Obuntu Foundation is looking for a Fellowship Operations Intern to join us on our quest to build the support ecosystem for Africa-focused Emerging Fund Managers. These Emerging Fund Managers are operators, founders, and investors setting up their very first VC Firms. It’s a unique role, as whoever we hire will be helping us make our Fellowship 10x better. 

• 🌎 Location: Remote (If possible Onboarding + ramp up time to be done IRL)
• 📝 Job type: Full-time
• 📆 Duration: 3-4 Months
• 💰 Salary: Unpaid
• 💪 Core Skills: Communication, Organisation and Attention to Detail

ABOUT US

🌍 Obuntu Foundation is on a mission to advance the next generation of Africa-focused Emerging Fund Managers. We believe Emerging Fund Managers, many who were founders and operators in Africa, are uniquely positioned to drive superior, inclusive returns for the continent while driving capital to underrepresented founders, geographies, and opportunities. So we're building Obuntu Foundation to be their support ecosystem, to give them the knowledge, community, and resources they need to succeed.

🤔 Why We Exist

• There’s still not enough capital to back amazing entrepreneurs across Africa. Africa’s VC total funding was US$6.5B in 2022. India saw funding of $20.9B in 2022. Africa’s VC industry is young but it has grown substantially in the last 5 years
• Many investing in Africa don’t have Africa experience. Today, much of VC investing in Africa is led by teams not dedicated to Africa (50%), with zero Africa experience (30%), and no startup experience (83%). But Africa is unique. With different economics, regulatory environments, digital user behaviour, consumer patterns, local founders have adopted a different perspective to growth and profitability than Silicon Valley, that local investors are best suited to appreciate and resonate with
• There’s a new generation of VCs emerging. These Emerging Fund Managers have forged their careers on the continent: they’ve founded startups or have helped build them, they’ve worked for other VC firms, and have worked for corporates on the ground

⛑️ What We Do

• Our flagship initiative is the Obuntu Launchpad Fellowship. It is an invite-only virtual Fellowship for first-time Fund Managers razor-focused on Africa. We select up to 15 Fellows and support them on their journey to launch & accelerate their first investment vehicle
• In the next few months we’ll deliver the second Class of the Obuntu Launchpad Fellowship (”OL2”) and explore what more we can do to help our Fellows launch & accelerate their first investment vehicle

💫 Our Operating Principles

• Put our Fellows first. We’re in the business of helping our Fellows launch and accelerate their Fund I. To do that we've got to put them first, and that means fine tuning our listening skills to understand what they need, what challenges they are facing and how we can help. But it also means constantly finding ways to help power their fund entrepreneurs’ journeys
• Execute. We’re there to support each other but we expect everyone to execute on their stuff. That means ownership, being highly autonomous, and hitting the ground running
• Strive to do better & be better. We don’t embrace mediocrity/ We don’t settle. We’re constantly learning and challenging ourselves to do better for our Fellows, other stakeholders, and for the Team (we love retros/ post-mortems)
• Good humans only. We’re all putting our hearts into Obuntu Foundation & we care about what we’re building and each other so integrity and trust matter to us. We operate in a relationship-driven industry after all and our word should be our bond. We think horrible human beings cramp our style so there’s no place for them here
• Prioritise ruthlessly. We’re keen on doing a few things well instead of doing many in a “meh” way. So we focus on our North Star and prioritise our tasks & projects accordingly
• Validate, don’t assume. We don’t know everything and we definitely don’t hold all the cards. We’re constantly testing & using data to help us guide our decisions and what we focus on
• Communication is our middle name. We’re a remote-first Team so our default mode is over-communicating and oversharing to keep one another in the loop

THE ROLE

🤸 What You’ll Be Doing

• Communications — As a fully remote Team, communication is key. All types: verbal, written, presentation, facilitation, collaborative, both with the internal Team and Fellows. You'll:
• draft and send emails,
• develop collaterals for the Fellowship,
• respond to DMs, and
• coordinate with a variety of people.
• Logistics and Operations — You’ll support Soo Min, our Community & Operations Associate, in making sure that the Fellowship experience is seamless. You'll:
• help organise virtual and IRL events, and
• coordinate with our Fellows and Session Leads.
• Community Management — You’ll help us execute on our community strategy - our Fellows will know they can come to you for any question they might have. You’ll:
• help animate our Slack, and
• share interesting articles that might be relevant for our Fellows.
• Process & Infrastructure Development — We’re always open to suggestions! Growth is everything to us. As such, you’ll:
• assess and optimise our Fellowship journey by building relationships with our Fellows, and help understand their challenges, and
• help the Team prioritise what we need to improve.

🔎 We’re Looking For Someone That (Has/Is)…

• Excellent written and spoken English
• Passionate about Africa and/or more widely interested in emerging economies
• Great interpersonal skills, with the ability to quickly build trust and relationships with our Fellows and other stakeholders
• Strong attention to detail and organisation skills
• The ability to operate in a dynamic and constantly changing setting
• Able to admit when you don’t know something so that you can get help and learn
• Actively solicits constructive feedback for themselves
• A bias to action, ie. You ‘get things done’ rather than sit and stew
• Sets their own goals and operates with high autonomy within a strategic context

*Experience working with "No Code" and automation tools like Airtable, Notion, HubSpot, Zapier, etc., is a plus

And, Some Things We Explicitly Don’t Require

• To have worked in tech/VC before. You just have to have an interest/passion for it
• Fit tech/startup stereotypes. We’re actively seeking to build a diverse Team

❓ Why Intern at Obuntu Foundation

• Grow with us. Join a mission-driven organisation at the ground floor with plenty of opportunities to roll up your sleeves and learn
• Work remotely. We’re a global Team distributed between London, Nairobi, Stockholm and New York City. If you love working remotely, this role is for you
• No hierarchy, no fuss. We emphasise respect between colleagues, rather than towards your superiors
• Work with a diverse, experience-rich Team. We are a small, but fantastic Team of 4 made up of ex-Founders, Operators, Investors, and more. Our Team has extensive experience, stretching from companies such as Mozilla, Google, Andela, On Deck, Standard Chartered, Catalyst Fund, as well as government ministries and think tanks.

… But more than anything, you’ll be given the right level of challenge and support to thrive here.

• We’re always open to feedback and suggestions. Get the opportunity to influence and shape what framework
• You won’t be left to fend for yourself. We’re very comprehensive when it comes to Onboarding, and the Team will be there to support you throughout your learnings

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Apply by submitting your application on this form 👉 here 👈

⚙️ The Hiring Process

The Hiring Process has 4 stages:

1. The Application Form
2. A Take-home Task — This is a task we set that will simulate some of the work you might do on the job
3. Skills-based and Presentation Interview (60 mins) with Soo Min, our Community & Operations Associate. The interview will be divided in 2 parts. The interview will be divided in 2 parts. Part 1 is about your motivation and interest in the role; Part 2 is about your skills — you’ll be asked a few skills-based questions and you’ll present how you’ve approached the take-home task. Here you will get a chance to show off why you’re the best for this role at Obuntu Foundation
4. Cultural Interview (40 mins) with two of the Co-Founders — This interview is to determine how you work and whether there is a good cultural fit