Founder

Summary

Join Deep Science Ventures (DSV) as a Founder in Residence in Climate to build a global-scale, impact-driven company focused on sustainable pest control. You will work closely with the DSV team to develop and launch a new venture, leveraging their methodology and resources. The role is initially remote, full-time, with a guaranteed monthly income until the company's launch and pre-seed funding is secured. Upon incorporation, you and your co-founders will hold a majority stake in the business, continuing to receive support from DSV. This opportunity involves creating competitive alternatives to conventional pesticides, focusing on solutions like RNAi, peptide-based approaches, or engineered crops. The ideal candidate possesses deep knowledge of plant-pest interactions and state-of-the-art technologies in areas such as genetic engineering and biopesticide production.

Requirements

• Deep knowledge of plant-pest interactions or pesticide development (e.g., PhD or equivalent industry R&D know-how focused on genomics, molecular biology, entomology, plant pathology, virology and/or bacteriology)
• A proven track record of bringing new biotech solutions/products/ventures from concept to market, ideally in agriculture/agrochemical industry
• A relentless passion to protect pollinators, ecosystems, and human health, with the leadership to drive own vision for venture creation in this space

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the DSV team, using their methodology, to spin-out a new company
• Work on all aspects related to venture creation, including determining the optimal approach to solve for the desired outcome
• Build a team
• Build a viable business case
• Lead the charge in creating a new venture in the specified opportunity area

Preferred Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of state-of-the-art (SOTA) technologies and constraints in at least one of the following areas: genetic engineering of crops, biopesticide production, or pest control mechanisms (e.g., Bt toxins, pheromones, semiochemicals)
• Broad understanding of the agrochemical industry, farmer needs, navigating regulatory frameworks (e.g., EPA, EU pesticide standards) and experience in forging partnerships with agricultural stakeholders
• Experience in raising funds from early-stage investors/VC

Benefits

• Access to optimised, purpose-built, proprietary tools, resources, and processes to help create high-impact ventures from scratch
• Opportunity area-specific know-how from our network of Partners and Advisors
• Up to £250k in investment to incorporate the new venture and develop early proof-of-concept data
• Guaranteed income of £4,166 per month paid as a fixed consultancy fee until the company is launched and the pre-seed investment is secured
• Majority equity stake in the new company between you and your co-founder(s)
• Continuous post-spinout support, including fundraising, commercial partnerships, recruitment, and team-building
• Collaborative support from dozens of Founders currently at DSV across sectors