Founding CEO, IoT Security Startup

Founding CEO, IoT Security Startup

Every connected car, factory sensor, and 5G small cell depends on data arriving exactly as it was sent. In many networks today, that guarantee is switched off, inconsistent, or impossible for older devices to support. We've designed a company to close that gap, and we're looking for its leading founder and CEO.

The problem worth solving

Wireless networks protect data integrity using fixed, one-size-fits-all settings. Newer devices may support stronger protection that never gets activated, while legacy IoT hardware can't keep up at all. The result is security gaps in precisely the environments where tampered data does the most damage: vehicle-to-everything communication, dense urban 5G, and industrial IoT.

The venture's technology lets networks and devices negotiate the right level of protection in real time, activating it where it's supported, adapting where it isn't, and doing so without adding network overhead or breaking compatibility with older equipment. It is designed to integrate into 5G today and 6G tomorrow.

What you'll own

• The commercial model: whether the company wins through licensing, an SDK, OEM partnerships, or a combination
• Relationships with network equipment makers, carriers, automotive suppliers, and IoT platform companies
• The pre-seed and seed raise, and the board that follows
• Recruiting a leadership team, including the technical co-founder role
• Final say on strategy. If our assumptions don't hold up, you change them.

Expect the first year and a half to take everything you have. This role is not suited to anyone keeping another job or venture running alongside it.

Backgrounds that fit

• You've commercialized technology in telecom, wireless, or network security, and you know how operators and equipment makers evaluate and adopt it.
• You understand how value is captured in standards-driven industries, through IP licensing, partnerships, or OEM integration.
• You've launched something from scratch and won early commitments before the product was finished.
• You've raised capital, or investors in deep tech and telecom already know your name.
• You can hold a credible conversation with both a carrier CTO and a venture partner.

A graduate degree or previous exit isn't required.

What's on the table from us

• Startup-in-a-Box (SIB): Our investor-grade venture blueprint, covering market sizing, competitive landscape, business model, pricing, go-to-market, risk analysis, and technical architecture. Finalists receive it under NDA.
• An expert in your corner: A mentor with a proven record in this sector, available for guidance and consulting.
• Business and marketing firepower: A team with 25+ years of performance marketing and venture-building behind it.
• Fundraising partnership: Direct help shaping your narrative, investor materials, and diligence preparation.

The deal

You join as a co-owner, not an employee. Compensation is equity only: a significant stake with standard vesting, a cliff, acceleration protection, and founder rights in later rounds. Cash compensation starts when institutional funding closes. We can't promise that date, and NeedTech Labs doesn't invest capital itself, so be sure you can support yourself until then.