Startup CEO

Chief Executive Officer

Build a defense technology company.

Shape an emerging market.

Lead the commercialization of a new training standard.

SG2 Recruiting is partnering with Q2Impact to identify a Chief Executive Officer for a newly formed defense technology company commercializing Q2 Holodeck™, an immersive, AI/ML-driven training platform designed to prepare security, force protection, and first-responder personnel to recognize drone threats, select lawful and effective responses, and report incidents before a real-world event occurs.

We are seeking a founding Chief Executive Officer (Co-Founder) to lead the company’s strategy, capital formation, government go-to-market execution, and organizational growth. Reporting to the Board of Directors, you will hold full profit-and-loss accountability while building the team, securing early customers, and establishing a repeatable commercial model.

This is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial executive who can move between strategy and execution—personally leading customer pursuits, fundraising, and pricing decisions during the company’s first 18 months while positioning the business for long-term growth.

Compensation: Up to $250,000 base salary, performance bonus of 25%–50% of base salary, and founder-level equity of 10%–15%, subject to the company’s compensation and equity arrangements.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Setting company strategy and commercial direction: Defining market-entry priorities across federal, state and local government, and critical-infrastructure markets; establishing pricing and packaging across deployment models; protecting and extending intellectual property; and positioning Q2 Holodeck™ as a reference standard for counter-UAS decision training.
• Leading capital formation and financial management: Driving equity fundraising and pursuing non-dilutive funding opportunities, including SBIR/STTR, Other Transaction Authority (OTA), and program-office awards; managing budgets, cash flow, burn rate, and runway; and establishing the financial and contract-cost infrastructure needed to scale.
• Owning business development and revenue generation: Managing revenue, pipeline, and forecasting; personally leading early-stage pursuits and closing initial reference customers; converting demonstrations into contract awards; and developing repeatable contracting pathways through CRADAs, government purchase card purchases, sole-source opportunities, OTAs, and other appropriate mechanisms.
• Building strategic partnerships and customer relationships: Establishing relationships with government customers, prime contractors, channel partners, investors, and industry stakeholders to accelerate market adoption and create opportunities for follow-on business.
• Guiding product strategy and delivery: Partnering with the CTO to prioritize the product roadmap; communicating clearly about fielded versus planned capabilities; standardizing custom scenario development; and establishing delivery, customer support, and training-effectiveness measures that support renewals and expansion.
• Building the executive team and company culture: Recruiting revenue, finance, and delivery leaders ahead of business demand; developing the founding leadership team; and establishing operating rhythms, planning processes, performance expectations, and accountability standards.
• Overseeing governance, compliance, and enterprise risk: Providing timely, accurate reporting to the Board; overseeing progress toward applicable security and compliance requirements, including ISO 27001, CMMC 2.0, and FedRAMP or equivalent authorizations; and managing export-control, intellectual-property, accreditation, customer-concentration, and key-person risks.
• Representing the company externally: Serving as the principal spokesperson to customers, agency and congressional leadership, investors, industry partners, and media while contributing to discussions around counter-UAS authorities and training standards.

What You Need:

• Executive leadership experience: 15+ years of progressively senior leadership experience, including at least five years as a CEO, general manager, division president, or equivalent executive with direct profit-and-loss accountability.
• Entrepreneurial growth experience: A demonstrated record of scaling a technology, software, product, or services business from early revenue toward a sustainable commercial model, including ownership of pricing and go-to-market strategy.
• Citizenship and security: U.S. citizenship is required. The ability to obtain a security clearance may be required.
• Government or enterprise market experience: Direct experience selling to or delivering products or services for U.S. federal, defense, public safety, critical-infrastructure, or business-to-business customers.
• Capital formation experience: Experience leading or advising on venture, strategic, or other fundraising initiatives, non-dilutive funding, or mergers and acquisitions.
• Financial and operational acumen: Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, cash flow, unit economics, business performance, and the fiduciary responsibilities of an executive.
• Technical fluency: The ability to engage credibly with technical leadership and demanding customers on software architecture, deployment options, security accreditation, and implementation trade-offs.
• Strategic judgment and resilience: Comfort making decisions with incomplete information, testing assumptions, adapting quickly, and sustaining momentum through long and complex sales cycles.
• Integrity in customer and investor communications: A commitment to clearly distinguishing existing product capabilities from planned functionality.
• Education: A bachelor's degree is required.

If You Have This, It’s a Plus:

• Experience in counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), air defense, force protection, homeland security, or critical-infrastructure protection.
• Experience commercializing and delivering software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, including hosted and customer-specific deployment models.
• Familiarity with the Department of Defense Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process and federal acquisition pathways.
• A track record of taking a company from pre-revenue or early-stage commercialization to a qualified pipeline and recurring-revenue business.
• Experience securing government innovation funding, establishing strategic partnerships, and converting pilot programs or demonstrations into production contracts.
• Experience building organizations that serve government customers with demanding cybersecurity, compliance, and operational requirements.
• An advanced degree in business, engineering, national security, public policy, STEM, or a related discipline

What’s In It For You:

• Founder-level ownership: An anticipated 10%–15% equity stake, with four-year vesting, a one-year cliff, and acceleration provisions upon a qualifying change of control, subject to definitive agreements.
• Competitive executive compensation: A base salary of up to $250,000, depending on experience and the company’s capital position at hire.
• Performance-based upside: A milestone-based bonus targeted at 25%–50% of base salary for achieving Board-approved objectives, including funding milestones and initial contract awards.
• A market-shaping opportunity: The chance to help establish an emerging category of AI/ML-driven, scenario-based decision training for counter-UAS and protective-force missions.
• Meaningful mission impact: Commercializing technology that helps security personnel and first responders practice making lawful, effective decisions before real-world drone threats occur.
• Executive ownership and influence: Setting company strategy, shaping the product’s commercial direction, building the leadership team, and establishing the operating model from the ground up.
• Remote flexibility: Working remotely while traveling approximately 25%–30% for customer demonstrations, government engagements, industry events, and investor meetings.
• Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; a 401(k) with matching; unlimited paid time off; and coverage of applicable clearance-related and professional expenses.

About the Client:

Client is a newly formed defense technology company and subsidiary of Q2IMPACT, focused on commercializing Q2 Holodeck™, a browser-based, AI/ML-driven, scenario-based training platform. Built on The Makusudi Game™, a patented decision-training methodology incubated at Q2IMPACT, Q2 Holodeck™ trains personnel to identify drone threats, evaluate response options, and report incidents while scoring decisions against the authorities and rules of engagement applicable to each customer’s site. The platform is designed to serve Department of Defense and Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration protective forces, federal and state and local law enforcement, critical-infrastructure operators, corrections, private-sector organizations, and allied nations. Hosted SaaS is the primary offering, with dedicated and customer-hosted deployments available subject to technical validation. By enabling large numbers of personnel to train simultaneously without the classroom, range, and instructor constraints of traditional training, Q2 Holodeck™ offers an opportunity to expand access to realistic, decision-based preparation for emerging security challenges.

Employment sponsorship is not available.

Client is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations are available to applicants and employees with disabilities upon request.