Investor, Australia (Software & AI Focus)

Qode; Sydney; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

January Capital is seeking a technically grounded investor to join its AI & software investing team in Australia. You will work closely with a Partner, supporting sourcing, diligence, and post-investment value creation across pre-seed and seed software and AI startups.

The role emphasizes evaluating founders, product and tech stacks, and may involve building AI-native tooling to improve data-led investment decisions and portfolio management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or postgraduate degree in a technical field from a top-tier university.
• 2–8+ years in technical founder or early startup roles, software/AI, or venture investing with a technical bias.
• Ability to work with cutting-edge AI tools and platforms as the investment team's SME.
• Demonstrated founder empathy through direct startup experience or close work with founders.
• Obsession with products and the AI/software ecosystem.
• Strong writing, thinking, and communication abilities with examples or open-source work.
• Genuine curiosity about emerging technologies, products, and people building them.
• Willingness to roll up sleeves across sourcing, diligence, portfolio support, and internal initiatives.
• Regional exposure (SEA, US, Australia, Greater China) is favorable; Australia-based preferred.

Responsibilities

• Source and lead investments in early-stage software and AI/ML companies across Australia & APAC.
• Conduct technical and commercial diligence, including product architecture and early usage metrics.
• Contribute to investment theses in software segments like developer tooling and SaaS infrastructure.
• Develop internal AI-forward tools to support decision-making and portfolio management.
• Engage with technical founders and researchers across the region.
• Support portfolio companies post-investment on strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to firm-building activities (content, events, knowledge infrastructure).

Skills

Technical field degree

VC/startup experience

AI/ML tools

Founder empathy

Strong communication

Curiosity about tech

Regional exposure

Willingness to roll up sleeves

Education

Bachelor’s or postgraduate technical degree

Job description

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.