Hey there. It’s a very special time at Keyframe! Year 1 was not quite what anyone in the world expected, but was nonetheless a really positive one for the firm and we’re beginning to build towards an exciting future. One of the roles we’re adding just went live for applications. If you’re interested in learning more, read below! If you have any referrals, please reach out at ben@keyframecapital.com.
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The opportunity…
Keyframe is an investment firm based in New York City. We are actively investing our first fund, with approximately $300M AUM. As we continue growing our platform, we are making a few strategic additions to the team, including your role as an Analyst.
We’re currently a team of five (four partners; one analyst), who came together inspired by the disruption to certain industries where we’ve each worked. We have built an investment platform and raised funds that are a reflection of that shared inspiration, with each individual on the team having done something related (and in our view, impressive!) as an investor or operator in a Keyframe focus market. One critical part of that platform is Keyframe’s generalist, cross-asset mandate that allows us to consider investments across a diverse range of business models and capital structures. Said more simply, we invest in both debt and equity, in both companies and projects. That kind of flexibility at our size is quite unique, and makes us a pretty differentiated partner to target companies and co-investors.
While we focus on a diversified list of industries, we tend to spend most time in complex, asset-intensive industries going through tech-driven change, like energy, transportation, and related physical infrastructure. Typically, Keyframe’s investment process begins by deeply understanding a market’s structure and how certain disruptions will cause it to shift. We focus on those shifts as we network our tails off to meet everyone and anyone working in the problem space, identify the winners (high growth category leaders), and offer up the flexibility of our investment mandate to help the winners win, faster or more. Sometimes that means equity (venture capital; private equity), sometimes that means debt. Given our openness, the market tends to dictate what kind of investment we make more than the firm’s preference.
We call this thesis-driven investing. To be successful at it, we need to “know and be known”, and stay patient for the right opportunities… that’s where you come in!
What you’ll do…
Put simply, you will lead the firm in sourcing investment opportunities.
The most exciting opportunities only exist to Keyframe if we both 1) know about them and 2) are known, trusted, and liked well enough to get the call when the time is right. Know and be known will be your north star.
You will spend the majority of your time identifying and building relationships with target company CEOs, CFOs, their Board members and their investors. You will meet hundreds of executives and investors across a diverse set of industries. You’ll learn from them about their businesses, collect and review presentations from them, identify ways to create value for them, and rigorously track these activities in Keyframe’s deal CRM. You will remain in constant sync with the team on ideal target characteristics, and use a mix of firm research, your lights-out communication skills, and grit to guide the firm towards pursuit of the most attractive deals.
Your first goal (“to know”) will be complete coverage in any assigned Keyframe focus market. If any company in one of those markets is contemplating a capital raise, you’ll know about it. You may even know about it before they do! You will continuously network 1:1, at events, and through referrals to build the trusted relationships necessary to achieve this goal. You’ll continuously track and review identified opportunities with the rest of the investment team, who will work with you to prioritize where to focus. We call this “filling the funnel”. You’ll be first and foremost evaluated based on your ability to do so.
Your second goal (“to be known”) will be to build the rapport necessary to ensure that Keyframe always has a seat at the table when a capital raise is happening in one of these markets. The basic task here is simply staying in touch with high value targets and expressing interest, so that when the time finally comes to advance an investment process – they know to call Keyframe. The more advanced approach is to deeply understand various needs of the target company and continuously seek opportunities to direct the Keyframe team to help out. The whole firm will be behind you in this effort, but we’ll look to you to direct us.
What you’ll learn…
Your core job responsibilities require you to come hungry to learn. You’ll be building a deep understanding of Keyframe’s investment criteria in a market, and applying that to potential investment targets: the nuances of their business models, the differentiation of their technologies, etc. Every day in every conversation you’ll learn something new.
As you do so, you’ll develop all of the skills to do executive level business development. You will learn how to best engage with CEOs, CFOs, and board members, and will come out of the experience having developed executive level communication skills and seasoned deal-making sensibilities. The more you can identify opportunities to add value to the markets where Keyframe is engaged, and communicate + operationalize them, the more likely we (and you!) are to be viewed as a preferred partner for the most unique and attractive investment opportunities. You’ll learn how to flex this muscle to win.
As attractive opportunities are identified, you will be exposed to various aspects of the investment process: investment diligence, investment modeling, structuring, negotiation, legal documentation, and portfolio operations. Given that Keyframe invests in a wide variety of company and deal types, you’ll have exposure to investment strategies in venture equity, private equity, corporate debt (public and private), and project finance. The firm will rely on your knowledge of markets and competition as a key input to reach investment conviction. You will learn what it feels like to be a principal in high stakes business decisions.
You will be supported, managed, and mentored by experienced investors, Board members, and executives. While it will undoubtedly be hard work, you will be rewarded with continuous learning, development, and industry exposure at the heart of changing markets.
For more on the job qualifications and to apply, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2321918900/
