Position Summary: 

The analyst will be supporting the Semicolon Ventures team and our portfolio companies, working across all elements of due diligence, research initiatives, investor communications, pipeline management, and portfolio management activities including fund reporting.

The analyst supports the portfolio companies with general finance-related support, including building an economic model for their projects, providing research and information to help make strategic decisions, and ensuring the companies are well managed. For the Semicolon Ventures team, the analyst will perform due diligence on potential companies and their ensuing industries, provide insight into economic trends and evaluate investment potential, assist with portfolio management activities, investor quarterly reports, and venture studio ecosystem-building activities.

You will be part of all Semicolon Ventures activities, with direct exposure to the senior management and our network of companies.

Primary Relationships

Reports to: Director of Ventures

Manages: Internal and external relationships with Early Stage Investors, Partners/Donors, Banks

Key Requirements 

• Have an understanding of financial information, such as financial statements, company accounts, and sector data, as well as wider business information such as relevant economic data and political events.

• Be capable of analysing financial information relating to specific companies, e.g. company results, profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow statements to determine how an organisation is positioned to deliver for investors.

• Be skilled at examining and interpreting data from different sources and exhibit an understanding of the impact this will have on investment and fund management decision-making.

• Be skilled at drafting and writing market and industry-specific research reports for the portfolio manager or portfolio companies.

• Be skilled at quantitative analysis, building financial models to stress test unit economics, investment projections, and valuation analysis, including discounted cash flows, relative valuations, asset valuations, comparable companies, and transaction multiples.

• Be skilled in accounting, project financing, project valuation, and financial statement analysis. 

• A deep knowledge of Microsoft Office products, especially Microsoft Excel, VBA, PowerPoint, and deep market research and analysis skills.

Principal Responsibilities and Accountabilities

The role will include, but will not be limited to the following areas:

Operational Excellence

• Have regular meetings with the fund manager, providing information including summaries of research, investment ideas, and key periodical reports.

• Regularly keep up to date with market developments, new investment products, and all other areas that can affect the markets and portfolio companies, e.g. movements in the economies of relevant countries. monitoring the financial news using specialist media sources.

• Screen inbound deal-flow and propose new investment targets, conducting due diligence on companies and industries through researching market data and financial statements. This will include doing market sizing and competitor research.

• Performing periodical industry landscape evaluations, maintaining and updating industry-specific reports on relevant technology industries, as well as updating the team on all pertinent compliance regulations.

• Conduct a review of materials used in the fundraising efforts, including investment memoranda, management presentations, and pitch decks.

• Perform periodical valuation reports comparable companies, precedents, and discounted cash flow analysis.

• Assist in monitoring the progress of the portfolio companies, participating in meetings with founders, and creating progress update presentations.

Financial Management

• Assist in managing the fund’s portfolio companies, including analysing business plans, and developing recommendations for product offerings, and company roadmaps.

• Create fund presentations and update materials for the fund investors and client portfolios.

• Prepare financial models and perform financial analysis of portfolio companies relatively quickly.

• Support the fund manager in holding activities such as fund accounting and reporting activities for the board and investor review.

• Prepare cost and forecast reports on a regular basis.

Strategic Development

• Offer recommendations to fund managers, being able to position ideas and articulate to the fund manager about the risk or payoff for each recommendation.

• Development of various financial models to support capital-raising efforts and potential partnerships for portfolio companies.

• Monitor the venture capital and building ecosystems for industry events, valuations, and other relevant information.

• Prepare pitchbooks for client meetings, and support the investment and reporting activities of the ventures fund

Relevant Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in the relevant fields of finance, accounting, economics, or business management.

• Strong financial modeling and pitch deck assembling skills.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-based environment with minimal supervision.

• Strong communication and networking skills.

• Impeccable research, quantitative and analytical skills, especially in articulating and presenting market events.

• Ability to organize and track overlapping tasks and assignments, with frequent priority changes.

• Strong analytical and structured thinking skills as well as a hands-on mentality

• You possess a dynamic work style and a high goal orientation.