Fundraising Lead

We are building at the intersection of AI, robotics, and defence — a space with growing interest from both venture investors and public funding programs. We are looking for a Fundraising & Grants Lead who will work closely with the founder to build and run our fundraising function across two parallel tracks: 1. Venture fundraising — helping us identify the right investors, build relationships, prepare fundraising materials, and run an effective investor pipeline. 2. Grants & non-dilutive funding — identifying relevant defence-tech grants and programs internationally and helping us prepare strong applications and manage the process end-to-end. This is not a traditional grant writer role. We are looking for someone who can understand our technology and business, turn it into a compelling investment/funding story, build structure around the fundraising process, and proactively move opportunities forward. The role can start as part-time or project-based and grow into a full-time leadership role as the fundraising function develops. WHAT YOU'LL DO Venture fundraising Work directly with the founder to build and manage our investor fundraising process. Research and map relevant VC funds, defence-tech investors, dual-use investors, family offices, angels, and strategic investors Build and continuously update an investor pipeline Identify which investors are the best fit for our stage, geography, sector, and fundraising thesis Research investors' portfolios, theses, partners, and relevant introductions Identify warm introduction opportunities through our network Track investor outreach, meetings, follow-ups, and next steps Research and identify relevant investor events, conferences, demo days, defence-tech events, and startup programs Proactively identify opportunities for the founder to meet relevant investors Help coordinate and book investor meetings Prepare briefing materials before investor meetings: who they are, what they invest in, what they care about, and how we should position ourselves Help the founder prepare for investor conversations and negotiations Support follow-ups after meetings and maintain momentum across the pipeline Fundraising strategy & materials Help us continuously improve how we present the company to investors. Help refine our fundraising narrative and investment thesis Improve and maintain our pitch deck Help prepare investor-specific materials and one-pagers Structure and maintain our data room Help prepare financial, market, traction, technology, and product materials for due diligence Identify gaps in our fundraising materials and proactively suggest how to close them Help prepare answers to common investor questions Support the founder in preparing for difficult questions and negotiations Help structure fundraising rounds, investor pipeline stages, and next steps You will not be expected to replace the founder in investor conversations. Instead, you'll help the founder be significantly better prepared and make the fundraising process much more structured and effective. Grants & non-dilutive funding At the same time, you will own the research and coordination of our international grant pipeline. Our technology sits at the intersection of AI, robotics, defence, and dual-use technology, with potential access to a wide range of European, Ukrainian, US, NATO, and other funding programs. You will: Research and track relevant grant opportunities across Europe, Ukraine, the US, NATO, and other relevant markets Build and maintain a structured grant pipeline Monitor upcoming calls, deadlines, eligibility requirements, budgets, and application requirements Identify which programs are genuinely relevant to our technology and stage Prioritize opportunities rather than simply collecting a list of grants Assess our eligibility and probability of success Build application calendars and submission plans Coordinate with the founders and technical team to prepare applications Write and/or coordinate technical sections:problem statement solution description technology and innovation TRL assessment methodology work packages milestones impact metrics Coordinate budget justifications and financial sections Maintain reusable company technology and impact documentation Manage submission processes and deadlines Coordinate consortium/application partners where relevant Track submitted applications and outcomes Support post-award reporting, milestone documentation, and compliance THE ROLE IN PRACTICE A big part of this role is creating structure where there currently isn't enough structure. We don't need someone who waits for the founder to say: "Please apply for this grant." We need someone who says: "Here are the 12 funding opportunities we should care about this quarter. These three are the highest priority because we are eligible, the ticket size is meaningful, and the program fits our current product roadmap. Here is what we need to prepare, who needs to provide it, and what we should submit by which date." The same applies to venture fundraising: "Here are the 30 investors we should target. These 10 are the highest priority. I found 7 potential warm introductions, there are two relevant events next month, and here is how I suggest we approach each investor." You will essentially help build the fundraising operating system of the company. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR We are looking for someone who is highly autonomous, structured, commercially minded, and comfortable operating close to the founder. Must have Strong understanding of venture fundraising and/or grant fundraising Excellent English — you can write precise, clear, persuasive, professional applications and investor materials Strong research skills Ability to understand complex technical concepts and translate them into clear language Excellent organization and follow-through Ability to independently manage multiple parallel processes and deadlines Strong attention to detail Comfort working in a fast-moving early-stage startup where priorities can change quickly Ability to proactively identify opportunities rather than wait for instructions Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills Strongly preferred Experience working directly with founders on fundraising Experience building or managing an investor pipeline Experience with VC outreach, investor relations, or startup fundraising Experience preparing pitch decks and fundraising materials Experience setting up or managing a data room Experience supporting investor due diligence Experience with grant applications and grant management Experience researching European or US funding programs Understanding of defence tech / dual-use / deep tech funding ecosystems A major plus Experience with one or more of: NATO DIANA European Defence Fund (EDF) European Innovation Council (EIC) Horizon Europe Ukraine-focused defence/innovation programs US defence / dual-use funding programs NATO-related innovation programs Defence-tech VCs Dual-use investors Deep-tech investors Accelerator/incubator programs for defence or dual-use startups WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU EXCELLENT AT THIS ROLE You don't necessarily need to have done everything before. What matters most is that you can figure things out independently. You might be given a problem like: "We need to find €2M of non-dilutive funding for this product in the next 12 months." We expect you to be able to: Map the relevant funding landscape. Identify 20–30 potentially relevant programs. Filter them down to the 5–7 highest-potential opportunities. Understand eligibility and requirements. Build a submission timeline. Identify what information we need from the technical team. Coordinate the application. Track the process through submission and beyond. Or: "We are raising our next round. Help me figure out who we should talk to." You should be able to: Build the investor universe. Segment investors by relevance. Research their investment thesis. Identify warm introductions. Build an outreach sequence. Prepare the founder for meetings. Track conversations and follow-ups. Help improve the pitch based on investor feedback. Keep the fundraising process moving. PROVEN TRACK RECORD We would love to see evidence that you've done this before. Ideally, you have: 2–3+ successful grant applications, or experience supporting a successful venture fundraising round, or experience in investor relations / fundraising at a startup or fund. Please tell us about the most relevant fundraising projects you've worked on: What was the company/project? What was your role? What type of funding was raised? How much? From whom / through which program? What exactly did you own? We care much more about what you actually did than about the title you had. WHAT WE OFFER Work directly with the founders of a deep-tech defence startup Meaningful work with direct impact on Ukraine's defence capabilities Exposure to both venture capital and international non-dilutive funding Collaboration with robotics, AI, and engineering teams Significant autonomy and ownership Opportunity to build the fundraising function from the ground up Flexible remote-first work format Part-time/project-based start with potential to grow into a larger role WHY THIS ROLE IS INTERESTING This is an unusually broad fundraising role. You won't be spending your time only writing grant applications or only sending cold emails to investors. You will sit at the intersection of: Founder × Investors × Grants × Defence Tech × Deep Tech You'll learn how to position a highly technical defence product for very different audiences — from a VC partner to a European grant evaluator to a defence innovation program. And you'll have a direct impact on the company's ability to finance and scale its technology. HOW TO APPLY Please send: Your CV / LinkedIn A short description of your most relevant fundraising experience 2–3 examples of grants, fundraising rounds, or investor processes you've worked on What part of this role you are strongest at: VC fundraising, grants, investor relations, research, or fundraising operations Your preferred working format: part-time / full-time / project-based If you have examples of fundraising materials, grant applications, investor research, or other relevant work you can share, we'd love to see them.