Founder's Associate (Growth)

Mercura builds AI software for technical suppliers - the distributors and manufacturers who supply contractors to build new hospitals, schools, homes, and power plants. This industry runs on expertise built over decades. But too much of that expertise gets buried in manual work - processing vague requests, keying data into ERPs, answering phone calls - instead of serving customers. Some of the best teams turn down up to 30% of incoming business simply because they can't keep up. Mercura changes that. Backed by Y Combinator, we surpassed $2M in ARR in our first year. Now we're looking for people ready to go all-in to reach our next milestone: $10M ARR by end of 2026. One of our co-founders, Lukas, grew up in a fourth-generation trades family and worked on construction sites himself. That’s where he learned first-hand how slow and manual this work still is. No skilled person should spend their time on work that software should handle. We're building the tools that give experts their time back - so they can focus on what they do best, and keep the physical world running at the speed it deserves. ABOUT THE ROLE We’re looking for our first Founder's Associate (Growth) to help us drive our company growth and market expansion. This is a fast-paced, hands-on role for candidates who take initiative and get things done. As the right hand of our CEO, you will work side-by-side with us and translate data and insights into commercial impact. If you're excited about growth and real ownership in the early stages of a venture - this is your opportunity to lead, learn and contribute. WHAT YOU WILL BE WORKING ON - Strategic Growth: Work directly with the CEO on strategic initiatives to drive company growth and market expansion - Sales Enablement & Operations: Own the infrastructure that keeps the commercial team effective - maintain CRM data quality, coordinate trade fairs and events, build playbooks and pitch decks, and design the workflows and frameworks that move deals from first touch to close - GTM Engineering: Source market and pipeline data to identify high-potential target accounts and continuously sharpen our go-to-market approach - Process Optimization: Analyze pipeline data, and turn insights into actionable improvements across the sales process - Market Expansion: Explore and validate new markets and identify strategic growth opportunities - Customer & Partner Success: Build, manage and close partnerships and drive customer expansion WHAT WE OFFER - Learn to build a company: Over five Mercura alumni have gone on to found their own companies and raise millions after their time with us. At Mercura, you’ll take on real responsibility and gain the hands-on experience only possible in a high-growth startup. - Become our first Founder's Associate with guaranteed career advancement opportunities in a rapidly growing team - An ambitious and caring team that sees their work as more than just a job - Real shares in our company with the most favorable tax treatment - no VSOP/ESOP - Free team dinner (up to 4x/week) - UrbanSportsClub membership and access to a company bike - Easy relocation to Munich — our office is located in the Werk1 Startup Incubator https://en.werk1.com/coliving-apartments-munich/, where you can rent a 1-bedroom apartment right next to the office for just €800/month - Access to any AI or productivity tools you need WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR Skills & Experience - You have 1-3 years of experience in fast-paced environments (e.g. startups, consulting, VC) - You have experience in building or scaling startups, own projects, student initiatives or driving sales - You a strong problem solver and and excel in taking full ownership of your work - You have strong customer empathy and business sense to understand customer pain points and needs - You are a strong and professional communicator in German & English Personality Traits & Commitment - Your job is part of how you define yourself. You are fully committed to your work and achieving ambitious goals amid uncertainty. - You’re are entrepreneurial, hands-on, resilient and not afraid of doing unglamorous work - You are analytical, curious, highly organized, and take initiative to get things done - You’re outgoing, energetic, caring, and enjoy working with people - You are a team player who supports others and steps up to lead when needed. - You want to work in-person in Munich with a higher intensity than in a 9-5 job YOUR TEAM & MENTORS You will work with - Lukas https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukas-bock/ (Co-Founder & CEO; prev. ML at Google X, Researcher in Cambridge) - Lars https://www.linkedin.com/in/lars-leinen/ (prev. BDR at Tacto, Consulting at OMMAX, FTE #2 at Econos) Your mentors will be - Bernhard Metzger https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernhard-metzger-4737699a/ (VP B2B Sales FINN) - Christian Reichert https://www.linkedin.com/in/reichertchristian/ (CRO Shiftmove) ABOUT THE INTERVIEW Step 1: Intro call Casual intro meeting with one of the founders to get to know each other and introduce Mercura. Step 2: Role play exercise A practical exercise in which we explore Mercura’s Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), target customers, positioning, and value proposition in detail. The call will include role plays in which we simulate the interaction with a customer. Step 3: Personal Fit Meet another co-founder to get a feel for our culture and working style. Step 4: On-Site Work alongside the entire team for a day on-site from our Munich office to fully immerse yourself in our culture and collaboration style. This on-site will be paid. For the on-site, you will receive additional preparation materials in advance. Step 5: Offer & Reference Checks If we see a great fit, you will get an offer. At the same time, we’ll ask you to provide 2–3 references so we can gather additional insights into your strengths and working style. WHY MERCURA - Join an ambitious and caring team: Your future colleagues are experienced operators, ex-founders, Science Olympiad medallists, and top graduates from places such as Google, Bain, MIT, TUM, Harvard, CDTM, and Cambridge. We bring extraordinary people together and deeply invest in your growth as your mentors, teammates and friends. We care, trust, and support one another, and we make sure that fun is at the heart of everything we do. - Work with the latest tech: AI is at the core of our product, and use the latest tech across our product and processes to tackle meaningful challenges and shape how users interact with AI. - Thrive in a high-growth, high-commitment environment: We’re growing extremely fast because we always put our work and our customers first. If you excel in fast-paced settings and want to grow as part of something big from day one, Mercura is for you. - Build something with real-world impact: We ship code that directly helps a massive, yet overlooked manual industry run more efficiently and sustainably. With us, you can work on AI that contributes to economic growth and stability on a huge scale. - Build a company: As an early team member, you will have a direct, lasting impact on our culture, processes, technology, and product. Joining us offers immense rewards: ownership, financial upside, and hands-on experience building a company from the ground up. Our track record speaks for itself - over five Mercura alumni have gone on to found their own companies and raise millions after their time with us. ABOUT THE FOUNDERS We are Lukas, Stefan & Sean, the co-founders of Mercura. We share a deep commitment to excellence and the discipline to pursue what others might consider impossible. Two of us come from non-academic families, and we all know what it means to create our own paths and overcome barriers. This experience shapes our belief in equal opportunity and fuels our dedication to social mobility. Lukas (left) is responsible for business development at Mercura. With his background as a Data Scientist at Allianz and at Google in Silicon Valley, he brings extensive expertise in data and AI. Lukas’ family has been active in the construction industry for over 100 years, giving him a deep understanding and passion for the sector's specific needs. Sean (middle) is responsible for technical development at Mercura. As a top 0.01% physicist, Sean earned a Silver medal for Germany at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), began researching with the Max Planck Institute at the age of 16, and has since published at leading machine learning conferences. Stefan (right) leads product development at Mercura. Previously, he worked in management consulting at Bain & Company, where he helped manufacturers improve their operations. Stefan leverages his research experience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Business School to develop innovative solutions for the industry. At Mercura, we believe that the best ideas emerge when people from different backgrounds collaborate together. We hire based on ability, mindset, and values, and we live by one simple rule: the best idea wins. Beyond Mercura, we actively support initiatives that promote diversity and gender equity and commit a portion of our personal income each year to organizations expanding opportunity for others. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/aea8071f-e224-4680-b825-9d15c5a9df28/8836b971-88e3-4b84-bebc-66dc92a82ee7/founders-1-2%20(1).jpg]   OUR COMPANY VALUES Customer first. We stay close to our customer’s reality and use their feedback to build what truly matters and earn their lasting trust. Ownership. We take responsibility end-to-end and act proactively to pursue the most ambitious goals. Enjoy the ride. We build a culture where people can be themselves, have fun doing meaningful work, and celebrate wins along the way. Let the best ideas win. We challenge each other respectfully and judge ideas by merit, not who said it. Down-to-earth. We are approachable, humble, and hands-on, bringing both heart and mind to everything we do.