Investment Manager – Airbel Ventures (Kenya)

Role Overview

Airbel Ventures, a wholly owned IRC impact investing entity launched in July 2025, backs seed-stage companies across Africa and parts of MENA that can expand humanitarian reach, speed, and cost-efficiency in climate, health, education, and economic opportunity. The Investment Manager will own much of the pipeline and diligence work for these early-stage bets, moving between startup sourcing, financial and impact analysis, and post-investment support. This role sits at the intersection of commercial venture investing and humanitarian delivery, helping portfolio companies gain real traction with IRC country programs and technical teams. The position is based in Nairobi and involves regional and international travel to engage startups, investor networks, and ecosystem events across Africa.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a pipeline of seed-stage startups by cultivating relationships with founders, accelerators, incubators, and investors across Africa.
• Run end-to-end due diligence: market sizing, competitive analysis, financial modeling, impact measurement, and risk review.
• Prepare investment memos and present recommendations to the Investment Committee.
• Monitor and support portfolio companies after investment, including strategic advice, follow-on fundraising help, and impact tracking.
• Work with IRC Country Programs and technical teams to identify and develop humanitarian use cases and commercial traction for portfolio companies.
• Refine investment theses and conduct sector mapping across climate, health, education, and economic opportunity verticals.
• Represent Airbel Ventures at regional investor events, conferences, and ecosystem gatherings to strengthen partnerships and visibility.
• Manage internal IRC stakeholders through the investment cycle and post-investment, support the Managing Partner on fundraising and portfolio strategy, and use AI tools strategically for research and analysis while reviewing all AI-generated content for accuracy, quality, and alignment with IRC mission and values.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Must have the right to work in Kenya.
• 6–8 years of experience in venture capital, impact investing, development finance, or management consulting, including hands-on impact investing project work.
• Proven experience leading due diligence from sourcing through closing.
• Established networks and direct experience in African startup ecosystems.
• Strong financial analysis and modeling skills, plus sharp analytical abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to produce clear investment memos and presentations.
• Demonstrated commitment to impact investing and innovation in underserved or frontier markets.
• Comfort operating across different sectors and geographies.
• Entrepreneurial, self-directed, and effective in an early-stage team environment.
• Able to drive execution while managing multiple internal stakeholder groups inside a large global NGO.
• Skilled at using AI tools for research and analysis, with a habit of reviewing AI-generated content for accuracy, quality, and alignment with IRC mission and values.
• Master's degree in finance, business, economics, or a related field preferred.