Co-Founder & CEO – AI Retail Planning Autopilot

The Opportunity

We are representing a confidential venture builder in their search for a Co-Founder & CEO to lead a new AI-native retail planning intelligence venture. This is a true co-founder partnership with meaningful founder equity—not a salaried executive role.

Our client is launching an autopilot planning system designed for SMB operators managing physical inventory across multiple channels. The product connects ERPs and sales channels, automates routine planning decisions, and surfaces exceptions with contextual recommendations before they become revenue losses. The vision is full autonomous execution of the planning lifecycle—earned incrementally through trust-building automation.

Market validation is strong. Discovery interviews with founders, e-commerce leaders, and merchandise planners across DTC and specialty retail reveal documented annual losses totaling $1.25–1.5M+ across just five accounts. The target segment—$5M–50M revenue brands managing multi-channel inventory—is structurally underserved, with Excel remaining the universal incumbent. EBITDA compression and declining revenue make planning waste a critical margin issue.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction: refine ICP, pricing model, and product positioning
• Lead customer development: run pilots with operations leaders and planners at importers, distributors, and multi-channel retail brands; convert pilots to paid engagements
• Build the go-to-market motion from zero to repeatable revenue
• Partner with embedded product and engineering resources to ship V1 and iterate based on user feedback
• Lead the seed fundraise, supported by the venture builder's network and early traction
• Recruit and lead the founding team; establish cultural and operational foundations

What We're Looking For

• Previous founding experience at a venture-backed company
• Demonstrated success in B2B SaaS go-to-market, including sales and customer engagement
• Fundraising fluency and ability to develop compelling investor narratives
• Proven track record attracting, developing, and retaining top talent
• Clear understanding of the risks and demands of co-founding a venture-backed startup
• Deep, operational exposure to merchandise planning, inventory management, and multi-channel retail operations

The Partnership Structure

This is a co-creation model. You will operate as CEO with access to:

• Founder equity with meaningful ownership from inception
• Pre-seed capital committed for early hires and MVP development, with potential for follow-on funding
• Embedded design, engineering, growth, and fundraising support from day one
• Investor and advisor network across vertical AI and early-stage capital markets
• A cross-functional venture-building team led by operators with multiple exits, institutional investing experience, and AI product depth

How We Work with You

Candidates apply directly through Get A Job.ai. Our talent team will conduct an initial screening to ensure alignment with the co-founder profile and venture requirements. We will then submit qualified candidates to our client for consideration. Please do not contact the client directly—all communication and coordination will be managed through our recruiting team to ensure a professional and confidential process.

Pay

This is a co-founder equity partnership, not a salaried role. Compensation is structured around meaningful founder equity and pre-seed capital for venture development.

Equal Opportunity
Get A Job.ai is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and experiences and work with clients who share these values.