Product Architect
Founders Factory is a venture studio, accelerator, and investment platform that builds and funds early-stage startups. It supports founders with capital, operational expertise, corporate partnerships, and access to a global network.
About Founders Factory
Founders Factory partners with entrepreneurs and leading companies to co-found new ventures, accelerate startups, and invest in early-stage businesses. Its activities include venture building, cohort-based accelerator programs, sector-focused investment funds, operational support, and corporate innovation partnerships across fintech, health, industrials, deep tech, and climate. It serves ambitious founders, corporate partners, and early-stage technology startups.
Skills
Candidate Availability
Required and preferred rules are kept separate and reflect the wording in the original posting.
About the Role
You'll take a new venture from zero to a venture-backable business: a medical-grade wearable device paired with a real-time data dashboard that monitors at-risk miners for hazardous exposure and physiological strain. You'll own the early build end to end, from problem definition and MVP scoping through shipping, testing and iteration, using lean experiments to get products into users' hands fast. You'll use your mining network to open doors for site pilots, work with OEMs, control systems providers and safety partners, shape the customer experience and product vision, and set up operational foundations such as suppliers, manufacturing partners, compliance and pilot logistics. You'll work closely with the founder, support the venture through studio stage gates and share progress and recommendations clearly.
Requirements
- 5–10 years' experience with a track record of bringing products to market
- Background in mining, ideally at an OEM supplier, control systems technology provider or safety company selling into mining; occupational hygiene, heavy industry, digital health or wearables experience is also relevant
- Understanding of how mining companies buy technology: procurement, site approvals, safety sign-off
- Systems thinking across sensors, devices and employer dashboards, including real-time requirements
- Familiarity with regulatory clearance or licensing for health or safety products
- Experience with lean methodologies and experimental approaches
- Comfortable wearing multiple hats (product, design, tech, growth, operations)
- Strong technical mindset with ability to build no-code/low-code solutions, prototypes or proofs of concept
- Commercial curiosity: ICPs, value propositions, pricing hypotheses and early GTM
- Bonus: research or clinical exposure to occupational health and safety
Responsibilities
- Own the end-to-end early build from problem definition and MVP scoping through shipping, testing and iteration
- Get products into users' hands fast using lean, experimental approaches
- Use your mining network to open doors for site pilots and work with OEMs, control systems providers and safety partners on integration and distribution
- Shape the customer experience and product vision, balancing user needs with commercial and technical realities
- Set up operational foundations: suppliers, manufacturing partners, compliance processes and pilot logistics
- Work closely with the founder to challenge thinking, sharpen focus and drive momentum
- Help the venture progress through studio stage gates and support evidence-backed IC decisions
- Spot opportunities early by staying close to market dynamics, emerging tech and user behaviour
- Communicate progress, learnings, trade-offs and recommendations to founders and the wider studio