CEO & Co -Founder - Gas Detection Sensor Technology

• CEO and Co-Founder of Start-Up
  


• Attractive Equity Stake
  


• Venture Builder with Extensive Support Networks
  

To be eligible you should have experience in business development within the industrial or chemical sector, and/or sensor deployment for environmental & safety monitoring during plant operation.

The world needs innovations to reach net-zero and circularity, but a wealth of research inventions never get used at scale. BigCircle Ventures scouts promising DeepTech and turns this into successful startups that tackle the world’s climate and circularity challenges. We focus on the large, untapped pool of early-stage innovations that would otherwise stay untouched on a shelf, hidden in a university, research institute or company lab.

It all starts with a goal-driven project selection process to assess impact and commercial viability. Once identified, the project is paired with a CEO at the point of incorporation. As CEO/Co-Founder you will drive the project to hit milestones with a

strategic exit in mind.

The technology:

The innovation, based on spectroscopy technology developed for space applications, offers a method to visually detect gas leaks. Gases such as methane, ammonia, volatile organics, NOx, and SOx can leak from industrial and agricultural sites, during production, transport, and storage. The cumulative volume of these fugitive gas leaks are a waste of valuable resources and does significant environmental harm. Additionally, it can limit the development of sustainable energy carrier infrastructure, such as ammonia, due to safety concerns. As a result, regulations are being imposed on industry and a need for leak detection and mitigation sensing technology is growing.

In contrast to existing technologies, this innovation is low cost, compact, usable as a handheld device that provides real-time, visual data. Additionally, it is highly selective towards a wide range of molecular gases. Already at a later stage of development, it can be rapidly deployed and scaled into the existing and developing gas detection market. These characteristics make it exceptionally well-aligned with the accelerating global demand for clean air initiatives while allowing for further sustainable industrial growth.

A CEO is sought to co-found this revolutionary project.

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Purpose-driven fundraising: You know how to secure the right kind of funding at the right stage, from innovation to scaled manufacturing, and driving commercial success
  


• Business development: Create the (international) go-to-market strategy by aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared purpose
  


• Network: Bring and build a network of experts, collaborators, and early-adopters in appropriate markets
  


• Leadership: Build strong, motivated teams for technology- and business development, foster trust, and inspire others to do their best work bridging innovation and market impact.
  

Requirements

• Entrepreneurship: You can turn the technology into real-world impact, by identifying opportunities to create value, innovation, and profit.
  


• Driven and action-oriented: You are a person who is willing to make things happen by setting relevant goals with a clear path to achieving them.
  


• Industrial or chemical sector experience: You bring hands-on experience or strong international network in industrial or chemical settings, such as port areas, processing plants, or sectors involving gas handling or ammonia transport. You understand how commercial partnerships can drive safer, more sustainable industrial operations.
  


• Collaborative Technical Mindset: A technical background is a plus, but not essential. You must be enthusiastic about technology, able to pick up knowledge of limitations and boundaries of the gas detection technology and competing sensors. You enjoy working closely with research, product, and engineering teams, translating industrial needs into solutions that make sense.
  


• Business model development: You have experience with designing and scaling business models, preferably for sensor or monitoring solutions (e.g., licensing, own production, or service/data-based models).
  

• Manufacturing: You know how to turn ideas into tangible products by translating early prototypes into commercially viable solutions. You can guide production within an industrial environment through collaboration and practical problem-solving.
  


• Visionary leadership: You bring clarity and purpose to complex situations, shaping innovation and business growth through creativity, data-driven insight, and long-term thinking. Experience in a start-up or growth-stage environment is a plus.
  


• Financial Acumen: You combine strategic financial insight with relationship-building skills. You can manage budgets and earnings reports, as well as creating growth by finding and engaging with investors for external fundraising.
  


• New Product Launch: You understand how to bring new technologies to market, aligning product, marketing, and customer engagement for successful adoption, ideally with experience in gas detection or related fields.
  


• Regulatory Knowledge: You have an understanding of relevant European and international air quality standards and can navigate regulatory frameworks.
  

• English language proficiency. Additional languages are a plus
  


• Currently based in the Netherlands or happy to relocate
  


• Available at least 3 days a week in start-up phase, although full time is preferable
  

Benefits

Founding a start-up is the dream of many, but the chance of success via traditional routes is disappointingly low.

We dramatically increase the chances of success by:

• Picking  the most promising, impactful technologies
  


• Match each project with the right entrepreneur
  


• Put support and infrastructure in place to ensure the best chance of success
  

The unique benefit of this model is the complete suite of professional services provided.

You will be surrounded by experts in the fields of capital raising (all stages), exit, legal, governance, regulatory, patent expertise & HR support. You will be mentored one-to-one by a senior partner and join a growing community of CEOs within our portfolio of ventures.