Startup Founder & Business Development Leader

Job Board

Companies

DQventures

Startup Founder & Business Development Leader

Full-Time 21600 - 36000 € / year (est.) No home office possible

At a Glance

Tasks: Partner with us to build your startup while keeping your current job.
Company: DQventures supports aspiring founders with hands-on mentorship and expertise.
Benefits: Flexible part-time commitment, access to expert guidance, and potential for full-time transition.
Other info: Limited spots available; apply by May 30, 2025, for a July start.
Why this job: Turn your business idea into reality with structured support and a collaborative environment.
Qualifications: 15+ years of industry experience and a proven track record in execution and leadership.

The predicted salary is between 21600 - 36000 € per year.

Startup Founder & Business Development Leader

(This is not an employment opportunity. We want to partner with you as you build your next company as a founder—part-time, while you remain employed in your current job.)

Commitment: Part-time (~12-20 hrs/week)

Program Duration: Typically 12 months

About You

We’re looking for an experienced professional (15+ years in your field) who has identified inefficiencies in your industry and wants to build a business to solve them. You’re not just an idea person—you have a track record of execution, whether launching new initiatives, leading teams, or driving business growth. Now, you’re ready to take the leap into entrepreneurship with the right support.

What You’ll Do

Over the 12-month program, we’ll work closely with you to:

Validate & refine your business concept through structured customer discovery and market research.

Develop an MVP (no-code or service-led) and secure your first paying customers.

Build traction with a scalable go-to-market strategy and early revenue.

Prepare for investment (if needed), with pitch coaching, investor introductions, and fundraising support.

Transition to full-time founder once your business achieves validation and sustainable revenue.

Weekly 1:1 sessions (60 mins) for mentorship, strategy, and accountability.
Regular team check-ins for cross-functional support (product, sales, ops).
Stage gates at key milestones, culminating in a go/no-go decision to proceed to the next phase.
Deliverables include:
Validated problem-solution fit (customer interviews, market analysis).
MVP prototype or service pilot.
Early revenue from initial customers.
Fundraising materials (pitch deck, financial model) if pursuing investment.
A clear path to profitability or scale.

Skills & Experience Required

15+ years in a leadership, operational, or domain expert role.
Deep industry expertise with a clear problem you want to solve.
Proven execution ability—you’ve built, launched, or scaled initiatives before.
Business development/sales acumen (strong plus)—comfort with customer outreach and selling.
Product, ops, or service design experience (helpful but not required).
Strong professional network to leverage for early customers or partnerships.

Your Commitment

12 hours/week minimum (including weekly 1:1s).
Active participation in customer discovery, MVP testing, and early sales.
Willingness to pivot based on feedback and data.
Readiness to go full-time once the business achieves traction.

About DQventures

We’re a team of former founders and investors who’ve built and sold multiple businesses (up to $85M). We know the challenges of leaving a stable job to start a company—so we act as co-founders, providing hands-on support to de-risk your transition. Our in-house experts (product, GTM, fundraising) work alongside you to turn your idea into a real, investable business.

Apply Now – Limited Spots Available

We’re selecting 3 new founders to start in July 2025. If you have a business idea in your domain, apply by May 30, 2025. Interviews are underway.

Seniority level

Seniority level
Executive

Employment type

Employment type
Part-time

Job function

Job function
Business Development, General Business, and Consulting
Industries
Business Consulting and Services, Operations Consulting, and IT Services and IT Consulting

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at DQventures by 2x

Get notified about new Founder jobs in London Area, United Kingdom.

London, England, United Kingdom 8 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 3 days ago

Entrepreneur-in-Residence (Chief of AI Officer Track) – Multimodal AI / Agentic Systems / Decision Intelligence

Co-Founder in Residence (Commercial/go-to-market), Industrial Water Recycling