Key Skills

Job Description

Apply for this position via this link with our trusted recruitment partner LUKA Global. Position: CEO and Co-Founder of Start-Up Equity: Attractive Equity Stake Framework: Venture Builder with Extensive Support Networks Eligibility: To be eligible, you should have a strong commercial mindset and an extensive network in the offtake markets, specifically across corporate R&D, biotech/pharma SMEs, CROs/CDMOs, and academic/educational labs active with bacterial strain development. About BigCircle Ventures The world needs innovations to reach net-zero and circularity, but a wealth of research inventions never get used at scale. BigCircle Ventures scouts promising DeepTech and turns this into successful startups that tackle the world’s climate and circularity challenges. We focus on the large, untapped pool of early-stage innovations that would otherwise stay untouched on a shelf, hidden in a university, research institute, or company lab. It all starts with a goal-driven project selection process to assess impact and commercial viability. Once identified, the project is paired with a CEO at the point of incorporation. As CEO/Co-Founder, you will drive the project to hit milestones with a strategic exit in mind. The Technology & Venture: Evoducta Bacterial strain development is a fast growing segment, capitalizing on the bacteria's abilities to produce biobased compounds or chemicals that allow for a more biobased and leaner economy. Bacterial strain development for biotech applications is traditionally highly labor-intensive. Conventional manual serial passaging demands hours of technician time per cycle and presents constant contamination risks that bottleneck research in bio-based materials, probiotics, and biofuels. Evoducta changes the game. Born out of breakthrough systems biology research at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and supported by the Biotech Booster program, Evoducta is a sterile, coil-based culturing device. This automated system enables continuous migration and growth of bacteria along a defined path without human intervention. By automating experimental evolution, Evoducta: Reduces labor by 60-80% via hands-free operations. Slashing contamination losses through closed-loop sterility. Enables 2-3x more parallel testing capacity and faster experimental cycles. The technology stands at TRL 7-8 (with prototypes successfully validated) and features a filed patent (WO2025084928). Evoducta operates on a highly lucrative, high-margin consumables model (where the culturing coils are single-use and low-cost to produce via 3D printing). This model unlocks widespread commercial accessibility for more than 6000 global labs spanning pharmaceuticals, industrial biotechnology, academia, and specialized CROs/CDMOs. The Mission Unlike standard venture models, we are building a fast-scaling commercial vehicle. Evoducta's immediate roadmap involves finalizing the next-generation refiller device, optimizing bubble-resistant polymers, and securing seed funding to launch market-ready production and initiate pilot sales. A commercially-driven CEO is sought to co-found this revolutionary project and lead its market penetration. Your Key Responsibilities Will Be: Commercial Execution & Sales Drive: Drive market adoption of the Evoducta platform. Establish early pilot sales, target high-growth sectors (such as probiotics, bioethanol, and bio-based materials), and scale the consumable subscription/recurring revenue model internationally. Network & Offtake Alignment: Actively engage with B2B customers, understanding the technical and financial strain-development requirements of corporate R&D teams, biotech SMEs, and educational laboratories. Funding & Venture Capital: Lead fundraising efforts, successfully attracting venture capital, angel investors, and non-dilutive innovation subsidies to secure the upcoming round and subsequent growth stages. Preparing the venture to become an attractive candidate for acquisition by a strategic partner or investor. Leadership & Team Building: Bridge the gap between world-class academic innovation and commercial execution. Partner closely with the scientific founders to build strong, motivated teams across hardware process engineering, product development, and international business development. Operations & Supply Chain Management: Oversee the scaling of low-cost 3D printing/manufacturing processes, coordinate intellectual property strategy, and monitor competitive landscapes in lab automation and evolution technologies. Requirements You have experience/competence in the following areas: Entrepreneurship: You can turn lab-bench technology into real-world market impact by spotting high-value B2B opportunities and driving recurring revenue loops. Driven and Action-Oriented: You are an execution-focused leader who sets clear goals to move the technology quickly from prototype validation (TRL 7-8) to widespread commercial laboratory adoption. Biotech/Lab Sector Expertise: You bring a profound understanding of the life sciences, biotechnology, or laboratory automation sectors. Having a technical or commercial background directly interacting with cell culture, microbiology, or bacterial strain development labs is highly favored. Collaborative Technical Mindset: You do not need to be the primary bench scientist, but you must be deeply enthusiastic about biotechnology. You can comfortably collaborate with research and engineering teams, translating customer needs into smart hardware and consumables design changes. B2B Business Model Scaling: You have a proven track record of bringing hardware, medical devices, or lab instrumentation to market, managing early-stage pilot validation programs, and scaling sales funnels internationally. Your Work Experience Ideally Includes Success In: Startup/Corporate Scaling: Translating early-stage scientific innovations into commercially viable products. Experience within venture-backed or growth-stage biotech environments is highly valued. Financial Acumen: Strategic financial insight paired with fundraising capabilities. You can comfortably map out unit economics for consumables and manage early investor relations. Commercial Execution: Proven ability to introduce disruptive, labor-saving technologies into traditional research and corporate lab environments. Other Requirements: English language proficiency. Additional European languages are a plus. Currently based in the Netherlands or willing to relocate to work alongside our ecosystem and university partners. Available at least 3 days a week in the initial start-up phase, although full-time availability is preferred. Benefits Founding a start-up is the dream of many, but the chance of success via traditional routes is disappointingly low. We dramatically increase the chances of success by: Picking the most promising, high-impact deep-tech innovations. Matching each project with the right commercially-minded entrepreneur. Putting infrastructure and professional services in place to ensure the best chance of success. The unique benefit of this model is the complete suite of professional services provided. You will be surrounded by BigCircle Ventures experts in the fields of capital raising, legal frameworks, corporate governance, patent expertise, and HR support. You will be mentored one-to-one by a senior partner and join a collaborative community of CEOs within our portfolio. You should bring with you the mindset of an entrepreneurial co-founder, and as such, do not hesitate to apply even if you do not match all listed requirements. You will be a partner with us, not an employee. Your wins and setbacks are shared. This shared equity model underpins the access you will have to our elite networks and professional infrastructure.

Core Responsibilities

Lead Evoducta's commercial launch by securing pilot customers, developing international sales and recurring consumables revenue, and raising funding. Build and lead the venture with the scientific founders while overseeing manufacturing scale-up, supply chain, intellectual property, and preparation for a strategic exit.

Requirements

The role calls for an entrepreneurial commercial leader with deep life sciences, biotechnology, or laboratory automation knowledge and a track record of bringing hardware, medical devices, or lab instrumentation to market. Candidates should have B2B sales and fundraising experience, strong customer and industry networks, English proficiency, and be based in the Netherlands or willing to relocate; availability of at least three days per week is expected, with full-time preferred.

Benefits

• Equity Stake
• Capital-Raising Support
• Legal Support
• Corporate Governance Support
• Patent Expertise
• Human Resources Support
• One-To-One Mentoring
• CEO Community