Commercial Co-Founder / Venture Lead

About Aquafade

Aquafade is a water‑soluble electronics material platform developed by Pentaform to tackle e‑waste. The technology is designed for high‑churn consumer devices where product returns, component recovery, and end‑of‑life handling are currently expensive, carbon‑intensive, and operationally difficult. The platform combines a dissolvable structural casing and printed circuit board substrate. At end of life, the casing and substrate can dissolve under a controlled recovery protocol, allowing components to be recovered without conventional desoldering or chemical stripping. Aquafade has been backed by Innovate UK, recognised by Imperial and Terra Carta, and featured by CNN, Dezeen, Wallpaper, and other design and sustainability outlets. The current materials package describes TRL 6 status, a PCT patent filing, industrial injection moulding validation, an ISO‑compliant LCA, and a 100‑unit reuse trial.

Pentaform’s co‑founders are now looking for an incoming founder or venture lead to take Aquafade into its next stage: commercial validation, funding, pilots, and eventual scale‑up.

The opportunity

This is a founder‑level role for someone who wants to commercialise existing climate‑tech IP rather than start from a blank page. You would work with Pentaform’s current founders and advisors to shape the handover, validate the highest‑potential commercial pathway, and lead the next phase of Aquafade as a venture. The immediate opportunity includes potential applications in live‑event wearables, IoT and connected home devices, single‑use electronics, electronic casings, and recyclable PCB substrates. Pentaform has already received early corporate inbound interest in the technology. The material can be used in injection‑moulded products, so the opportunity is broader than a single device category. The company is also progressing funding routes, including EIC Accelerator‑related work. The EIC Accelerator grant component is below EUR 2.5 million for innovation activities at TRL 6‑8, and the current focus is around the full‑proposal‑stage materials and next commercial proof points.

What you will do

• Lead commercial strategy for Aquafade from validated IP and prototypes toward pilots, licensing, and venture scale‑up.
• Prioritise the first market wedge across live‑event wearables, consumer electronics, IoT, connected home, and other high‑churn device categories.
• Build and manage relationships with potential customers, corporate partners, manufacturers, grant funders, and investors.
• Own the funding and fundraising roadmap, including non‑dilutive grant opportunities and investor preparation.
• Translate technical proof points into a clear market proposition for customers and partners.
• Work with the existing founders, materials advisors, and IP advisors to structure a practical handover and commercialisation path.
• Define what further technical validation, certification, manufacturing work, or pilot design is needed before commercial rollout.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone with founder‑level appetite, commercial judgement, and the ability to build a venture from existing IP. You may be a strong fit if you have:

• Experience in climate tech, circular economy, advanced materials, hardware, electronics, or deep‑tech commercialisation.
• A track record in business development, partnerships, fundraising, grant applications, venture building, or licensing.
• Comfort selling and explaining technical products to commercial stakeholders.
• Strong judgement around early market selection, customer discovery, pilots, and route‑to‑market.
• The ability to operate with ambiguity and take ownership without a large existing team.
• Interest in e‑waste, circular electronics, and materials systems that can change end‑of‑life recovery economics.

Bonus experience:

• EIC Accelerator, Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, or other non‑dilutive funding processes.
• IP licensing, university spin‑outs, venture studios, or technology transfer.
• Polymer science, PCB manufacturing, electronics supply chains, live‑event wearables, or consumer hardware.

What is available

Founder‑level opportunity to take forward an existing climate‑tech materials platform. Access to Pentaform’s Aquafade IP package, deck, technical summary, and founder knowledge. Current founder handover support, with the expectation that incoming leadership drives the next phase. Existing recognition, media coverage, grant history, and early commercial conversations. Potential Carbon13 network exposure through the Reverse Pitch and venture job board. Compensation, equity, and structure are to be agreed with the right candidate. The current founders have indicated they would ideally retain a small equity position, recognising that the incoming team would need to create the next stage of value.