Venture Associate (SPARK Internship)

Education Bachelor's degree in:

Entrepreneurship

Agribusiness Management

Business Administration

Economics

Commerce

Finance

Agricultural Economics

Innovation Management

Development Studies

Or a related field

Preferred Skills & Experience

Demonstrated interest in entrepreneurship, venture creation, or enterprise development.

Experience running a business, side hustle, startup, or student enterprise is highly desirable.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Ability to conduct market research and interpret business information.

Basic financial analysis and business planning skills.

Strong presentation and communication skills.

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and digital productivity tools.

Interest in agriculture, agribusiness, innovation, investment, or international development.

Key Responsibilities Enterprise Development & Business Advisory

Support business diagnostics and assessments for MSMEs, farmer organizations, cooperatives, and startups.

Assist entrepreneurs in identifying business growth opportunities and operational improvements.

Support the development of business growth plans and enterprise action plans.

Conduct basic financial and operational assessments to identify business constraints.

Venture Incubation & Acceleration

Support the identification and profiling of high-potential entrepreneurs and enterprises.

Assist in delivering business incubation and acceleration activities.

Support entrepreneurs in validating business ideas, refining business models, and developing market-driven solutions.

Monitor enterprise progress and document key milestones and lessons learned.

Market Research & Commercial Intelligence

Conduct market research to identify emerging business opportunities, market trends, and investment opportunities.

Support value chain analyses and market assessments.

Collect and analyze market intelligence to inform enterprise development interventions.

Prepare market briefs and opportunity reports.

Investment Readiness & Enterprise Growth

Support entrepreneurs in developing investment-ready business plans.

Assist in preparing financial projections, costing models, and business cases.

Support enterprises to improve access to finance by preparing documentation for investors, SACCOs, financial institutions, and development partners.

Contribute to investor profiling and enterprise matchmaking activities.

Business Development & Partnerships

Support the organization of entrepreneurship forums, business networking events, investor engagements, and enterprise development workshops.

Assist in building relationships with ecosystem partners including incubators, accelerators, financial institutions, buyers, and technical experts.

Support market linkage initiatives between enterprises and commercial partners.

Monitoring, Learning & Knowledge Management

Collect enterprise performance data and track key business indicators.

Support preparation of case studies, success stories, and learning briefs.

Document enterprise innovations, lessons learned, and emerging best practices.

Contribute to programme reporting and knowledge products.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with programme teams to support enterprise development activities across different value chains.

Contribute to proposal development, research assignments, and strategic initiatives where required.

Perform other venture development and business support assignments as assigned.