Co-founder-in-Residence (Agtech)

Location: Remote initially, until venture incorporation and spin-out, expected around the end of Q1 2027; final location to be determined.

Compensation: £4,166 per month as a fixed consultancy fee until the company launches and pre-seed investment is secured.

Company

hirify.global creates, spins out, and invests in science companies across pharmaceuticals, climate, agriculture, and computation.

What you will do

• Join the venture creation programme as a Co-founder-in-Residence and work with hirify.global and the Grantham Foundation to build and spin out a new agtech company.
• Refine the technical thesis for scalable, durable, and effective weed control without off-target effects.
• Develop commercial strategy covering IP, differentiation, competition, market positioning, value capture, and techno-economics.
• Shape regulatory strategy, fundraising plans, investor materials, and the path toward Series A.
• Prepare for Investment Committee review by meeting investment criteria and recruiting advisors and co-founders.
• Lead parallel fundraising for additional expansion capital and support the company through spin-out in 2027.

Requirements

• Strong motivation to solve unsolved challenges in weed control and reduce the ecological and human-health impacts of agrochemicals.
• Impact-driven, entrepreneurial, proactive, collaborative, and comfortable working in ambiguous, demanding, and fast-paced environments.
• Previous founder experience and previous C-suite experience.
• Previous fundraising experience with venture capital investors.
• Commercial and business-development expertise in licensing, partnerships, or collaborations.
• Strong track record of building and leading successful teams.

Nice to have

• Scientific depth in biochemistry, molecular biology, plant physiology, phytopathology, agricultural engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with molecular glues, RNAi, crop traits, physical herbicide controls, precision application, delivery systems, or safer small-molecule discovery.
• Experience translating discoveries into field efficacy, managing CRO/CDMO programmes, or developing regulator-, investor-, and customer-ready data packages.
• Experience with scalable IP strategy, EPA/EU regulatory work, GLP studies, or pivotal field trials for registration.

Culture & Benefits

• Access to DSV's venture-creation methodology, proprietary tools, resources, and processes.
• Tailored guidance and feedback from operators with company-building and science-translation experience.
• Network access across biotech venture capital, technical and commercial domains, and portfolio companies.
• Initial joint investment of £250,000 from DSV and the Grantham Foundation to incorporate the venture and develop proof-of-concept data.
• Founders and co-founders will own the majority equity stake in the company.
• Ongoing post-spin-out support with fundraising, commercial partnerships, recruitment, and team building.