Director, Inclusive Entrepreneurship

About Candide Group

Candide Group is an impact investment firm founded in 2013 that leverages capital to support the transition away from an extractive global economy to one rooted in social justice and sustainability. The company works with families, foundations, and other institutional clients who want to align their money with values-driven objectives, managing 100% impact portfolios that may include direct deals, venture and private equity funds, and innovative structures in addition to cash, public equities, debt funds, real assets, and more. The firm’s work spans multiple sectors and geographies with a US emphasis. Candide Group has directed over $299 million into more than 170 private companies and funds since inception, reflecting a strong commitment to equity and inclusion both within the team and in the organizations supported. According to their latest impact report, 98% of the companies and funds in which Candide facilitates investments had Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), women, and gender-expansive people represented in leadership. Candide Group recognizes that achieving its vision requires pursuing multiple strategies, from transformative investing to active advocacy, campaign participation, and public engagement. In 2024, the organization restructured its approach to better organize, conduct, and communicate work through four thematic impact verticals: Home and Place, Employee Ownership, Climate Justice, and Inclusive Entrepreneurship. The firm applies intersectional lenses across these verticals while seeking to support individuals and communities who have experienced the harms of extractive finance.

About this Role

Candide Group is seeking a Director of Inclusive Entrepreneurship to lead the firm’s efforts in advancing economic justice through capital allocation. In this role, you will be responsible for building and managing Candide’s Inclusive Entrepreneurship vertical, understanding that expanding opportunity through capital as a tool for economic justice can advance equity by strengthening local businesses, building generational wealth, and supporting entrepreneurs and communities historically excluded from traditional financing. The ideal candidate will have worked as a capital allocator for a foundation or similar Registered Investment Advisor, led an impact-oriented venture, private equity, venture or small business loan fund or portfolio, and spent time advancing equity and justice work or government policy. You should bring a strong background in conducting due diligence and investment management, comfortable conducting analysis across both debt and equity structures. While you may not have expertise in all key areas, you should have deep demonstrated experience in several of these areas and possess the due diligence and financial analysis skills, relationship-building capacity, and enthusiasm required to learn deeper underwriting of such opportunities, along with a deep awareness of the needs and opportunities in the communities Candide seeks to serve. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to thought leadership in the inclusive entrepreneurship space, potentially help structure and launch a new fund vehicle, and work with a team committed to using capital as a force for justice. You will operate independently while maintaining high standards for quality and rigor, communicating effectively across diverse viewpoints and lived experiences with respect and empathy.

Responsibilities

• Proactively source and evaluate investment opportunities around the Inclusive Entrepreneurship vertical that align with Candide’s financial and impact objectives
• Conduct in-depth research to develop and maintain a robust investment pipeline while collaborating with colleagues to ensure integration across initiatives
• Conduct deep and nuanced assessments of impact strategies in the Inclusive Entrepreneurship vertical, identifying critical needs for entrepreneurs, small business owners and community-based businesses
• Assess the potential contribution of innovative fund strategies toward addressing identified needs
• Lead comprehensive due diligence and underwriting across asset types (venture, loan funds, community development financial institutions, private equity and private debt), ensuring both financial and impact outcomes are met
• Independently draft high-quality investment memorandums with strong analytical support and attention to detail
• Contribute to the ideation and design, structuring, and potential launch of an Inclusive Entrepreneurship fund or investment vehicle
• If a vehicle is launched, oversee fundraising efforts, investor engagement, and capital deployment strategies to ensure alignment between capital, portfolio performance, and long-term impact
• Lead comprehensive analysis of the impact vertical and continuously track and monitor market and policy issues most pertinent to advancing inclusive entrepreneurship
• Develop and share insights through quarterly commentaries, impact reporting, and other Candide communications
• Represent Candide as a leading Inclusive Entrepreneurship practitioner and contributor at conferences, industry events, and client engagements
• Build a community of interested followers that could be prospective partner investors or stakeholders in the space
• Support the ongoing monitoring and performance management of a diverse portfolio of legacy investments in this vertical (15-20 active funds)
• Collaborate with the investment team to identify risks, track impact and financial performance, and ensure timely reporting
• Travel approximately 15% as required

Requirements

• Minimum 7+ years of experience in sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities with ability to conduct research and build robust pipelines aligned to financial and impact objectives
• Deep commitment for expanding pathways to generational wealth through entrepreneurship
• Understanding of the financing solutions and gaps for underrepresented entrepreneurs looking to start and grow businesses, whether local Main Street businesses or fast-growth venture-backed ones
• Demonstrated ability in impact diligence and financial analysis with strong skills in assessing community needs and evaluating impact strategies
• Demonstrated success in leading due diligence and underwriting across a range of asset classes such as venture, blended capital structures, private equity and private debt funds
• Demonstrated experience or interest and capability in integrating grassroots and community perspectives into investment diligence and underwriting
• Ability to communicate findings effectively through well-crafted investment memoranda and client presentations that combine analytical rigor with clear recommendations
• Ability to contribute Inclusive Entrepreneurship thought leadership, including writing commentary and impact reports and representing investment themes at industry events and conferences
• Capacity to support or lead fund or vehicle development, including structuring, fundraising, capital deployment, and ongoing management if such a vehicle is launched
• Excellence in portfolio monitoring and performance management, identifying risks and ensuring alignment of financial returns with impact outcomes
• Effective communication across diverse viewpoints and lived experiences with respect and empathy
• Self-starter mentality, comfortable working independently while maintaining high standards for quality and rigor
• Preference for candidates based in the Bay Area

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Profit-sharing bonuses
• Staff professional development funds
• Employer-contributed socially responsible 401K plan
• Generous PTO package including two full weeks of office closure annually in addition to standard holidays and PTO days
• Regular remote work flexibility with onsite meetings in Oakland, California as required

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