About the firm
At January Capital, we invest in technology businesses that have a nexus to the Asia-Pacific region. We increasingly invest across a company's lifecycle and capital structure, but it all begins with data and our early stage investment focus. We manage more than $500 million on behalf of our investors, which include leading institutions, corporations, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. Our portfolio includes Hupo, Akulaku, Shopback, Go1, Cyble, Tazapay, and others.
About the role
We are experiencing a period of growth across the firm. As we begin to deploy from our new venture fund series, we are searching for a driven, technically grounded investor to join our AI & software investing team. This role will work closely with one of the firm’s Partners, supporting full lifecycle investing activities—from sourcing and diligence through to post-investment value creation.
The role is based in Australia and will focus on investing in software and AI companies from the pre-seed / seed stage, with a heavy index on evaluating founders, product, tech stacks and early market fit. This investor will also have the opportunity to dedicate 20-30% of their time towards building AI-native tooling and workflows for the firm, driving improvements in data-led investment decision making and portfolio management.
We are particularly interested in candidates who bring an entrepreneurial mindset, a strong technical background (AI/ML, data, infrastructure, software), and the ability to communicate their thinking clearly and insightfully. This hire will play a key role in strengthening the firm’s technical evaluation capabilities and expanding our network across the Asia-Pacific technical ecosystem.
Role responsibilities
- Source and over time lead investments in early-stage software and AI/ML companies across Australia & Asia-Pacific.
- Conduct technical and commercial diligence, including deep dives into product architecture, team background, early usage metrics, and go-to-market potential.
- Contribute to thesis development in key software segments (e.g., developer tooling, SaaS infrastructure, applied AI in essential industries).
- Develop internal AI-forward tools and workflows to support team decision-making and portfolio management processes.
- Identify and engage with technical founders and academic/research talent across Southeast Asia, Australia, US and China.
- Support portfolio companies post-investment on strategic initiatives, including product reviews, talent introductions, and customer access.
- Contribute to firm-building activities (e.g., content, events, knowledge infrastructure).
What we’re looking for
- A Bachelor’s or postgraduate degree in a technical field (Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Science, Engineering, etc.) from a top-tier university in the US, Singapore, or equivalent. PhD or technical degrees are more than welcome.
- 2–8+ years of experience in roles such as: (i) technical founder or early employee at a startup, (ii) software engineering or product roles at technology companies, (iii) research in AI/ML or applied data science, (iv) early-stage venture capital or investing roles with a technical bias
- Interest in and ability to work confidently with cutting-edge AI tools and platforms, and serve as the subject matter expert for the investment team.
- Demonstrated founder empathy—ideally through direct experience founding a company (successful or not), or having worked closely with founders.
- You must demonstrate obsession with products and the AI/software ecosystem.
- Proven ability to write, think, and communicate clearly – evidenced through writing samples, blog posts, or contributions to open-source projects.
- A genuine curiosity in emerging technologies, products, and the people building them.
- A willingness to roll up sleeves and work across sourcing, diligence, portfolio support, and internal initiatives.
- Regional exposure (Southeast Asia, US, Australia, or Greater China) and networks are viewed favorably.
- Candidates currently based in Australia are strongly preferred, but we are open to San Francisco or other key markets.