Investment Associate (Australia)

About Lighter Capital

Lighter Capital is a pioneer in founder friendly, non dilutive financing for tech companies. Since 2010, we've funded more than 500 companies across the US, Canada, and Australia, helping founders grow without giving up equity or personal guarantees. Our equity investors include National Australia Bank.

We're a remote first fintech with a team on the ground in Australia. Our local team works closely with SaaS founders and a network of referral partners (VCs, advisors, and more) across the Australian startup and tech ecosystem, and can deliver a term sheet within days of reviewing a founder's financials.

Role summary

We're hiring a Melbourne based Investment Associate to drive deal origination and support partnerships for our Australian business. You'll work hand in hand with our Head of Ecosystem, Australia, supporting every deal from first conversation to close: finding founders, qualifying opportunities thoroughly, preparing for term sheet calls, and coordinating closings. You'll also play an active role in building and nurturing partner relationships and running events. The ideal candidate is a self starter who builds their own pipeline and thrives on developing relationships across the startup ecosystem.

You'll report directly to our Head of Ecosystem, Australia, and work closely with our US based VP of Sales, credit, and sales teams.

This role is built to grow. You'll work on live deals from your first months and build toward running deals end to end on your own.

What you'll do

Deal origination and qualification (about 70%)

- Source recent opportunities through cold calls, personalised emails, LinkedIn, inbound leads, and partner referrals
- Run discovery calls with SaaS founders to understand their business, growth plans, and capital needs
- Analyse financials and SaaS metrics (ARR, growth, churn, burn, runway) to assess fit against our funding criteria
- Build complete,



well documented opportunities so they're ready to receive terms
- Prepare our leadership team for term sheet calls and join them, then coordinate closing alongside our underwriting team
- Own your deal pipeline in Salesforce and Outreach: prioritise follow ups, keep stages and next steps current, and contribute to forecasting
- Support the Head of Ecosystem, Australia, with our funded portfolio companies, including spotting follow on funding opportunities
- Collaborate with our US based credit and sales teams, including some early morning calls across time zones

Partnerships and events (about 30%)

- Plan and run events in Melbourne and Sydney, from logistics to attendee follow up
- Develop and support relationships with referral partners such as accelerators, VCs, accountants, R&D; Tax Incentive advisors, and banks
- Manage the partner pipeline: track introductions, referral activity, and next steps for each partner
- Follow up on partner introductions quickly and keep partners updated on outcomes
- Help identify and onboard new referral partners across the Australian market

How success is measured

- Qualified opportunities sourced and accepted as ready for terms
- Referrals generated through partner relationships
- Contribution to funded deals in Australia

What we're looking for

- 3 to 5 years of experience in sales, business development, or partnerships, ideally selling to founders, startups, or B2B companies
- Proven ability to generate new business through outbound prospecting




- Active in the AU startup ecosystem and comfortable building a presence through events, LinkedIn, and community relationships that surface deal flow
- Comfortable reading P&Ls;, balance sheets, and SaaS metrics, and asking sharp follow up questions
- Outgoing and confident with founders, partners, and event audiences
- Highly organised: you manage a full pipeline and event calendar without things slipping
- Clear, concise written communication
- Motivated to grow into running deals end to end

Nice to have: a background in lending, banking, venture debt, corporate finance, or accounting; experience with Salesforce, Outreach, or similar tools; a degree in commerce, finance, economics, or a related field.

Why join Lighter Capital

- A clear path to running deals: direct exposure to underwriting, term negotiation, and closing, with a path to owning deals end to end, plus a view into our portfolio of funded companies as they grow
- Real impact: a small Australian team where your work directly moves our numbers
- A product founders want: non dilutive capital with no equity, no personal guarantees, and term sheets delivered within days
- Competitive pay: a package that includes a commission component tied to qualified opportunities and funded deals
- Flexibility: remote first, with a team spread across Australia and North America
- Company offsites: the whole company meets in person in the US twice a year for planning and team building, and attendance is expected

Location

Remote, Melbourne based. Living in Melbourne is required so you can meet founders and partners in person and attend local events. Expect occasional travel to Sydney for events and partner meetings.

How to apply

Apply with your CV and a short note on why this role fits where you want to take your career.

Lighter Capital is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and are committed to an inclusive workplace.

📌 Investment Associate (Australia) (Melbourne)
🏢 Lighter Capital
📍 Melbourne