Senior Associate, Business Innovation
500 Startups, Kenya

Who We Are

500 Startups is a venture capital firm on a mission to uplift people and economies through entrepreneurship. It is one of the most active venture capital firms in the world.

Since its inception in Silicon Valley, 500 Startups has invested in over 2,400 companies via its 5 global funds and 16 thematic funds dedicated to either specific geographic markets or verticals. Its 100+ team members are located in as many as 20 countries around the world in order to support the 500 Startups global portfolio of investments which spans more than 75 countries.

Beyond providing seed capital, 500 supports startups via their Seed Accelerator Programs which emphasize digital marketing, customer acquisition, lean startup practices, and fundraising for pre-Seed companies. 500 Startups further contributes to the development of innovation ecosystems by supporting startups and investors through educational programs, events, conferences, and partnerships with corporations and governments around the world.

About KIEP and ISLP

Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project (KIEP) endeavors to increase innovation and productivity in select private sector firms in Kenya. The objective of our specific assignment is to design and implement an Industry-Startup Linkage Program (ISLP). This subcomponent aims to increase technology absorption and innovation capacity in large firms in Kenya through facilitating commercial relationships between startups and corporates, ideally focused on (but not limited to) models of open innovation and co-creation.

We expect to work on a wide range of industries, from more advanced technologically like fintech, to more traditional sectors such as agro-processing and manufacturing. In our endeavor to foster these connections between startups amp; corporates in both traditional and tech-enabled sectors, we will collaborate with government parties and other local partners (accelerators, universities, industry experts, etc) to help with knowledge transfer and capacity building.

What You Will Do

As Senior Associate, Business Innovation you will be a key member of our ISLP delivery team, providing end-to-end support from partner selection through to pilot project delivery and donor reporting. Your work will be directed primarily by the Corporate Innovation Specialist, and also be supported by our full program delivery team and other 500 Startups staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end support from corporate engagement through to pilots and reporting
• Support program leadership with partner discovery, outreach, evaluation, selection, and onboarding for a set of corporate and startup partners
• Conduct market research and compilation of insights to identify startups
• Assist in outreach to relevant startups and assist with necessary logistics
• Lead the design and implementation of a set of Proof-of-Concept pilot projects with partners, in collaboration with the Corporate Innovation Specialist
• Support program leadership with research briefs, meeting preparation, data visualization, and other business analysis tasks as required
• Facilitate and manage day-of logistics for project development sessions with partners as required (e.g. workshops, demos, status reviews)
• Prepare materials for meetings, workshops, and stakeholder reviews
• Support development of quarterly and annual donor reports, in collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
• Support development of successful relationships across the team, key stakeholders, and other partners

Requirements

Must have

• 4+ years professional experience, with significant innovation project experience in a corporate, startup, or consultancy role
• Expertise in the unique opportunities and challenges facing Kenya’s corporate and startup ecosystems
• Significant strategic analysis and reporting skills, demonstrated by a strong portfolio of work samples
• Excellent writing, listening, and communication skills, always eager to craft the right message for every stakeholder and drive collaborative conversations forward
• A quick learner comfortable with uncertainty and ready to help partners pioneer solutions to new challenges
• Highly focused, self-driven and organized, with great attention to detail and the ability to manage shifting priorities
• Enthusiastic team player who inspires and helps people around you become even better
• Flexibility working across time zones

Nice to have

• A relevant university qualification (business, economics, development, technology, etc.)
• Experience working internationally with similar consortiums and/or remote teams
• Experience coordinating large events such as inv

Job Rewards and Benefits