---
title: 'Founding Lead Engineer — AI & Workflow Automation at Founders Factory'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/founding-lead-engineer-ai-workflow-automation-founders-factory-berlin-t2q0npcenzm4'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Founding Lead Engineer — AI & Workflow Automation at Founders Factory

- **Company:** Founders Factory
- **Location:** Berlin, Germany
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-01
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/founders-factory/3d7cfe55-a22d-49b5-98ae-7c5acdb32b53

## Job description

FOUNDING LEAD ENGINEER — AI & WORKFLOW AUTOMATION

Founders Factory builds and funds startups together with exceptional entrepreneurs and leading companies. Founded by experienced entrepreneurs, we combine early-stage capital with a hands-on Venture Studio team across product, engineering, growth, talent and fundraising.

We’re now building a new venture tackling one of Germany’s biggest labour-market challenges: how to find, engage and hire skilled workers at scale.

We’re looking for a hands-on Lead Engineer with founder ambitions to build the first product from scratch, with the opportunity to become the venture’s Technical Co-Founder.

## THE OPPORTUNITY

Recruiting skilled workers is still remarkably manual. Candidates are found across fragmented channels, contacted via WhatsApp or phone, qualified one by one, matched against roles and repeatedly chased for missing information.

We believe a large part of this workflow can be fundamentally redesigned using AI, conversational interfaces and automation.

You would build the first version: from candidate acquisition and qualification to matching, follow-up and integrations into existing recruiting workflows.

## WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

- Strong full-stack engineer able to build independently from zero to working product
- Experience automating messy, real-world workflows
- Hands-on experience shipping LLM / AI-agent functionality to users
- Comfortable connecting APIs, databases, messaging tools and third-party systems
- Product-minded: you care about whether technology actually removes work and improves conversion
- High ownership and entrepreneurial ambition — whether as a founder, early engineer, freelancer or technical operator
- Familiarity with the DACH market; German strongly preferred

## PARTICULARLY RELEVANT

Experience with recruitment or HR tech, ATS/CRM integrations, WhatsApp, voice AI, n8n/Make, matching systems, marketplaces or workflow-heavy SaaS would be highly relevant.

## WHAT WE OFFER

You’ll build the company from day one with capital and hands-on support from Founders Factory, working alongside an experienced venture team and with access to our network of founders, operators, corporate partners and investors.

This is an opportunity to build first, validate quickly and potentially step in as Technical Co-Founder of an independent venture-backed company.

## About Founders Factory

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Founders Factory is a venture studio and startup accelerator that builds and funds early‑stage startups in fintech, health, industrials, and deep tech.
- **Entity Type**: Private (venture builder and investor)
- **Headquarters**: London, United Kingdom (and offices in New York, Berlin, Milan, Singapore, British Columbia, Perth, Grand Bahama)
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: Brent Hoberman, Henry Lane Fox, George Northcott — [foundersfactory.com/about-us/](https://foundersfactory.com/about-us/)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Venture building (studio), startup acceleration, corporate innovation partnerships.
- **Target customers**: Early‑stage founders (pre-seed to seed) and large corporates seeking to co‑build or invest in disruptive ventures.
- **Mission**: “Power founders to go further, faster” and “be the most impactful co‑founder for early stage founders.” — [foundersfactory.com/about-us/](https://foundersfactory.com/about-us/)

## Products & Services
- **Venture Studio**: Co‑founds new companies from scratch, developing ideas, technologies and business models into high‑growth ventures.
- **Accelerator Programs**: Pre‑seed and seed investment programs that provide capital, operational support, and access to corporate partners across fintech, health, industrials, and deep tech.
- **Sector‑Focused Accelerators**:
  - Aviva Fintech Accelerator
  - Rio Tinto Mining Tech Accelerator
  - Northwestern Medicine Healthcare Accelerator
  - MSWA MS & Neurological Care Accelerator
  - HSBC Industrial Innovator Programme
  - Blue Action Accelerator (climate) — [foundersfactory.com/](https://foundersfactory.com/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metrics**:
  - Annual revenue: GBP 6.5M — [uk.linkedin.com/company/foundersfactory](https://uk.linkedin.com/company/foundersfactory)
  - Total funding: $26.9M across 6 rounds — [uk.linkedin.com/company/foundersfactory](https://uk.linkedin.com/company/foundersfactory)
  - Portfolio companies: 450+ (as of 2025) — [uk.linkedin.com/company/foundersfactory](https://uk.linkedin.com/company/foundersfactory)
  - Team size: ~60+ operators — [foundersfactory.com/about-us/](https://foundersfactory.com/about-us/)
- **Notable Corporate Partners**: Aviva, Rio Tinto, Vonovia, Fastweb, Mediobanca, HSBC, Pico Global, Hitachi, Government of Western Australia, Enterprise Singapore, MSWA — [foundersfactory.com/about-us/](https://foundersfactory.com/about-us/)
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Expansion to 9 countries (including US, Italy, Germany, Australia, Singapore).
  - Rio Tinto committed A$14.4M over three years to back mining tech startups.
  - Portfolio companies have secured 500+ pilots and commercial contracts with corporate partners. — [foundersfactory.com/about-us/](https://foundersfactory.com/about-us/)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Corporate access**: Startups get distribution, market intelligence, and potential commercial deals through established corporate partners.
- **Operator‑led team**: 60+ experts (product, engineering, design, data science, growth) provide co‑founder‑level support.
- **Multi‑sector focus**: Dedicated verticals (fintech, health, industrials, deep tech) allow deep domain expertise.
- **Global footprint**: Presence on four continents gives portfolio companies geographic reach and local market insights.

## Strategic Focus
- **Deepening corporate partnerships**: Building new sector‑specific accelerators (e.g., climate, mining).
- **Scaling the Venture Studio**: Co‑founding more companies from scratch with exceptional entrepreneurs.
- **Geographic expansion**: Further presence in Asia‑Pacific and North America, as evidenced by offices in Singapore and Chicago.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “Power to founders” mindset; values include “suggest solutions not problems”, “be polite, generous and show empathy”, “embrace uncertainty & remain decisive”, “value momentum over perfection” — [foundersfactory.com/about-us/](https://foundersfactory.com/about-us/)
- **Work model**: London HQ with multiple global offices; roles likely hybrid/in‑office, though specific policy varies by location.
- **Opportunities**: Join the operations team (investment, venture design, data science) or directly join one of the 450+ portfolio startups — [foundersfactory.com/join-us/](https://foundersfactory.com/join-us/)
- **Notable perks**: Access to a vast network of founders, investors, and corporate innovators; hands‑on involvement in building startups from scratch.

## Sources
1. [Founders Factory official site](https://foundersfactory.com/)
2. [Founders Factory About Us](https://foundersfactory.com/about-us/)
3. [Founders Factory Careers](https://foundersfactory.com/join-us/)
4. [Founders Factory Team](https://foundersfactory.com/team)
5. [Founders Factory LinkedIn](https://uk.linkedin.com/company/foundersfactory)

## Other roles at Founders Factory

- [Venture Designer (Singapore)](https://feeny.ai/job/venture-designer-singapore-founders-factory-singapore-zjcdkfsqsagx) — Singapore
- [Talent Investor - Venture Studio](https://feeny.ai/job/talent-investor-venture-studio-founders-factory-london-t6zfqhvp8at3) — London, United Kingdom
- [Co-Found with Founders Factory - Green Energy Studio (Thailand)](https://feeny.ai/job/co-found-with-founders-factory-green-energy-studio-thailand-founders-factory-q5qrs33908en) — Bangkok, Thailand
- [Venture Studio Tech Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/venture-studio-tech-lead-founders-factory-london-txz6d93859t4) — London, United Kingdom
- [Founder & CEO (PreSeed HealthTech) -  Clinical Coding Revenue Intelligence](https://feeny.ai/job/founder-ceo-preseed-healthtech-clinical-coding-revenue-intelligence-founders-kv96jfmjapn2) — Berlin, Germany
- [Venture Builder | HealthTech (London)](https://feeny.ai/job/venture-builder-healthtech-london-founders-factory-london-w6s1shxnzd39) — London, United Kingdom
- [Founding Tech Lead (Dual Use Defence & Health-tech) - Tricorder](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-tech-lead-dual-use-defence-health-tech-tricorder-founders-factory-j6p654kd21a7) — Bristol, United Kingdom / London, United Kingdom / United Kingdom
- [Venture Builder - Industrial Shield (HealthTech)](https://feeny.ai/job/venture-builder-industrial-shield-healthtech-founders-factory-perth-mvdgr4xyjc4v) — Perth
- [Founder & CEO | Robotics (HealthCare)](https://feeny.ai/job/founder-ceo-robotics-healthcare-founders-factory-new-york-r90ya29h139x) — New York, NY
- [Founder & CEO - Industrial Shield](https://feeny.ai/job/founder-ceo-industrial-shield-founders-factory-perth-204vd9h1y15z) — Perth