Co-Founder in Residence (Commercial), Reinventing Crop Nutrition & Weed Control

Deep Science Ventures is seeking a Commercial Co-Founder to co-create a venture to revolutionise weed control through crop nutrient delivery. You will partner with the technical founder to take this from pre-incoporation / pre-seed to Series A and beyond - turning relationships with major agri-input companies into commercial agreements, solving the route to farmer adoption, and raising the capital to scale.  You will build the commercial infrastructure that turns a breakthrough technology into a durable business.

This is a ground-floor co-founder role. The founding team will collectively hold a majority equity stake in the company, with pre-seed (incorporation) investment and ongoing support from Deep Science Ventures and the Grantham Foundation. The exact leadership remit will be shaped around the strengths of the founding team, with potential for this role to evolve into the CEO or another C-suite position.

The role is full-time and initially remote-based, starting as soon as possible, with venture incorporation and spin-out targeted for early Q2 2027.

The Venture

A combination of legislation and weed resistance is giving farmers an ever-diminishing herbicide tool kit.  Legacy chemical herbicides have been shown to be toxic to human health and the environment.  Meanwhile, farmers are spending thousands of dollars per year on inefficient crop nutrition with at best 50% of what is administered benefiting the crop.  The remainder is polluting our water systems or feeding weeds that compete with the crop for nutrients.  Thus weeds are costing farmers twice - on wasted nutrients and on herbicides.  We are building a solution to address this paradox, with a technology that delivers nutrients exclusively to crops. It is designed for compatibility with existing farming practices, thereby enabling large scale impact via both increased nutrient use efficiency for yield and weed starvation to lower herbicide demands.  

You’ll build the company alongside Dr. James Pearce, an experienced ag-biotech R&D leader and named inventor on multiple agricultural biotechnology patents, with 20+ years spanning startups and global crop-science companies. He has held senior roles including CSO at Boost Biomes and VP Research at CH4 Global, alongside earlier leadership roles at Monsanto/Bayer, Cibus and Syngenta. His experience spans microbial crop inputs, biologicals, field trials, bioprocess scale-up, regulatory and IP strategy, and strategic partnerships.

You’re motivated by ambitious, unsolved challenges and the opportunity to challenge the status quo in agrochemicals. You’re entrepreneurial, impact-driven and comfortable taking initiative in ambiguous, fast-moving environments, using first-principles thinking to figure out what’s really needed. You collaborate with patience and an open mind, and are willing to go where the company needs you most as the venture evolves.

Experience & track record

• Significant commercial leadership experience in agri-inputs, biologicals, crop protection or adjacent science-led/regulated industries, with a strong preference for direct agricultural experience;
• Track record of navigating the ag ecosystem, taking crop inputs to market through retail or direct to farmers. Direct experience taking crop inputs through retail, agronomist/adviser or farmer channels is highly desirable;
• Track record personally negotiating and closing material licensing, distribution, supply or other strategic commercial agreements;
• You have co-founded or commercially-led an early-stage startup, raised funding and closed early deals;
• Successfully sourced non-dilutive funding in the form of grants;
• Strong financial literacy - able to build, interrogate, and communicate financial models;
• Excellent stakeholder communication - credible with customers, investors and a technical co-founder alike;
• Exposure to the fertiliser industry would be a significant advantage.  

Responsibilities

• Develop and convert relationships with major fertiliser and agri-input companies into commercial partnerships;
• Develop and execute the route-to-market strategy, including how manufacturer partnerships translate into distributor/adviser and farmer adoption;
• Develop and validate the techno-economic model and commercial business model;
• Secure funding from investors - leading commercial due diligence, building investor relationships and closing rounds;
• Develop company strategy as a core member of the founding team;
• Build and lead the commercial team as the company scales.

The setup

This role is structured as a Co-Founder in Residence through Deep Science Ventures pre-incorporation and spin-out. We provide guaranteed income of £4,166 per month, paid to each Founder as a consultancy fee until the company is launched. The venture spins out with £250k in inception capital from DSV and the Grantham Foundation. The founding team will collectively hold a majority equity stake in the company, and salary is negotiated as part of the spin-out. Post-launch, DSV provides continuous portfolio support - fundraising, partnerships, recruitment. Remote-first, open globally, with an on-site presence in San Diego California post spin-out.

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.

About Grantham

The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment was established in 1997 by Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham. Jeremy is co-founder and Chairman of investment management firm GMO, LLC. Jeremy was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2016, and received with Hannelore the Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy in 2017, all for leadership in climate change activities.