Founding Sales Executive

About the Company and Role

We are creating a cutting-edge decision infrastructure serving as the strategic backbone for industrial organizations facing complex combinatorial challenges. Our technology enables precise digital mapping of real-world levers and limitations, empowering multidimensional optimization for critical value-chain decisions. Our mission aids Europe's economic strength by helping the German Mittelstand effectively navigate market changes, production orders, machinery, and personnel.

Founded by Dana (CEO) and Erik (CTO) from RWTH research, supported by a €2.8M funding round led by Vorwerk Ventures, we already have clients actively using our optimization models.

We operate swiftly and care deeply, with zero tolerance for unresolved problems.

Role Overview

As our initial dedicated sales hire joining the founders directly, you will be responsible for originating and closing deals independently. This role demands proactive hunting for opportunities as leads will not be handed to you. Structured and substantive selling is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage full sales cycle for acquiring new mid-market clients, including outbound prospecting, needs discovery, co-developing proof of value (PoV) with champions, securing executive approvals, and finalizing contracts; strategic accounts will be handled alongside the CEO.
• Build and maintain a robust sales pipeline through account targeting, cold outreach, sequencing, LinkedIn engagement, and selecting relevant events to attend; multi-thread communications with operational and controlling leadership within prospects.
• Maintain ownership throughout customer onboarding phases, collaborating closely with delivery teams to build models that generate customer value and drive pilots towards enterprise-level contracts.
• Create necessary sales collateral such as tailored case studies and landing pages independently, as no dedicated marketing department is present.
• Develop and document a comprehensive sales playbook, detailing factors that convert pilots to long-term customers, strategies for internal champion enablement, deal-blocking issues, and provide actionable feedback to product and positioning teams.
• Track success metrics focusing on qualified pipeline and new customer closures quarterly rather than mere activity volume.

Working Environment

The role involves high-pressure scenarios with tight deadlines and substantial workload, in a market that is still unfamiliar with us. We prefer direct collaboration over handoffs. Account management responsibilities are shared and divided by fit or workload.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum five years of experience in top-tier consulting, enterprise B2B software sales, or technical sales involving complex industrial products, backed by a technical or analytical background such as engineering, operations research, or computer science.
• Proven ability to manage customer engagements end-to-end, with accountability for results, customer satisfaction, and timelines.
• Expertise in qualifying enterprise B2B accounts by identifying decision makers, blockers, triggers, and knowing when to discontinue pursuit.
• Ability to interpret profit and loss statements (P&L) and discuss operational efficiency (OEE) with plant management, translating insights into optimization challenges and sales opportunities.
• Proven skill in independently initiating contact with new prospects, including creating compelling case studies from scratch.
• Language proficiency at German C1 level or higher, alongside fluent English communication skills.
• Location flexibility: preference for NRW (Cologne office), Munich, Stuttgart, or Berlin areas; open to hybrid arrangements or adaptable arrangements if the fit is mutually suitable.

Desired Attributes

You should demonstrate exceptional organizational skills, a strong drive for action, and a competitive spirit proven across diverse life challenges.

This role is unsuitable for candidates expecting brand-name leverage, existing playbooks, sales development teams (SDR), or long lead times before engaging customers.

Employee Benefits

• Meaningful impact by selling actionable decisions rather than mere dashboards, based on real customer data.
• Ownership with direct access to founders, enabling you to build and lead your own sales department.
• Rapid and transparent feedback loops, fostering continuous collective growth.
• Competitive salary supported by an attractive equity stake (VSOP), aligned with your achievements and career progression.

Recruitment Process

Initial conversation with the CEO Dana followed by another team member interview, then a 60 to 90-minute practical exercise analyzing three ideal customer profile accounts, a live discovery simulation, and final team discussions both virtually and in person. Candidates are encouraged to request candid feedback from current team members about the role’s realities before committing.

Additional Information

Our motto: "Hustle during the day, analyze at night, and consistently deliver exceptional results."