Co-Founder & CTO

Co-Founder & CTO (Marine Robotics) — Co-Founder Equity Only

Company: [Insert Company Name]

Location: [Insert Location / Remote / Hybrid]

Commitment: Full-Time / Co-Founder

Compensation:Purely Equity-Based (No salary until product milestone, commercialization, or funding is achieved)

Please Note: This is a true, founding partnership. This is a purely equity-based position with zero initial salary. We are looking for a dedicated partner to co-create and build this company from the ground up, with salary kicking in only once we build a commercially viable product, secure our first clients, or close a funding round.

The Ideal Partner

Because this is a sweat-equity role until commercialization, we are specifically looking for a hands-on technical leader who fits one of two profiles:

1. The Solo Innovator / Academic:You already have a validated, high-reliability marine robotics concept or proprietary prototype sitting in a lab or workshop, and you need a business co-founder to help you commercialize and scale it.
2. The Independent Builder: You have the financial runway and entrepreneurial drive to dedicate yourself full-time to building a deep-tech architecture from scratch in exchange for massive equity ownership.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Strategy: Shape and execute the long-term hardware/software architecture, R&D roadmap, and IP strategy for our autonomous systems.
• Product Commercialization: Drive the transition of marine robotics solutions from testing tanks and early field prototypes into ruggedized, market-ready commercial products.
• Team Architecture: Recruit, mentor, and lead a world-class, cross-disciplinary engineering team spanning robotics, embedded systems, naval architecture, and AI control systems.
• Strategic Collaboration: Partner directly with the CEO to establish product-market fit, engage with maritime industry stakeholders, and pitch to venture investors.
• Operations & Compliance: Ensure total system reliability by implementing rigorous field-testing protocols and aligning with international maritime safety standards.

What You Bring

• Deep Domain Expertise: A strong background in autonomous systems, marine engineering, underwater/surface robotics, embedded hardware, or SLAM/computer vision applications.
• Open-Water Experience: You understand that the ocean is a brutal environment. You have real-world experience dealing with the physics of marine deployments (corrosion, pressure, communication constraints, or GPS-denied environments).
• Commercial Mindset: You balance technical elegance with manufacturing realities, unit economics, and go-to-market speed.
• Founder Resilience: An entrepreneurial mindset comfortable with ambiguity, high equity ownership, and the fast-paced grit of an early-stage venture.

What We Offer

• Founding Equity: Generous, co-founder level equity stake commensurate with your experience and IP contribution.
• Co-Leadership Role: Direct influence over the mission, culture, and strategic direction of the company.
• Future Compensation: A clear, documented path to a competitive market salary and performance bonuses as soon as commercial milestones or funding are reached.