Venture Capital Job – Senior Associate – Rakuten Capital

Job Description:

SUMMARY:

Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten, a global leader in internet services headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Rakuten Capital invests in early and growth stage companies globally.  Rakuten Capital has deployed over $1BN of capital and invested in 70+ companies, including Lyft, Pinterest, Upstart, and Careem.

Rakuten Capital is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Associate to join our team.  The Senior Associate will play a critical role in identifying, evaluating and executing investment opportunities, monitoring and managing the portfolio, and working on other strategic initiatives.  The industry focus for new investments will be (but not limited to) climatetech, fintech, and retail tech/e-commerce.  The Senior Associate will be an integral part of a small investment team and will have the opportunity to interact directly with senior executives at Rakuten and founders of portfolio companies.  In addition to investment activities, the position may also include work on international business development projects (partnerships, joint ventures and other business alliances).  The position offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of investments, innovation and business strategy in a global technology business.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Deal Sourcing: Network with startups and other investors and conduct research to screen for attractive investment opportunities.

Due Diligence: Complete due diligence on potential investments, including market analysis, financial modeling, valuation analysis, financial statement review, unit economic analysis, customer interviews and competitor research.

Deal execution and negotiation: Participate in and lead portions of the negotiation process.  Prepare investment memos and deliver presentations to the investment committee.  Draft term sheets and deal documents.  Collaborate with cross-functional teams to evaluate the technical and strategic fit of investments.  Coordinate with internal and external legal teams to close deals.  Portfolio Management: Monitor and manage existing portfolio companies, providing guidance and support to management.  Introduce portfolio companies to Rakuten business units and facilitate collaboration.  Prepare internal updates on the performance of portfolio companies.

Market Research and Analysis: Continuously build knowledge base of emerging trends, technologies, competitive landscape and market dynamics in relevant industries.  Prepare reports and presentations as needed to update senior management.

Relationship Building: Build and maintain strong relationships with external parties: founders, co-investors and others.

Strategic Initiatives: Assist in other strategic initiatives as needed, which may include joint-ventures, partnerships and acquisitions.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• 3+ years minimum; 4-5 years ideal of work experience in investment and financial analysis positions, ideally venture capital, private equity, or hedge fund principal investment role or relevant investment banking or consulting experience with a top-tier firm.
• Bachelor’s degree from top university
• Highly analytical with strong financial modeling skills and ability to conduct valuation analysis
• Ability to work in a small-team and adapt quickly to fast-paced and changing work environment
• Eager to learn and passionate about investment in high growth tech companies
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex concepts clearly and concisely.  Ability to present to senior management of Rakuten (CEO, CFO, Head of Investments)
• Understanding of technology trends, startup ecosystems and the venture capital industry
• Flexibility and ability to engage in other strategic initiatives and projects as required by the team

OTHER DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree (MBA or other) preferred
• Operational experience at a tech startup
• Strong network and relationship in the venture capital and startup community
• Experience with venture investment process and legal language literacy
• Japanese and other language skills preferred

Five Principles for Success

Rakuten Group has an unswerving commitment to building an egalitarian society by empowering individuals and companies to be successful in business and in life. The Five Principles for Success are designed to keep each of us on track, to ensure we make continuous progress toward our ultimate goals.

Always Improve, Always Advance

There are only two kinds of people in the world:

Best Effort people are satisfied with the status quo; when they fail, they console themselves by saying “I did my best.”

Get Things Done people are absolutely committed to reaching their goals.

With enough determination and effort—by being a Get Things Done person—you can achieve anything.

Passionately Professional

Rakuten is an organization composed of true professionals.

Real professionals in any field—whether in sports, the arts, science, business or anything else—only reach the top because they have the self-discipline to develop and improve themselves continuously.

Only by consistently working many times harder than our competitors can we consistently win.

Hypothesize → Practice → Validate → Shikumika

Success in business depends on making and executing concrete specific action plans.

Maximize Customer Satisfaction

Rakuten is first and foremost a service company. We’re proud to serve our customers and we ceaselessly seek to improve their experience.

Speed!! Speed!! Speed!!

The internet makes the window of opportunity for every small business. Accomplish in one month what it takes other companies a year to do, because we can only win by being many times faster than our competitors.

SUMMARY:

At the time of posting, Rakuten expects the base salary for this role will be between $100,000- $160,000. Individual compensation will vary based on job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications, and experience of the successful candidate as well as business need and geographic location. The successful applicant for this role will be eligible for discretionary bonus, health, vision, dental insurance, 401k matching, PTO, Volunteer Time Off (VTO), and other employee benefits as the company implements.