Investment Lead

Beacon Software; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentorship from entrepreneurs

Direct work with Silicon Valley teams

Long-term buy/hold private equity vibe

Job summary

Beacon Software in San Francisco builds AI-native, vertical market software platforms and acquires, operates, and grows niche businesses. The Investment team leads sourcing, underwriting, and portfolio work across three core areas: sourcing & selling, underwriting and execution, and portfolio management.

As an Investment Associate, you will drive deal execution end-to-end, collaborate with executives, and build financial models and diligence materials to support acquisitions and integrations.

Qualifications

• Degree in finance, business, or related field.
• Strong understanding of technology and software industries.
• 1–6 years in M&A, private equity, or related finance roles.
• Familiarity with buy-and-build models and software/tech knowledge a plus.
• Expertise in building financial models and structured analyses.

Responsibilities

• Lead conversations with owners, advisors, and bankers to source and close deals.
• Drive due diligence: financial, sales, marketing, and operations.
• Prepare investment memorandums for committees and plan integration strategies.
• Manage diligence with internal/external teams across legal, HR, and tax.
• Collaborate with Investment Directors and exec teams on value creation.
• Assist in finance, operations, and integration of acquired businesses.

Skills

M&A experience

Financial modeling

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

Finance or Business degree

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Valuation software

Job description

Beacon is building the essential technology infrastructure for the everyday economy: the businesses, organizations, and services that make real life work, and that mainstream tech has largely left behind. We acquire, operate, and grow vertical market software companies — niche, founder-built businesses serving industries that are often overlooked and too profitable to ignore.
Our model is simple: we seek out founders who have built their business by spending years understanding their market and prioritizing their customers' specific needs. We buy great businesses, invest in their continued growth, and hold them permanently — accelerating that growth with an AI-native platform built specifically for vertical market software. No mandate to cut, flip, or roll up into something unrecognizable.
We are not a financial firm. We are technology entrepreneurs and operators who believe the most important businesses in the world are already running quietly in industries most people never think about. Our job is to find them, support the people who built them, and make them better.
Beacon is backed by a diverse base of investors, with $550M+ raised to date, including General Catalyst, Lightspeed, D1 Capital, CPMG, the family offices of the founders of Stripe, DoorDash, and Ramp, and evergreen funds built for the long game.
Responsibilities
Deal Execution - Start to Finish
At Beacon the investment process will provide you exposure to three parts of being an investor:

• Sourcing & Selling (10%)
• Underwriting and Execution (70%)
• Portfolio Work (20%)
  

The other main functions of the role include:

• Building and scaling our proprietary M&A agents and AI product suite
• Collaborate with Beacon’s Investment Directors, executive team and value creation team to evaluate and close acquisitions.
• Lead and manage conversations and relationships with owners, advisors, and bankers.
• Prepare and analyze financial and non-financial information, valuation, and operational models.
• Drive the entire M&A process, including conducting detailed financial, sales, marketing, and operational diligence; drafting investment memorandums for the Investment Committee and crafting the integration strategy.
• Manage diligence processes and engage with internal/external advisors across legal, technology, HR, and tax.
• Assist in the finance, operations, and integration of newly acquired businesses.
  

Qualifications

• Strong academic record from a competitive institution with a degree in Business or Finance.
• A strong understanding of technology and a passion for the software industry.
• Minimum 1-6 years of M&A experience, working in private equity, investment banking, consulting, corporate development, or strategic finance.
• Familiarity with a buy-and-build model and experience/knowledge in VMS, software, and technology is a plus.
• Expertise in building financial models, and proficiency in preparing thoughtfully structured analysis.
• Strong ability to synthesize complex systems.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to be able to interact with stakeholders at all levels of the Company and targets.
• Ability to translate high level objectives into actionable work plans and strategies.
• High attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.
• Extremely organized.
• Conduct interactions with a high level of integrity and trust.
• Advanced written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated interest in learning about different businesses across diverse industries.
• Possesses a growth mindset, consistently seeking personal and process improvement.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build and maintain genuine, long-term relationships.
  

What You Will Get From Beacon

• Demonstrated interest in learning about different businesses across diverse industries.
• Learn directly from entrepreneurs who have scaled businesses from seed-to-$10B+ IPOs.
• Work directly with Silicon Valley product and engineering teams to perform diligence and underwrite technology driven value creation streams with potential acquisitions.
• Operate in an environment that encourages initiative and rapid development.
• Strong development of interpersonal and presentation skills
• Unique work environment which combines a high growth technology startup and a long term buy/hold private equity investment firm.
  

Our Values at Beacon Software

• Humility: We acknowledge that the path to getting to the right answer involves being wrong along the way. We have strong beliefs which are weakly held. We actively seek new ideas and believe we can learn from anyone at any time.
• Honesty: We are truth seeking in our approach to business problems. Business is a repeat game and we believe that human relationships generate alpha. We understand that trust is earned over a lifetime and can be lost in an instant.
• Hunger: We play to win. We hold ourselves to high standards and will not be outworked. We take pride in having a deep sense of responsibility to ourselves, each other, our partners, and our customers. We believe to whom much is given much is expected.
• Horizon: We seek to build a generational software company. This will take decades. We manage our expectations and those of our partners to take advantage of the 8th wonder of the world - compounding growth.
  

How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Beacon Software uses Artificial Intelligence and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role.
AI does not make hiring decisions: Every application is reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.