Co-founder in residence - Plastic waste to platform materials; packaging

Join as a Founder in Residence in Climate

We're on the lookout for entrepreneurial individuals with technical and commercial domain expertise with keen interest in founding, and building a global scale, impact driven, high growth company from ground up.

We are seeking applications from experienced industry, startup and/or new science or engineering based technology development professionals from anywhere in the world to work with us on the next generation of plastics recycling.

You’ll work closely with the DSV team and the current Founder in Residence for this area to co‑found and spin‑out a new company. Once the new venture is incorporated with pre‑seed investment from DSV, you and your co‑founder(s) will own the majority stake in the business and continue receiving support from the DSV team post‑spinout.

The role is full‑time, remote initially until venture incorporation and spin‑out (circa Q1 2026).

We are building a venture to transform waste polyolefins into high‑value, recyclable degradable packaging materials. Our novel process produces polymers with properties comparable to polypropylene but with dramatically improved end‑of‑life characteristics, including solvolysis recyclability and environmental degradability.

We are seeking a commercially focused co‑founder to partner with our technical founder and lead all commercial activities from company formation through Series A and beyond. This is a ground‑floor opportunity to shape a business addressing the urgent challenge of plastic circularity.

We are developing an electrified, contaminant tolerant process capable of transforming polyolefin waste into chemicals that will form the basis of a new materials platform. Initially, we will be focusing on developing new packaging materials to tackle the global plastic waste problem. Over time, we anticipate the technology will have applications in various other sectors. It is our hope that this technology will act as a global polyolefin sink — enabling global recovery and reuse of polyolefins.

The developed materials will be simpler to recycle than current technologies, and will have environmental compatbility designed in from day one.

In order for us to make our vision real we are seeking to recruit a commercially focused cofounder to support our near‑term commercial objectives.

As Commercial Co-Founder, you will own the commercial strategy and execution for the venture. Working alongside the technical founder, you will be responsible for validating market demand, building customer and supplier relationships, navigating regulatory pathways, and securing the commercial proof points required to raise successive funding rounds.

This is a hands‑on role. In the early stages, you will personally conduct customer interviews, negotiate agreements, and build financial models. As the company grows, you will recruit and lead a commercial team.

Must-Have Experience (one of the following core tracks):

• Previous experience in a startup or early‑stage company environment
• A track record in fundraising, grant writing, and grant management
• Exposure to regulatory processes for chemicals or materials, and a strong network across relevant industries such as plastics, packaging, or waste management

Essential Capabilities:

• Lead customer discovery to identify and prioritise target markets, building relationships from initial outreach through to binding offtake agreements, and refining value proposition based on market feedback
• Identify and secure feedstock supply partnerships with waste management companies, and develop strategic partnerships with distributors, compounders, and brand owners
• Co‑develop and maintain techno‑economic models and pricing strategy with the founding team, and lead commercial negotiations and contract structuring
• Lead fundraising efforts with commercial due diligence materials, building investor relationships and communicating commercial progress
• Contribute to overall company strategy as a member of the founding team
• Demonstrated B2B sales and business development experience, ideally in materials, chemicals, or related industrial sectors, with a track…