CEO SOLSENS (The Collider Programme)

Are you seeking a new entrepreneurial adventure that offers the opportunity to build a deep-tech startup in the wine industry sector?

SolSens, a beneficiary of the The Collider Venture Building Programme, is looking for an entrepreneurial profile with business acumen, experience as a founder, to join the team. As an entrepreneur, you will be part of our 3-month programme designed to validate the business potential of the technology being developed by the scientific team. At the end of this process, if the business and the team are validated, the spin-off will be incorporated, and you will become the CEO and co-founder of a new disruptive and IP-protected deep-tech spin-off.

About the Project

SolSens, a research project from a collaboration between Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ), has developed a pioneering approach for the low-cost and sensible determination of alcohol in wine (ethanol and methanol). 

This technology is based on the use of molecular catalysts to determine alcohol in alcoholic beverages, from non-alcoholic beverages (0.01 per cent) to high-proof beverages (20-30%). It is a low-cost solution for ethanol analysis enabling miniaturized, in-situ analysis with high precision, that allows the identification of the presence of adulterated drinks in a continous monitoring.

About the Role and Current Challenges

The Entrepreneur will play a critical role in advancing SolSens by bringing business expertise, strategic thinking, and an entrepreneurial mindset to drive innovation and business development while contributing to the overall success of the initiative.

During the programme, you will lead the commercialization, fundraising strategy, partnership development, and corporate strategy efforts, fostering a high-performance culture of innovation and collaboration. Additionally, throughout this period, you will validate the relationship with the current founders to ensure the formation of a cohesive and solid team.

What are the main challenges for SolSens team in the coming months?

• Defining the vision, financial and business strategy of the future spin-off.
• Leading the business approach to potential clients, partners and investors.
• Design and seek out the first pilots or sales with key industry leaders.
• Negotiating the tech transfer terms with the institutions behind the project.

This opportunity is for you if:

• You are an entrepreneur with previous experience founding or co-founding tech-based startups with real clients and traction (Experience founding deep-tech startups will be highly valued).
• You are passionate about deep-tech, especially related to wine industry sector.
• You have experience in team leadership and fundraising.
• You possess an advanced/native level of English (The programme will be fully in English).
• You hold a passport or visa that allows you to work in Spain (On-site activities take place at least once a month).
• You are able to spend three months validating the fit with the team and the business at your own expense before becoming a co-founder.
  

Personal Skills

• Entrepreneurial mindset.
• Business vision and strategic thinking.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Hands-on approach.

What do we offer?

• Opportunity to co-create an impactful business strategy for a disruptive spin-off.
• Opportunity to acquire relevant equity as a co-founder.
• Work with a highly motivated team and a high-class management board.
• Become part of the The Collider tech-transfer ecosystem and take advantage of its excellent programmes.

About the programme:

Founded in 2017, The Collider programme has supported more than 200 scientific projects and created 22 deep-tech spin-offs in 7 editions with a 77% current survival rate, and a portfolio valued at more than 73 million euros. Learn more about The Collider here.