Business / Industry Co-Founder (F/M/D) Role At Startup Guardsphere

<p><strong>GUARDSPHERE</strong><br> Saarbrücken, Germany | On-site | Co-Founder / Equity | Deep Tech / OT &#x26; Industrial Cybersecurity</p> <p><strong>About GuardSphere</strong><br> GuardSphere protects factories, energy plants and critical infrastructure from cyberattacks without ever stopping production. Its product, NeuroX Shield, passively watches a plant's industrial network, learns normal behavior, and lets operators respond to threats safely and gradually — built for mid-sized German manufacturers and utilities who can't afford downtime and have no in-house security specialist.</p> <p>**The opportunity<br> **Founded around Farah Elshenawy (7 years in penetration testing, OSCP, MSc Entrepreneurial Cybersecurity at Saarland University/CISPA) and machine-learning lead Nazligul Kese, GuardSphere has validated its prototype with 47+ industry professionals across 6 industrial events and secured €800k in StartupSecure funding. What's missing is the commercial engine to turn validated R&#x26;D into revenue. We are looking for a Business / Industry co-founder specialized in OT security go-to-market, GuardSphere is separately also open to a CTO / software co-founder with OT/ICS development experience.</p> <h2>Tasks</h2> <p><strong>What you will own</strong></p> <p>**Go-to-market &#x26; sales<br> **- Build GuardSphere's route into German manufacturing and utilities, converting strong customer interest (47+ contacts across 6 events) into pilots and paying customers.<br> - Bridge NeuroX Shield's technical capabilities with the budget and risk-appetite decision cycle of Plant Managers and CISOs.<br> Commercial strategy<br> - Understand and navigate industrial procurement processes, budgets and buying decisions in OT/manufacturing.<br> - Own pricing, packaging and commercial positioning as the prototype becomes a repeatable product.<br> Company build-up<br> - Lead incorporation (planned mid-2027) and support fundraising alongside Farah Elshenawy (Project Lead / CEO track).</p> <h2>Requirements</h2> <p><strong>What you bring</strong></p> <p>**Core experience<br> **- Business development or sales experience in OT/ICS cybersecurity, industrial automation, or a closely related B2B industrial technology field.<br> - Understanding of German manufacturing and utilities procurement, budgets and decision cycles.<br> Especially valuable<br> - Existing network among Plant Managers, CISOs or OT security buyers.<br> - Familiarity with IEC 62443 and industrial compliance standards.<br> - GuardSphere is separately seeking a CTO/Developer co-founder, hands-on OT/ICS software development experience is valuable for that parallel track.</p> <h2>Benefits</h2> <p><strong>Why join GuardSphere</strong><br> - A prototype already validated through 47+ customer conversations and 6 industrial events, real market pull, not just a hypothesis.<br> - €800k in non-dilutive StartupSecure funding already secured.<br> - Ground-floor equity in a company addressing a growing, regulation-driven market (IEC 62443, rising OT/ICS attack surface).</p> <p>GuardSphere welcomes co-founder candidates regardless of gender, age, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, sexual identity, or any other characteristic. This is a search for the right partner to build the company with, not a conventional hire.</p> <p>Find more <a href="https://www.arbeitnow.com/english-speaking-jobs">English Speaking Jobs in Germany</a> on Arbeitnow</a>