Associate, Star Venture

Requisition ID
37213

Office Country
Kenya

Office City
Nairobi

Division
Banking Countries of Operations

Contract Type
Fixed Term

Contract Length
2 years

Posting End Date
16/11/2026

As this role involves collaboration with international teams, we kindly ask that you submit your resume in English.

Purpose of Job

EBRD Star Venture is the Bank’s flagship venture-building programme, designed to support and scale high-potential startups in emerging markets. Operating in over 30 countries, Star Venture provides tailored, hands-on support to early-stage companies through a combination of advisory services, international mentorship, corporate partnerships, blended finance instruments, and market access initiatives. In parallel, the programme works closely with local accelerators, investors, corporates, and other stakeholders to strengthen startup ecosystems and improve access to finance and growth opportunities for innovative firms. To date, Star Venture has directly supported more than 400 startups that have collectively raised over EUR 800 million in commercial investment.

Under the guidance of the Associate Director, the Associate is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of Star Venture activities in assigned Sub-Saharan African countries, leading and contributing to all activities of the programme, including sourcing and selection of startups, managing operational implementation of programmes (structuring, execution, implementation, monitoring and completion of advisory projects and non-project ecosystem activities), managing consultants and local partners and monitoring programme performance.

The Associate will ensure that activities are implemented in line with Star Venture strategy, compliance and quality standards, donor commitments and applicable EBRD policies and procedures, escalating material delivery, integrity and strategic issues to management.

The Associate will work with high-growth-potential startups to identify their business needs, advisory requirements, and possible financing needs; supporting their progression towards investment readiness.

The Associate will develop relationships with accelerators, investors, corporates and other ecosystem stakeholders to support programme delivery and market development.

The Associate will lead the design and delivery of ecosystem building initiatives in accordance with EBRD’s Star Venture strategic priorities, and in collaboration with key ecosystem players.

The Associate will work in close coordination with Star Venture product team, Grants and comms unit, banking, policy and sector teams in EBRD Resident Offices and HQ and where relevant and under the supervision of the Associate Director, liaise with relevant external partners, stakeholders and donors.

Background

The EBRD supports SMEs in growing their businesses by providing access to finance and know-how. The SME Finance and Development Group (SME F&D) leads and coordinates the Bank’s SME offer as part of the EBRD Client Services Group. The SME offer comprises an integrated toolbox of a wide range of instruments and innovative products available to SMEs across three main impact pillars: Pillar I: Wide outreach to SMEs via advisory services coupled with intermediated SME finance products; Pillar II: Nourishing champions via financial and non-financial engagement with high growth potential SMEs; and Pillar III: engaging in SME-conducive eco-system improvements via policy dialogue.

Star Venture is EBRD’s flagship startup programme under Pillar II (“Nourishing Champions”) of the SME offer. The programme supports high-potential startups through a combination of strategic business diagnostics, tailored advisory support, international mentoring, access to investors, digital perks, training programmes, and other knowledge products. In parallel, Star Venture works with accelerators, investors, corporates and public sector stakeholders to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and improve the support available to innovative businesses. The programme also increasingly deploys blended finance instruments to help start-ups access funding and scale more sustainably. The programme is delivered through the Advice for Small Businesses (ASB) network, leveraging EBRD’s local presence and advisory infrastructure across its countries of operation. Following the Bank’s expansion into Sub-Saharan Africa, Star Venture will also be rolled out across these new markets.

The programme activities are funded by donors and delivered with the support of local and international consultants. SME F&D rigorously monitors and evaluates the impact of its work. Active projects with clients are monitored at regular intervals, and one year after every project, SME F&D returns to the client to measure impact.

The Associate, as a critical member of the team and under the supervision of the Associate Director and close consultation with the Star Venture Product team, will manage relationships with startup clients benefitting from the projects, consultants and stakeholders in accordance with Star Venture strategy, the annual operational plan, Bank policies and procedures, as well as EBRD integrity and ethical conduct and standards.

The Associate will work closely with start-ups, accelerators, venture capital firms, consultants, and EBRD teams to ensure smooth programme delivery and meaningful impact. A particular focus of the role will be supporting the establishment and expansion of Star Venture in assigned Sub-Saharan African countries by developing local sourcing networks, identifying credible delivery partners and adapting programme activities to local ecosystem conditions.

The Associate will primarily support Star Venture activities in Nigeria and Kenya, two of the leading innovation hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa and home to rapidly growing startup ecosystems. While both markets benefit from an active network of accelerators, investors and entrepreneurship support organisations, many promising startups still face challenges in progressing from seed stage to sustainable growth. The successful implementation of Star Venture will therefore require strong ecosystem engagement, effective partnership management, and tailored programme delivery to address local market needs while strengthening the pipeline of VC backable startups.

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Associate Director, in coordination with the Star Venture Product team the Associate will lead the delivery and execution of Star Venture activities in line with strategic priorities of the Bank, the SME Finance and Development Business Group and in coordination with relevant teams (e.g. Financial Product team, VC and equity fund team, Financial Institutions, Corporate sector, Policy teams...).

- Operational planning

- Develop and maintain annual country plans aligned with Star Venture strategy, regional priorities and available funding.

- Lead the execution of country-level operational plans, ensuring timely implementation of programme activities and effective resource allocation.

- Coordinate delivery schedules, advisory projects, ecosystem interventions and stakeholder engagement activities within assigned countries.

- Ensure compliance with EBRD policies, procedures, integrity requirements and programme governance standards.

- Support to fundraising

- Contribute to fundraising efforts by providing country-level pipeline, delivery, budget, impact and market intelligence inputs.

- Support the preparation of donor proposals, concept notes and business cases by providing country-specific data, assumptions and evidence.

- Monitor delivery against donor commitments and funding agreements at country level, identifying and escalating delivery risks, funding gaps or implementation challenges.

- Support donor reporting activities by providing accurate and timely information on programme delivery, outputs and outcomes.

- Direct Support to startups: Sourcing, Pipeline Development, selection and delivery

- Build and manage local sourcing channels and referral partners.​

- Proactively drive quality applications to the Star Venture pipeline.​

- Share pipeline insights, market feedback and sourcing performance with the Financial Product team.

- Screen applications against Star Venture criteria, eligibility and integrity requirements.​

- Prepare shortlist recommendations and supporting assessment materials.​

- Maintain selection records and assessment documentation.​

- Own delivery of startup support interventions at country level.​

- Manage relationships with advisors, mentors and startups.​

- Track startup progress, fundraising outcomes and key milestones.​

- Capture success stories, startup feedback and lessons learned.​

- Be responsible for origination and conception, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation of advisory activities.

- Analyse clients’ financials and growth prospects, with a view to structure impactful advisory support to help them scale and strengthen investment readiness.

- Ecosystem Intervention Delivery

- Design and deliver ecosystem-building activities aligned with Star Venture strategic objectives and country needs.

- Manage ecosystem partnerships, events, capacity-building activities, accelerator support initiatives and stakeholder engagement programmes.

- Coordinate consultants, delivery partners and beneficiaries involved in ecosystem interventions.

- Monitor ecosystem activity outcomes and ensure effective reporting of results, risks and lessons learned.

- Stakeholder Management and Partnerships

- Develop and maintain strong relationships with startup ecosystem stakeholders, including accelerators, investors, corporates, universities, government entities and development partners.

- Support investor engagement, partnership development and market-building initiatives under the guidance of the Associate Director and the Product team.

- Identify strategic collaboration opportunities, referral partnerships and potential sources of additional programme funding.

- Represent Star Venture externally and act as a key point of contact for programme stakeholders at country level.

- Escalate strategic opportunities, partnership developments and market intelligence to the Associate Director and the product team as appropriate.

- Programme Performance Management

- Monitor country-level portfolio performance, KPIs, delivery milestones, budgets and risk indicators.

- Maintain accurate programme records, management information and reporting tools.

- Track progress against country plans and programme objectives, proactively identifying and escalating material risks or performance issues.

- Capture and disseminate lessons learned, best practices and success stories to support continuous programme improvement.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Qualifications and Skills

- Strong academic background with a bachelor’s degree from a leading institution, master’s degree preferred (Economics, MBA, Finance, etc.) or equivalent experience in the areas of expertise.10+ years of experience preferred. Good understanding of the startup growth curve, venture finance, startup metrics, business models, startup verticals, AI and innovation trends, and technology support tools for early-stage companies.

- Business/financial analytical skills, with the ability to interpret accounts, understand local accounting principles and conduct financial analysis; and identify red flags for escalation.

- Strong project management and organisational skills.

- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to think creatively.

- Strong analytical skills and ability to draw insights from data and ecosystem research.

- Effective communication, presentation and negotiation skills and ability to independently manage relations with startup clients, accelerators, investors, corporate innovation teams, advisors, consultants and any other stakeholders.

- Strong written communication skills; experience in writing advisory project proposals, terms of references or reports desirable.

- Fluency in English and French, both written and verbal. Fluency in language of country of operations is essential.

- Computer literate: excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office including Excel and Power Point, ability to learn new systems quickly.

Experience and Knowledge

- Significant relevant professional experience in startup acceleration, venture capital, venture-building, innovation advisory, entrepreneurship support programmes, consulting, or related fields.

- Experience designing or managing startup support programmes, working directly with founders, accelerators, investors, or corporate innovation teams.

- Knowledge of donor-funded work, donor organisations and experience in donor fund mobilisation desirable.

- Experience working in multi-stakeholder environments across several countries and collaborating with senior partners.

- Strong understanding of start-up ecosystems, venture financing, and innovative support mechanisms for early-stage businesses

- Involvement in extracurricular activities such as entrepreneurship, hackathons, etc. is an asset.

- Knowledge of local business environment and consultancy market is essential

- Knowledge and understanding of business advisory services.

General

- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the EBRD mandate.

- Ability to work in multi-cultural environment with strong interpersonal skills.

- Ability to work independently and in diverse teams.

- Multi-tasking, self-initiative.

- Ability to meet deadlines.

- Ability and willingness to travel within the country and internationally.

What is it like to work at the EBRD? / About EBRD

Our agile and innovative approach is what makes life at the EBRD a unique experience! You will be part of a pioneering and diverse international organisation, and use your talents to make a real difference to people's lives and help shape the future of the regions we invest in.

At EBRD, our Values – Inclusiveness, Innovation, Trust, and Responsibility – are at the heart of how we work. We bring these to life through our Workplace Behaviours: listening well and speaking up, collaborating smartly, acting decisively with full commitment, and simplifying to amplify our impact. These principles shape our culture and define our success. We seek individuals who not only share these values but are also committed to embedding them in their daily work, fostering a positive and high-performing environment.

The EBRD environment provides you with:

- Varied, stimulating and engaging work that gives you an opportunity to interact with a wide range of experts in the financial, political, public and private sectors across the regions we invest in.

- A working culture that embraces inclusion and celebrates diversity. Our workforce reflects a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, bringing fresh ideas, energy, and innovation and enhancing our ability to serve our clients, shareholders, and counterparties effectively.

- A hybrid workplace that offers flexibility to teams and individuals; that is based on trust, flexibility and connectedness.

- An environment that places sustainability, equality and digital transformation at the heart of what we do.

- A workplace that prioritises employee wellbeing and provides a comprehensive suite of competitive benefits.

Diversity is one of the Bank’s core values which are at the heart of everything it does. As such, the EBRD seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities and works in an inclusive environment. The EBRD encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of the EBRD member countries to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic background or disability.

Please note, that due to the high volume of applications received, we regret to inform you that we are unable to provide detailed feedback to candidates who have not been shortlisted (for further consideration).