Oplu (formerly Chace People)
Founder's Associate, Sustainability Investment Firm, West London
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Location: West London, in-office
Salary: £35,000 to £50,000 gross p.a., dependent on experience
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Working Pattern: 5 days in the office. One day WFH negotiable when the Founder is out
Reporting To: Founder
Start Date: ASAP
Job Overview:
Oplu is leading the search for a Founder's Associate at a growing founder-led investment firm in West London. The firm makes venture capital, angel, and direct investments focused on sustainability.
This is a Founder's Associate role in the venture and angel investment world: a 1:1 seat alongside the Founder across the full investment pipeline, from sourcing and investor outreach through to follow-up and close. It combines deal and investor coordination with the organisational support that keeps a founder-led firm moving. It is not a traditional EA or PA position.
The Founder is hiring someone to grow into the business. You will own the investor pipeline from day one: tracking live opportunities, keeping investor conversations moving, and making sure nothing goes quiet once a deck has been sent. You will sit in on deal flow and investment discussions from the start. Over time the remit is expected to expand into deal execution, investor relations, and wider business development, with a path towards a senior investment or Chief of Staff position as the firm scales.
This role suits a sharp, curious early-career professional with a strong academic background and a genuine interest in investment and sustainability. You may be a Founder's Associate at a VC-backed startup or investment firm, a junior analyst at a VC, angel network, or impact fund, or someone with 1 to 3 years in consulting, banking, or a founder-led environment who wants closer proximity to deals and decision-making.
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Key Responsibilities:
Investor pipeline and deal flow
- Own the investor and deal pipeline: track live opportunities, log every touchpoint, and keep the Founder's view current.
- Coordinate investor outreach and follow-up, including chasing responses once materials such as pitch decks have been sent.
- Liaise with investors, portfolio companies, and prospective counterparties on the Founder's behalf.
- Support investor roadshows and meetings: scheduling, logistics, preparation, and follow-through.
- Research prospective investors and companies and contribute to deal flow and investment discussions.
Preparation and follow-up
- Prepare pre-reads, briefing notes, and background on companies and investors ahead of meetings.
- Capture actions from meetings and drive them to completion.
Founder support
- Manage the Founder's diary and correspondence where it relates to investment and business activity.
- Support business development, marketing, and recruitment activity as required.
- Handle light personal administration alongside the professional remit.
Must-have Requirements:
- Strong academic background, ideally from a Russell Group or comparable university, with evidence of high intellectual ability.
- 1 to 3 years' experience in a startup, investment, VC, or founder-led environment.
- Highly organised, with the discipline to run follow-ups and keep multiple workstreams on track without prompting.
- Confident written and verbal communication with senior external contacts, by phone and by email.
- An active listener who asks precise questions rather than filling silence.
- Self-directed, high energy, and comfortable with a remit that will change shape as the firm grows.
- Genuine interest in investment and sustainability as a market focus.
- Willingness and ability to work 5 days per week in the West London office.
- Right to live and work in the UK.
- Fluent English, spoken and written.
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Nice to have:
- Prior experience as a Founder's Associate, in Chief of Staff support, or as a junior VC or investment analyst.
- Exposure to investor relations, fundraising, deal flow, or due diligence.
- Experience at a management consultancy, investment bank, or high-growth startup.
- Comfort with modern productivity and AI tools for note-taking, summarisation, and drafting.
- Preferred background: early-career professional from a founder-led, VC-backed, or investment setting with clear appetite to develop into a deal-facing or Chief of Staff role.
Why this role:
- Full ownership of the investor pipeline from day one, working 1:1 with the Founder.
- A seat in deal flow and investment discussions from the start.
- A defined path from coordination into deal work and investor relations as the firm scales.
- Sustainability sector focus for candidates who care about impact.
- Modern West London office environment.
- 5 days in office, with one day WFH negotiable.
Please note: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are only able to contact candidates who are successfully shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within 14 days of submitting your application, please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.
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