conduct basic financial and operational assessments to identify business constraints.

Venture Incubation & Acceleration

• Support the identification and profiling of high-potential entrepreneurs and enterprises.
• Assist in delivering business incubation and acceleration activities.
• Support entrepreneurs in validating business ideas, refining business models, and developing market-driven solutions.
• Monitor enterprise progress and document key milestones and lessons learned.

Market Research & Commercial Intelligence

• Conduct market research to identify emerging business opportunities, market trends, and investment opportunities.
• Support value chain analyses and market assessments.
• Collect and analyze market intelligence to inform enterprise development interventions.
• Prepare market briefs and opportunity reports.

Investment Readiness & Enterprise Growth

• Support entrepreneurs in developing investment-ready business plans.
• Assist in preparing financial projections, costing models, and business cases.
• Support enterprises to improve access to finance by preparing documentation for investors, SACCOs, financial institutions, and development partners.
• Contribute to investor profiling and enterprise matchmaking activities.

Business Development & Partnerships

• Support the organization of entrepreneurship forums, business networking events, investor engagements, and enterprise development workshops.
• Assist in building relationships with ecosystem partners including incubators, accelerators, financial institutions, buyers, and technical experts.
• Support market linkage initiatives between enterprises and commercial partners.

Monitoring, Learning & Knowledge Management

• Collect enterprise performance data and track key business indicators.
• Support preparation of case studies, success stories, and learning briefs.
• Document enterprise innovations, lessons learned, and emerging best practices.
• Contribute to programme reporting and knowledge products.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with programme teams to support enterprise development activities across different value chains.
• Contribute to proposal development, research assignments, and strategic initiatives where required.
• Perform other venture development and business support assignments as assigned.

Qualifications

Education

Bachelor's degree in:

• Entrepreneurship
• Agribusiness Management
• Business Administration
• Economics
• Commerce
• Finance
• Agricultural Economics
• Innovation Management
• Development Studies
• Or a related field

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Demonstrated interest in entrepreneurship, venture creation, or enterprise development.
• Experience running a business, side hustle, startup, or student enterprise is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to conduct market research and interpret business information.
• Basic financial analysis and business planning skills.
• Strong presentation and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and digital productivity tools.
• Interest in agriculture, agribusiness, innovation, investment, or international development.

Critical Competencies

• Entrepreneurial mindset with a strong bias for action.
• Ability to identify commercial opportunities and develop practical business solutions.
• Strong critical thinking and business problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable engaging with entrepreneurs, investors, and private sector stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple assignments.
• Curious, adaptable, proactive, and eager to learn.
• Demonstrates integrity, accountability, professionalism, and respect in all interactions.

Eligibility

Applicants should:

• Be recent graduates (within the last three years).
• Demonstrate a strong interest in entrepreneurship, enterprise development, or venture building.
• Be available for the full three-month internship period.

Organizational Information

• This is a three-month internship position based in Nairobi.
• Hybrid working arrangements may apply depending on assignments.
• Regular travel within Kenya may be required.
• SPARK Associates will receive structured mentorship, coaching, and professional development support.
• A monthly internship stipend will be provided.