Our Mission
We uplift people and economies around the world through entrepreneurship.
Who We Are
We have backed more than 2,400 companies or 5,000+ entrepreneurs in 75+ countries. Notable investments in the 500 portfolio include Credit Karma, Twilio, Canva, Grab, Bukalapak, The RealReal, Talkdesk, Knotel, Udemy, and Ipsy. Most significantly, those companies have helped create thousands of jobs and delighted millions of customers all over the world. Because of our global network and expertise, we are in a unique position to build startups ecosystems worldwide.
What We Need
MENA has been a cornerstone of 500 Startups global expansion strategy. With a presence in the region since 2013, today we have become one of the most active investors in the region. As the region grows, our work raising and deploying funds, running accelerator programs and other innovation programs in partnership with key stakeholders in the region increases. We are looking for an amazing individual to join our Managing Partner as Chief of Staff to help identify priorities, align internal and external stakeholders, and drive our strategic agenda forward.
This position is located in either Riyadh, Cairo, or Dubai.
Who You Are
- You are passionate about harnessing venture capital to create value for founders, corporate innovation, and economic development
- You have professional experience in the MENA region, and bring with you key relationships as well as a deep understanding of cultural nuances in the way of doing business in each country
- You are a team-builder, passionate about bringing out the best in each team individual to achieve strategic goals
- You are passionate and proficient in setting ambitious goals, and managing multiple resources to achieve them
- You are a highly organized self-starter, able to work independently and juggle multiple priorities
- You learn and adapt quickly
- You are able to understand complex, high-level visions, gather data and feedback from multiple stakeholders, conceptualize plans to execute on, and work with multiple stakeholders to get things done
- Above all, you are a team player that will contribute to our fast-paced, open and fun work culture
What You Will Be Doing:
- Work closely with the Managing Partner to scope, continuously prioritize and drive forward the strategic agenda for the region, including setting and monitoring KPIs
- Have a continuous and deep understanding of each of 500 MENA team’s assets and needs, as well as those of their stakeholders, ensuring that they have the resources needed to achieve their goals
- Design and implement internal communication and collaboration processes to support alignment between multiple internal and external stakeholders, avoid duplication and generate synergies
- Report to Managing Partner on 500 MENA teams progress and performance, key needs and asks
- Make recommendations on potential areas of improvement, efficiencies, and growth for the 500 Startups MENA team
- Identify gaps in the current team and make recommendations for organizational restructuring and future hires
- Lead recruiting and onboarding of new team members
- Design and manage a central repository for all intelligence, data and knowledge that better empowers fundraising, business development and implementation functions
- Elaborate internal assessments and support the launching of new projects, funds, and other strategic initiatives
- Prepare investor and board materials
- Prepare and create draft messages to the team
- Develop and help maintain strategic relationships with key stakeholders in the region to the benefit of 500 Startups overall objectives
- Work closely with 500 Startups HQ Communications team to drive the communication that supports the expansion of the 500 story and strategy in MENA
- Lead screening and communications with 500 MENA key stakeholders, including founders, investors, and mentors, including preparing template answers for each stakeholder group
- Work closely with 500 Startups HQ Legal team to support the process of setting up new local entities as needed
Please keep in mind this list is not all inclusive and you may be asked to perform other job functions not otherwise listed.
Requirements
- 6+ years of experience in venture capital, investment banking, or management consulting plus experience in a startup environment
- Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business, or a related field. Graduate degree is a plus
- Analytical thinker and clear communicator (oral and written) in English
- Proficient in creating presentations (powerpoint), data analysis and financial models (excel)
- Experience driv