Digital Green is a global development organization that empowers smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the collective power of technology and grassroots-level partnerships. We join forces with governments, private agencies and, most importantly, rural communities themselves to co-create digital solutions that are of the community and for the community. When farmers have the tools they need to connect with one another, they’re far more likely to apply what they’ve learned on their farms and in their households–improving their own livelihoods and those of others in their community, in a manner that’s nutrition-sensitive, climate-resilient, and inclusive.
Digital Green is entering an exciting phase of development as it diversifies and scales its activities in Asia and Africa. As part of this expansion, Digital Green is building a small team of exceptional individuals with a passion for finding solutions to pressing development problems, a curiosity about complex issues facing the world’s poor, and a drive to tell our story.
For more information, please visit Digital Green’s website: digitalgreen.org.
Job Summary
Digital Green has found that its work to strengthen agricultural extension systems boosts farm yields; however, farmers also need access to markets to translate that into increased profits. Two years ago, Digital Green launched a shared transport-to-market service, called Loop (loopapp.org), to pick up farmers’ produce, deliver it to market and pay farmers for their sales. Like an Uber Pool for produce, the service reduces farmers’ costs by optimizing truck loads and routing and provides convenience at their doorsteps. Digital Green is in the process of spinning off Loop into a for-profit, social enterprise. The Investments Lead would report to the Digital Green’s Executive Director and may support the commercialization of Loop as well as other potential ventures that might follow a similar track. He or she would work with a small team of business analysts but would involve wider influence across our team.
Key Responsibilities
Build and Manage Digital Green’s Investment Pipeline
- Become a thought leader within the investor community by effectively communicating our value proposition through the development of pitch decks and other collateral. Success, here, means that the value and mix of investments that are raised will support our objectives for commercial initiatives like Loop over their duration.
- Scope total addressable market opportunities, new partnerships, and value-added services that can boost our unique value proposition. Identify gating criteria and evaluate the cost-benefit of commercialization opportunities.
- Develop an investment pipeline from a combination of venture capitalists, impact investors, and philanthropic donors for Digital Green’s commercial ventures.
Foster Strong Donor and Investor Relationships
- Develop relationships with new donors in ways that blend grant, debt, and equity capital
- Provide timely and accurate reports to donors and investors, write strong proposals and communications with the aim of increasing donor satisfaction and growing our overall donor and investor base.
Develop For-Profit Entity
- Develop a framework to evaluate spinoff as a viable “for profit” entity, manage the business model, and look at opportunities to capture revenue and cut costs and course correct as needed and re-project financials based on actual data.
- Structure deals that have Digital Green’s best interest at the forefront, ensuring the right equity to debt deals and minimizing business risks with the support of internal and external counsel. Manage necessary due diligence, documentation, risk analysis and mitigation for investment raises.
- Set up legal entities with the appropriate compliance plan procedures and financial systems ensuring legal and accounting procedures, controls, and compliance requirements with investors and statutory needs in the US and India.
Contribute to Global Financial Planning, Compliance, and Reporting Activities
- Work cross-functionally across multiple geographies to achieve organizational objectives. Build strong cross-group relationships and coordinate efforts with cross-team to achieve key priorities.
- Perform financial planning and analysis by liaising with field execution teams and continuously updating business models against ground realities.
Qualifications and Experiences
- Business degree or MBA, preferably with international agriculture/agribusiness
- Entrepreneurial history in agtech or food startups, particularly in Asia and Africa
- Experience spinning out non-profit initiatives into for-profit, social enterprises
- Track record of raising equity, debt, and grant investment
- Deep networks in the social impact, venture capital, and philanthropy investor community
- Analytical mindset to dig into data/numbers and liaise with internal and external legal counsel and accounts teams
- Ability to work with remote teams and to travel
- Demonstrated influence without authority in multi-cultural, cross-geographic contexts
- Exceptional written and presentation skills
Competencies, Skills and Behaviors
- Self-Starter: Ability to thrive in an autonomous environment where continuous improvement, data driven decision making, and openness to feedback are critical towards achieving quality results.
- Accountable: Taking initiative through prompt actions in accomplishing goals and going beyond what is required; anticipating future challenges and opportunities and plans proactively and taking accountability for successes and failures.
- Innovative: Creating new approaches, designs, processes, and or/systems to achieve high quality results and thinking beyond traditional models and ideas with a general openness and curiosity.
- Expert Communicator: Effectively able to communicate, present, and articulate Digital Green’s unique value proposition with internal and external audiences and build support for ideas by presenting compelling arguments tailored to the stakeholders’ needs.
- Resilient: Ability to be resilient in the face of challenges and to rally others to continue to push forward, incorporating data-driven decision making and course correcting to achieve a positive outcome
- Cross-Team Collaborator: Building strong internal relationships cross-functionally to ensure alignment against organizational goals and departments.
- Exemplify our Values: Instilling in others a sense of pride and commitment towards Digital Green
If interested, please apply here.
