CEO & Co-Founder Iron Powder

• CEO and Co-Founder of Start-Up
• Attractive Equity Stake
• Venture Builder with Extensive Support Networks

The decarbonisation of heavy industry is one of the most urgent global challenges. Traditional iron and steel production methods rely heavily on fossil fuels and generate significant emissions, making it one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise.

A breakthrough technology has been developed that produces high-purity iron powder with zero direct emissions. Operating at low temperatures (90–110 °C) and powered entirely by renewable electricity, the process can upgrade abundant, low-grade raw materials into valuable outputs. The iron powder can be sold directly as a product or used as feedstock in Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) to manufacture truly green steel. Its compatibility with existing infrastructure and high-purity results position it perfectly to meet the accelerating demand for sustainable industrial inputs.

You are an entrepreneurial professional with a background in metallurgy, electrochemistry, or chemical/process engineering and a strong track record in industrial-scale technologies or decarbonisation of heavy industry. You thrive in a startup environment, combining resilience with ambition and the ability to translate deep-tech into commercial success. Both strategic and hands-on, you embrace the challenges of pioneering and scaling disruptive innovation. With strong leadership skills and a collaborative mindset, you are ready to build a fast-growing, high-impact venture alongside BigCircle Ventures—the venture builder in circularity, climate, and energy technology*.

A CEO is sought to co-found this revolutionary project.

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Fundraising: Secure capital to drive manufacturing and commercialisation.
• Network: Deploy and expand networks of key experts, industry leaders, and early adopters.
• Commercialisation: Define and execute the go-to-market strategy and build traction.
• Organisation: Build a company with an innovative culture and high-performing team.

Requirements:

You must have experience/competence in the following areas:

• Entrepreneurship: Seizes opportunities to drive value, competitive advantage & profit.
• Decisiveness: Strong sense of urgency in action and decision-making.
• Action-oriented: Sets challenging goals with a clear path to achieving them.
• Network: Brings relevant contacts, builds new networks, and leverages others’ expertise.
• Subject expertise: Market knowledge of heavy industry or industrial materials sectors; strong plus for metals, electrochemistry, green steel, or industrial decarbonisation.

Your work experience ideally includes traction and learnings in:

• Manufacturing: Selection & commissioning of industrial facilities.
• Strategic leadership: Product innovation or business development, ideally in a startup setting.
• People leadership: Leading companies, businesses, or multidisciplinary teams.
• Finance: P&L accountability with growth focus and external fundraising.
• New product launch: Knowledge of up- & downstream marketing.
• Regulatory: Understanding of European requirements for industrial operations.

Other requirements:

• English language proficiency.
• Currently based in the Netherlands or willing to relocate.
• Available at least 3 days per week (full-time strongly preferred; full-time expected after initial funding).

*BigCircle Ventures:

The world needs innovations to reach net-zero and circularity, but a wealth of research inventions never get used at scale. BigCircle Ventures scouts promising technologies and turns these into successful startups that tackle the world’s climate and circularity challenges. We focus on the large, untapped pool of early-stage innovations that would otherwise stay untouched on a shelf, hidden in a university, research institute or company lab.

It all starts with a rigorous project selection process to assess impact and commercial viability. Once identified, the project is paired with a CEO at the point of incorporation. As CEO/Co-Founder you will drive the project to hit milestones with a strategic exit in mind.

We dramatically increase the chances of success by:

• Picking  the most promising, impactful technologies
• Matching each project with the right entrepreneur 
• Putting support and infrastructure in place to ensure the best chance of success including an initial investment in the venture

The unique benefit of this model is the complete suite of professional support provided.

You will be surrounded by experts in the fields of capital raising (all stages), exit, legal, governance, regulatory, patent expertise & HR support.  You will be mentored one-to-one by a senior partner and join a growing community of CEOs within our portfolio of ventures.

You must bring with you the mind-set of an entrepreneurial co-founder. You will be a partner with us, not an employee. Your wins and setbacks are shared. This very fact underpins the reason you have access to our highly professional team and networks that give you the best chance of success.