Commercial Co-founder, Eliminating toxicity from food contact materials

About the role

We are launching a new venture dedicated to eliminating toxic chemicals from our food supply and the environment. Our primary mission is to eliminate Bisphenol A (BPA) - a pervasive endocrine disruptor linked to the reproductive health crisis. You'll work closely with the DSV team and the current Founder in Residence to co-found and spin-out a new company. Once the new venture is incorporated with pre-seed investment from DSV and the Grantham Foundation, you and your co-founder will own the majority stake in the business, and continue receiving hands-on support from the DSV+Grantham team post-spinout. THE OPPORTUNITY Despite its known toxicity, 10 million tons of BPA are produced annually for use in everything from food packaging to high-performance composites. We are disrupting this status quo by replacing BPA-based adhesives and coatings with our proprietary, biobased, high-performance, ensuring safety without compromising product performance. Safe food and a clean environment should not be a luxury. We are recruiting a Co-Founder with a strong commercial background - ideally in food contact packaging coatings and adhesives - and a track record in entrepreneurship, including fundraising. The interior coatings of food and beverage cans have been identified as a major route of human exposure to bisphenols and will be our primary focus. Experience in food and beverage cans is preferred. The role is full-time , remote initially until venture incorporation and spin-out (circa end of Q2 2026), location TBD. ABOUT THE FOUNDER-IN-RESIDENCE Dr. Robert Fleming is a distinguished scientist and serial entrepreneur dedicated to the intersection of advanced materials and global sustainability. With a career spanning foundational roles at 3M Corporation to executive leadership at Zymergen and CLEARink Displays, Robert has spent over two decades developing and scaling new products and technologies to high-volume. Since 2020, Robert has pivoted his focus toward the circular economy, championing biobased chemistries that replace toxic legacy materials. At DSV, he is leading a critical mission to eliminate harmful chemicals from food-contact materials. A prolific inventor with over 60 issued U.S. patents, Robert holds a PhD in Polymer Science from the University of Massachusetts and continues to advise high-growth startups in the optics, nanoscience, and polymer sectors. ABOUT DSV Deep Science Ventures (DSV) is on a mission to create a future in which both humans and the planet can thrive. We use our unique venture creation process to create, spin-out, and invest in science companies, combining available scientific knowledge and founder-type scientists into high-impact ventures. Operating in four sectors-Pharmaceuticals, Climate, Agriculture, and Computation-we tackle the challenges defining these areas by taking a first principles approach and partnering with leading institutions. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GRANTHAM FOUNDATION To learn more about the collaborative work that led to this opportunity area, please see report - "The Invisible Tsunami" . The Role: This is a deeply hands-on role: as Commercial Co-Founder, you will own the venture's commercial strategy and execution from day one. Working hand-in-hand with the technical founder, you will: Validate market demand and define target segments; Build early customer, supplier, and strategic partnerships; Secure commercial proof points (LOIs, MOUs, offtake pathways); Support or lead fundraising from VCs. Must-Have Experience: Previous experience in either a startup/early-stage company environment or leading commercial scale-up in a relevant industrial setting (or both); Experience in adhesives, coatings markets and food packaging is a strong plus; A track record in fundraising from VC, grant writing, grant management and building commercial partnerships; Exposure to regulatory processes for industrial chemicals/materials (ideally battery-related). 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; Co-develop and maintain techno-economic models, pricing strategy, financial models, and lead commercial negotiations and contract structuring; Lead fundraising efforts with commercial due diligence materials, building investor relationships and communicating commercial progress; Demonstrated B2B and B2C sales and business development experience, ideally in materials, chemicals or related industrial sectors, with a track record from cold outreach to signed agreements; Willingness to operate across strategic and administrative tasks with resilience, strong self-direction and ability to thrive in uncertain environments; Excellent communication skills with the ability to build credibility across diverse stakeholders, present to senior executives and investors, and work collaboratively with a technical co-fou

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