About the position
Acumen America is seeking an Investment Associate to join our San Francisco-based US venture investing team. This role is pivotal in supporting the deal life cycle, and we are looking for a candidate with a minimum of 3 years of experience in investing or related fields. The ideal candidate will be bold, creative, and thrive in a fast-paced startup environment. The Associate will be part of a team dedicated to building a portfolio of innovative companies that focus on tackling poverty in the United States. Since its inception in 2015, Acumen America has invested in 43 companies that have reached over 26 million low-income Americans. We believe in the power of a diverse portfolio, with 63% of our companies having a founder of color and 47% having a female founder. The team is responsible for identifying, vetting, structuring, and managing investments in companies that serve low-income Americans across three key sectors: financial inclusion, workforce development, and health. This entrepreneurial position is ideal for candidates who are excited about working in a startup environment and are committed to making a difference in the lives of those in need.
Responsibilities
- Support the deal cycle by sourcing new investment opportunities and assisting with due diligence.
- Prepare analyses for Acumen's Investment Committee and support senior team members in structuring deal terms.
- Oversee portfolio and impact data systems to ensure accurate data on pipeline, portfolio, and impact metrics.
- Ensure timely data collection is entered in the impact management system.
- Support the team closing process on transactions and project manage weekly and quarterly pipeline and portfolio management processes.
- Build internal dashboards for impact reporting of portfolio companies.
- Identify, cultivate, and review a pipeline of investment opportunities that provide critical products and services to the poor in the United States.
- Support due diligence and investment analysis, including financial modeling, valuation review, and transaction structuring.
- Prepare and maintain investment documentation for Acumen America's Investment Committee.
- Document and track key metrics to measure the social and financial returns of portfolio companies.
- Analyze and document data-driven explanations for intervention decisions of portfolio companies.
- Extract and document investment-specific and portfolio-wide insights, analyzing financial and impact metrics to identify valuable patterns or lessons learned.
Requirements
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, investment banking, or investment management.
- Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field.
- Strong financial, modeling, and business analysis skills.
- Demonstrated project management experience with a track record of task ownership and end-to-end management on deliverables.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to present clear and succinct analysis and arguments.
- Ability to take initiative, follow through, and meet deadlines independently.
- Excellent relationship and interpersonal skills, demonstrating courtesy, tact, and patience.
- Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen America's values.
- Familiarity with social enterprise and impact investing sectors, with a preference for a demonstrated commitment to serving the poor.
- Permanently authorized to work in the U.S.
- Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with financial and operational due diligence in early-stage businesses is a plus.
Benefits
- Salary range of $90,000 to $110,000 USD plus a performance-based bonus.
- Equal pay determined through comparison to a cohort of employees in the market at the same level of accountability.
