Polisense AI - Co-Founder Roles (Tech Lead & Marketing/Sales Specialist) - EXIST Grant
About Polisense AI: Polisense AI is a German climate-tech startup building an “AI Energy & Resource Access Co-Pilot” for local governments and related companies. Our platform integrates geospatial, financial, and climate data to help cities prioritize energy and climate actions. We recently won first prize in the “Energy Access” track at the 2025 AI×City Hackathon (Climate Week NYC). In that competition Polisense’s solution was recognized for its potential to help governments and companies in “making smarter energy and resource investments by highlighting priority regions where funding will have the greatest impact”. This mission is highly relevant: according to the UN, an estimated 760 million people still live without electricity, so innovative data-driven solutions like ours are urgently needed.
Startup Impact and Eligibility: Polisense AI targets Sustainable Development Goals in energy, climate and resource management. Our idea – an AI-driven, cloud-based co-pilot – is highly innovative and technology-oriented, exactly the type of project supported by Germany’s EXIST program. As required for EXIST, we already have a prototype and an interdisciplinary team. We seek two co-founder graduates from German universities to complete our founding team. Both roles (Tech Lead and Marketing/Sales Specialist) will qualify as co-founder positions in the EXIST application, and both candidates must be university graduates (≤5 years since degree) to meet funding criteria.
Co-Founder, Tech Lead – Key Responsibilities- Technical Vision & Architecture: Define and implement the overall technology roadmap. Lead the design of our AI/co-pilot platform (architecture, data pipelines, AI/ML models, APIs) so that government users can query and visualize energy/resource data effectively.
- Product Development: Ensure feasibility and quality of the product. Rapidly prototype new features (e.g. resource prioritization, alerting, report generation) and write production code when needed. Collaborate closely with any developers or contractors to build a scalable, maintainable system.
- Data Integration & Analysis: Oversee integration of diverse datasets (geospatial, energy, climate, financial, documents). Implement AI-driven analytics and search tools so the platform can surface insights from technical documents and data.
- Team Leadership: Build and grow the engineering function. Recruit, onboard and manage any additional developers/engineers as the company scales. Serve as the technical mentor and liaison between the product vision and engineering execution.
- Strategic Contribution: Actively participate in product strategy and investor pitches. As a tech co-founder, collaborate on business development activities (e.g. demoing to city officials or funders) where your technical insight is crucial.
- Go-to-Market Strategy: Lead all marketing, communications and customer engagement efforts. Develop and execute a brand and outreach strategy that clearly communicates Polisense AI’s mission and value to city governments, NGOs and partners.
- Brand & Content: Own brand positioning, content and channels. Create a compelling narrative (web, social, PR, presentations) that highlights our hackathon success and pilots. Ensure consistent messaging as Polisense AI expands into Peru, Jordan, Mozambique and beyond.
- Customer & Partner Acquisition: Identify and secure pilot projects and partnerships. Engage with city leaders, development agencies, and impact investors to expand our footprint. Lead outreach campaigns, respond to RFPs/grants, and support our EXIST grant application and follow-on fundraising. Provide user feedback from pilots to refine the product.
- Sales & Fundraising: Develop sales pipelines (primarily B2G and NGO channels) and forge relationships. Work with tech co-founder to customize demos for potential partners. Play a key role in grant writing (EXIST, EU/UN grants) and investor outreach. As co-founder, help prepare pitch materials by translating technical benefits into stakeholder value.
- Data-Driven Marketing: Track KPIs and analytics. Use insights (website traffic, pilot usage data) to optimize our marketing spend and channels, balancing performance marketing with long-term brand building.
- Education & Eligibility: Must be a recent graduate (≤5 years) of a German university or research institution. PhDs and graduate students (≥50% completed) are welcome, but all team members must satisfy EXIST criteria.
- Startup Mindset: We seek self-driven, adaptable entrepreneurs who thrive in early-stage ventures. Expect a flat structure – you’ll wear many hats and enjoy significant responsibility. Curiosity, creativity and resilience are essential.
- Technical/Domain Fit: For Tech Lead: strong background in AI/ML, software engineering and data science (experience with climate or energy data is a plus). For Marketing/Sales: experience or passion in tech marketing, communications, or business development; ideally some familiarity with climate/energy sectors or international development.
- Soft Skills: Excellent communication and collaboration skills. The marketing co-founder should be a persuasive storyteller comfortable with outreach and events; the tech co-founder should be a clear technical leader who can bridge business and engineering. Both must work well in remote teams. Fluency in English is required; German proficiency (for EXIST coordination) and knowledge of Spanish/Arabic/Portuguese (for Peru/Mozambique/Jordan pilots) are advantageous.
- EXIST Grant (12 months): Both roles are funded initially by the EXIST start-up grant, which provides personal stipends (≈€2,500/month for graduates) and a modest project budget. This grant covers the first year and can be supplemented by coaching and equipment funds (up to €10k per team).
- Equity & Growth: As co-founders, you will receive equity in the company. If we secure follow-on funding (seed VC or impact investors), roles are expected to transition into salaried positions in 2027+.
- Remote Flexibility: These positions are location-flexible. We welcome remote work and periodic travel. Core hours can be flexible, but expect occasional team meetings and stakeholder calls (including with partners in Peru/Europe).
- Timeline: We aim for a Jan–Feb 2026 start to align with the EXIST program (EXIST scholarships can begin on the 1st of any month). Candidates should be able to devote ~100% effort for the initial grant year. There is a strong likelihood to extend beyond 2026 as we expand pilots and funding.
- High Impact: Work on an ambitious AI-for-good solution addressing climate and energy inequity. Our pilot projects target real-world outcomes in multiple countries, e.g., Germany, Peru, Jordan, Mozambique.
- Proven Traction: Polisense AI already has validation – we have seed funding, and part of a global GCoM/NY Climate Exchange accelerator. You’ll leverage this momentum to build the MVP and grow.
- Innovative Team: Our founding team brings deep AI and energy-sector expertise. We offer a dynamic, mission-driven environment where your ideas shape the product from day one.
- Application: If you’re a recent graduate who is passionate about AI, startups, and climate/energy impact, we want to hear from you. Apply with a resume and brief statement of interest. Please mention which co-founder role (Tech Lead or Marketing/Sales) you’re targeting. We will be reviewing applications through January 2026 and plan interviews in February 2026.