CEO / Business Co-Founder (f/m/d) role at startup IXPLAIN

About This Opportunity

Our talent team at Get A Job.ai is representing a deep-tech venture emerging from a leading AI research institute in Germany. This organization has developed a validated platform for time series sensor analysis that combines machine learning with explainable AI and neuro-symbolic reasoning to deliver actionable insights in industrial environments including water infrastructure, energy systems, and manufacturing.

The technology has been demonstrated at major industry events and is currently in active discussions with enterprise partners. We are now searching for a CEO and Business Co-Founder to lead the incorporation, commercialization, and growth of this pre-seed venture based in Kaiserslautern, Germany. This is an on-site/hybrid, equity-based co-founder role.

Responsibilities

As CEO, you will own the business side of the venture from formation through early revenue:

• Lead incorporation, define go-to-market strategy, and establish the business model for a B2B deep-tech platform
• Own fundraising strategy and investor relations for seed-stage capital, including venture and grant funding pathways
• Convert ongoing commercial discussions into paying pilot customers across water, energy, and manufacturing sectors
• Define product integration strategies that fit into existing industrial workflows and technology stacks
• Build the commercial organization, pricing structure, and sales process alongside technical co-founders
• Represent the company externally to investors, partners, and enterprise customers

What We're Looking For

Core qualifications:

• Proven entrepreneurial or business leadership experience, ideally as a founder or in early-stage B2B SaaS or industrial technology commercialization
• Demonstrated track record in business development and closing enterprise or industrial customer deals
• Comfort operating in ambiguous, pre-product-market-fit environments without established playbooks

Especially valuable:

• Domain expertise in water infrastructure, energy systems, automotive, or manufacturing industries
• Experience raising venture capital or securing deep-tech grants such as EXIST or German public innovation funding
• Ability to bridge conversations between data science researchers and industrial decision-makers

How We Work With You

Candidates apply directly through Get A Job.ai. A recruiter from our team will conduct an initial screening to understand your background and fit for this co-founder search. If aligned, we will submit your profile to our client for consideration. Please do not attempt to contact the client organization directly, as all communication is managed through our recruitment process.

Pay

This is an equity-based co-founder role. Compensation details will be discussed during the interview process and are structured around meaningful founder equity with real influence on company strategy, hiring, and direction from day one.

Get A Job.ai is an equal opportunity recruiter. We welcome candidates of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, ethnic origin, religion, disability, sexual identity, or any other protected characteristic.