Founders Associate

Job description

Mercura (YC W25) helps the companies that build the real world move at software speed, automating the back-office work that runs the $12 trillion industry behind every hospital, school, and power plant. We started with one of their biggest bottlenecks - turning messy technical requests into accurate quotes - and grew to $2M ARR in our first year. With a team of 16, we're now targeting $10M by the end of 2026 as well as our expansion into the US. ABOUT THE ROLE We’re looking for our first Founder's Associate to help us grow Mercura into a category-defining company. 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, operations 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 - Operations: Own the infrastructure that keeps the company effective, build playbooks, storylines, and design the workflows and frameworks that move deals from first touch to close - Process Optimization: Analyze data, and turn insights into actionable improvements across Mercura's processes - 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, or student initiatives - You are 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 WHY MERCURA - Steepest possible learning curve: There's no faster way to grow than building a company from scratch. You'll be thrown into the cold water, do things no one has done before, and have founder-like freedom in your domain. Over five Mercura alumni have gone on to found their own companies and raise millions after their time with us. - 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. - Ownership over comfort: You own a real area end to end. No one stands between you and your problem. It's uncomfortable at times, and that's exactly why you'll grow faster here than in any normal job. - Exceptional colleagues: You'll work alongside experienced operators, ex-founders, Science Olympiad medallists, and top graduates from Google, Bain, MIT, TUM, Harvard, CDTM, Oxford, and Cambridge. The bar stays high because the people next to you are the biggest lever for your growth. - Radical clarity: You'll always know where the company stands and why we decide what we decide — the real numbers, the wins and the setbacks, and the thinking behind them. Your input is genuinely wanted, and the best argument wins. - Tools, no questions: Your own company card and any AI or productivity tools you need to do your best work, without approval theater. - Real shares: Real equity in Mercura with the most favorable tax treatment. No VSOP, no ESOP. - The everyday: Free team dinners up to 4x/week, UrbanSportsClub membership, a company bike, and team workouts 3x/week. Easy relocation to Munich — our office sits in the WERK1 startup incubator, with an apartment next door for around €800/month. 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 our Chief of Staff to get to know each other and introduce Mercura. Step 2: Role play exercise & Personal Fit: A practical exercise with our CEO Lukas 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: On-Site: Get to know the team at our Munich office. Step 4: 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. 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.