Expert DOJO: Investment Fellowship Program – Europe Tech Startup Ecosystem
Expert DOJO is the most active international startup accelerator and venture capital firm based in Santa Monica, CA. To date, Expert DOJO has invested in 100 startups from over 35 countries. We invest $ 100k or $ 50k in each of our startups and help them get a follow-on investment and increase revenue through our intensive three-month virtual accelerator program.
About the Expert DOJO Investment Fellowship
The Investment Fellows program is a true VC apprenticeship — Fellows collaborate directly with our investment team to learn how to discover founders, make investment decisions, and support portfolio companies. This is a great opportunity to leverage the Fellowship to extend your network, build your personal brand, and dive deep into one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems in the world.
You will have responsibilities and autonomy akin to that of a full-time investment analyst or portfolio manager and will interact on a daily basis with future tech leaders and other key stakeholders. Working on a lean team and reporting directly to Expert DOJO’s –
Who Should Apply? We’re Seeking Fellows Who …
- Have a genuine business interest,
- Are excited about engaging with the most dynamic entrepreneurs,
- Are hungry to develop their venture capital knowledge and personal brand in the space.
Expert DOJO will select 2-4 Fellows to ensure each receives the focused attention of our investment team, and we aim to maximize the diversity of Fellows across demographics, geographies, experience, and degrees.
Key Responsibilities + Deliverables
Startup & Ecosystem Outreach
- Keep a pulse on the who’s who of tech, continually tracking startup activity, funding rounds, and other key happenings,
- Develop comprehensive ecosystem mapping and liaise with regional tech incumbents, incubators, VCs, and angel investors to secure vetted startup referrals,
- Manage regional-specific marketing initiatives across email, website, and social channels to encourage a high volume of startup applications,
- Curate and organize relevant monthly webinars, workshops, conversations, and online events to build Expert DOJO’s community and drive our visibility and awareness,
- Design and implement PR strategies, tactics, and campaigns that cultivate Expert DOJO’s relationships with relevant media, engage our target audience and boost our brand awareness.
Startup Selection & Investment Analysis
- Identify and evaluate companies, industries, business models, and teams that are in line with Expert DOJO’s investment thesis,
- Review and analyze pitch decks and meet with entrepreneurs,
- Conduct market research and competitive analysis within multiple sectors and target markets,
- Review startup applications and provide recommendations on those with the most compelling tech and traction; deliver high-quality analytical insights on various technologies and markets on a macro and micro level,
- Play an active role in due diligence efforts—review data room documents and company KPIs, analyze unit economics, develop detailed financial models, investment returns, and company valuations.
Portfolio & Accelerator Support
- Help build out our accelerator programming, ensuring our portfolio is receiving world-class support to deliver targeted returns,
- Serve as a key advisor to the 20+ selected startups throughout the three-month accelerator,
- Advise on every stage of the startup lifecycle, from go-to-market strategy, customer acquisition, monetization, business development, and beyond,
- Set KPIs with teams and closely track to ensure continual growth; evaluate the overall health of portfolio companies and compile monthly reporting,
- Develop, in collaboration with startup founders, innovative business development strategies tailored to each company.
Investor Readiness
- Analyze the unique early-stage funding ecosystem to provide sound recommendations on various angles and approaches for follow-on funding,
- Work with founders to define their fundraising strategy, formulate their story, assist with the creation/review of investment materials, and help them navigate the whole process,
- Create a pipeline of local and global investors; create and maintain relationships through regular meetings, events, and portfolio updates.
Key Requirements
- The ideal candidate will be entering an MBA or a comparable graduate program in the Fall of 2021 (or alternatively going into their second year of graduate studies),
- Two-three years of relevant work experience in consulting, entrepreneurship, venture capital, business journalism, growth marketing, or finance,
- Ability to articulate and advocate business value propositions for new markets and products,
- Excellent business writing and analytical skills; proficiency in modeling company financials and performing valuation analysis,
- Ability to present your findings into a clear thesis consolidating mass data into digestible insights,
- Outstanding people skills—always willing to roll up your sleeves and get involved where the needs exist or arise (e.g., taking session notes, handling certain areas of admin, etc).
What You’ll Gain as a Fellow
- This is a great opportunity for someone to join a fast-growing international fund and accelerator, make an immediate impact, and if successful, have potential advancement opportunities as we grow,
- Rare opportunity to deliver challenging strategy work in fast-growing emerging markets,
- Discover and back the most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and contribute to one of the world’s most thriving startup ecosystems,
- Develop your understanding of running an early-stage startup and how business is done,
- Gain exposure to key areas of venture capital including financial analysis, sector due diligence, deal execution, and portfolio support,
- From entrepreneurs to investors and beyond, your network and personal brand are about to explode. You will have the opportunity to sit in on virtually any meeting—get to know the best entrepreneurs and investors.
Qualified candidates should send their resume and cover letter to Thomas at thomas@expertdojo.com.
About Expert DOJO
For more information about Expert DOJO, please go to https://expertdojo.com/.
