Corporate Development Associate

About OLIXAI is growing faster than any technology in history and the explosion in demand has created a massive infrastructure gap; we can no longer build chips or power stations fast enough to keep up. The industry is still leaning on a ten-year-old hardware blueprint that has reached its limit. A new paradigm that is faster and more efficient will be the biggest economic opportunity of the next century and create the most important company of the next decade. OLIX is building this next paradigm; the Optical Tensor Processing Unit (OTPU) achieves performance and energy efficiency that is impossible to match from existing chips.

The Role: We are seeking to add a Corporate Development hire with strong semiconductor industry expertise to work directly with the President on the research, financial‑modelling and strategic‑corporate initiatives that will enable OLIX to scale rapidly from prototype to high‑volume manufacturing. This role sits at the intersection of supply‑chain analysis and corporate strategy. You will map and stress‑test the end‑to‑end photonic/semiconductor supply chain, from substrates and wafers through foundry processing, packaging, and test, turning that intelligence into actionable sourcing strategies, make‑vs.‑buy frameworks, and partner shortlists. The insights you generate will feed directly into OLIX’s biggest commercial and capital allocation calls making this one of the most highly leveraged roles in the company. You will gain first hand exposure to the key commercial inflection points of a startup going through hyper growth.

Responsibilities:

• Supply‑Chain & Partner Diligence: Develop and maintain a living database of key companies across the supply chain from substrates through to foundries. Analyse capacity, cost curves, geopolitics, ability to scale.
• Financial Modelling & Scenario Planning: Construct bottom‑up unit‑economics and gross‑margin models that link silicon yields, wafer ASPs, backend conversion costs and logistics to P&L and cash‑flow forecasts. Map capacity, lead times, cost curves, technology roadmaps, and geopolitical risk. Stress‑test scenarios to guide make/buy and volume‑ramp decisions.
• Strategic Projects: Lead ad‑hoc commercial workstreams (e.g., joint‑development agreements, M&A scans, government incentive applications). Produce investment memoranda and board‑ready decision documents.
• Negotiation Support: Provide data, valuation benchmarks and term‑sheet redlines to OLIX executives during supplier and customer negotiations.
• Executive Reporting & Stakeholder Management: Drive weekly commercial reviews; maintain risk registers for cost, capacity and geo‑political exposure; own the commercial sections of quarterly board decks.

Skills & Experience:

• 3+ years experience in Equity Research (semiconductors or electronics hardware), Investment Banking/M&A, Management Consulting (operations, semiconductors or TMT practice) or Corporate Strategy in a hyperscaler or top‑tier semiconductor company.
• Demonstrable semiconductor industry knowledge, whether gained through sector coverage (investment banking or equity research), corporate development within a semiconductor company, or equivalent hands‑on exposure to the semiconductor value chain.
• Extensive experience reading and interpreting financial reports including all three financial statements.
• Highly proficient in Excel.
• Comfortable operating in a pre‑scale‑up environment: ambiguous data, aggressive timelines, multiple concurrent priorities.

Compensation & Equity:

• Competitive Salary commensurate with your experience and skills.
• Equity & Ownership: Meaningful stock options. You’re not just joining the mission; you’re owning a piece of it.
• Proximity Bonus: We value your time. To minimise your commute and maximise your life, we offer a £24k annual Living-Local Bonus if your residence is within 20 minutes of the office.

Health & Wellbeing:

• Premium Healthcare: Comprehensive BUPA medical and dental cover, including Medical History Disregarded (MHD), for complete peace of mind.
• Time Off: 25 days of annual leave, plus all UK bank holidays.

The Workspace & Tech:

• Elite Hardware: M4 Macs come as standard, with M4 Pro upgrades for our engineering team. We will provide whatever you need to do your best work.
• Optimal Environment: High-spec noise‑cancelling headphones and a fully ergonomic workstation designed for deep focus.
• Rapid Prototyping: Access to our high-performance 3D printing lab for work, experimentation, and personal creative projects.

Life at the Office:

• Chef-prepared meals: if you need to work late.
• Caffeine on Us: We’ve got you covered with a tab at our favourite local coffee shop.

Relocation & Global Mobility:

• Visa Sponsorship: We hire the best in the world. We offer full UK and international visa sponsorship.
• Seamless Relocation: Whether you’re moving across the country or across the globe, our dedicated relocation partner provides funding and concierge support to get you settled.

Due to U.S. export control regulations, candidates’ eligibility to work at OLIX depends on their most recent citizenship or permanent residency status. We are generally unable to consider applicants whose most recent citizenship or permanent residence is in certain restricted countries (currently including Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba, Russia, Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Venezuela). Applicants who have subsequently obtained citizenship or permanent residency in another country not subject to these restrictions may still be eligible.