ATUM Deep-Tech Founder

ATUM exists to support courageous founders who turn differentiating tech into world-changing companies that solve critical challenges in Energy, Medtech and Advanced Manufacturing. We bring capital, operational muscle and partners from academia, industry, VC, and government who co-invest in every build.

ATUM build ventures from scratch by helping researchers, corporates and founders turn breakthrough research into venture-scale companies, backing them with capital, corporate networks, and the operational guidance to navigate everything from technical validation and grants to go-to-market and growth.

Our Deep Tech Venture Building Programme leads the end‑to‑end creation of new startups from breakthrough technologies. We identify research‑backed innovations, validate them with our scientific council, assemble complementary founder teams and support these teams towards investment readiness and launch.

We are looking for future ATUM Founders to take this next wave of high-impact technologies out into the world. As a Commercial Founder, you'll lead the business and GTM strategy and execution from day one. You'll pair with a Technical Founder to build a high-impact business, and set the foundations for scale & impact.

This is not a "job." It's a founding journey. You'll share in the risk, the upside, and the impact.

You will be responsible for shaping the go-to-market and commercial strategy of a new deep-tech startup. You will work alongside a technical Co-Founder (e.g., PhD or engineer) to identify a viable market application, build customer traction and secure funding to take your venture forward for scale.

• Translate complex technology into commercial opportunity. Identify high-value use cases, customer pain points and defensible market positions that turn technical advantage into economic leverage.
• Define and test the venture thesis. Partner with product and technical leads to validate assumptions further, continually refine positioning and stress-test business models under real-world market conditions.
• Drive early traction and partnerships. Engage with enterprise customers, strategic partners and ecosystem players to pilot, co-develop and secure initial commercial validation.
• Shape go-to-market strategy and scale pathways. Design routes to entry, pricing, sales motion, and partnerships for sustainable growth, balancing experimentation with operational discipline.
• Build the commercial foundation. Establish the early finance, operations, and growth infrastructure that enables speed without compromising rigor.
• Represent the venture externally. Be the face of the business to investors, partners, and early customers, communicating a clear narrative that connects deep technology with transformative impact.

• Proven entrepreneurial drive - you've started something complex from scratch and seen it through (start up, business line, product, etc.).
• Deep technical expertise - typically PhD, MSc, or significant hands-on experience in a relevant field (e.g., AI/ML, biotech, robotics, cleantech, materials science, etc.).
• Ideally you'll have gained exposure through startups, research commercialisation or product engineering previously, with experience developing prototypes, models or novel IP.
• A strong builder mindset – you're motivated by experimentation, iteration, and creating from scratch. High comfort in navigating ambiguity with a strong bias for action
• Ability to be the connective tissue between complex technology and the business, constantly keeping the customer front of mind and communicating effectively
  

• Unique exposure to ATUM's deep-tech venture build approach, methodology & team
• A structured programme to de-risk venture creation in deep-tech
• Access to labs, domain experts, early adopters and funding pathways
• A true Co-founder seat at the table with equity + salary post-incorporation
• The chance to shape the future of deep-tech impact, your role and the company that you're building 
• The adventure (and challenge) of building a category-defining company from the ground up

ATUM is an equal opportunity employer and partner, whether you are exploring joining our team, our Venture Build Programme, or one of our Portfolio Companies. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities, and our selection decisions are guided by our core values. If our mission resonates with you, we encourage you to apply.