Co-founder & CEO - Build a Company with OSS Ventures (Paris)

At OSS Ventures we're looking for a Sales Co-Founder to join one of our future ventures.

About OSS Ventures

OSS Ventures is an industrial-focused venture platform.
We build and invest in vertical companies transforming industrial operations through software and AI. Backed by >50M€ in assets under management, OSS supports 22+ companies whose products are used daily by over 100.000+ users in 3.600+ factories.

We co-found companies with experienced founders and support them hands-on across:

• Product

• Go-to-market

• Technology

• Hiring & org design

• Fundraising

OSS is neither an incubator nor a passive investor.
We work side by side with founders, with a clear execution framework, direct access to an industrial customer network, and a team of operators who have already built and scaled companies.

You can find more context on the team and partners here:
https://www.oss.ventures/about-us

The Role

You are joining as Co-founder & CEO of a new company built with OSS.

Your responsibilities include:

• Defining the company’s vision and strategic direction

• Leading go-to-market execution and securing early customers

• Owning revenue, positioning and early traction

• Building and leading the founding team

• Setting execution standards, culture and operating cadence

• Preparing and leading fundraising with OSS support

This is a founder role, not a management position.
You lead the company. OSS partners with you on execution and support.

What Makes This Setup Different

You are not starting alone.

With OSS, founders benefit from:

• Direct access to an industrial and operational network

  • Real customers

  • Fast feedback loops

  • Early distribution and concrete use cases

• A hands-on operating team

  • Product, tech, revenue, people and fundraising

• Reusable execution foundations

  • Product and tech frameworks

  • Go-to-market playbooks

  • Security and scalability baselines

• Founder matchmaking

  • OSS actively pairs complementary CEO and CTO profiles

• Credibility from day one

  • With customers

  • With early-stage investors

The objective is to reduce early execution risk and help founders focus on building something that actually works in the real world.

What Success Looks Like (9–12 months)

Together, the goal is to build a company that is ready to scale, with:

• 5–10 paying customers

• ~500k+ ARR or equivalent signed revenue

• A product in production, used by real users

• Clear customer satisfaction signals

• A repeatable go-to-market motion

• A team and org structure ready for growth

After the Program

OSS remains a long-term partner.

This typically includes:

• Board-level involvement

• Ad hoc strategic support

• The ability to temporarily allocate OSS team members for focused deep work with founders
  (e.g. revenue architecture, product pivot, org design, or other specific challenges)

The level of involvement naturally evolves as the company scales.

Founder Profile — Minimum Experience

This role is designed for experienced operators who are ready to found a company.

CEO requirements

• 8+ years in complex B2B environments

  • SaaS, industrial or operational contexts

• 5+ years in leadership roles

  • Managing teams or business units

  • Exposure to revenue, customers and execution trade-offs

• Demonstrated ability to:

  • Drive early go-to-market

  • Make decisions under constraints

  • Lead through ambiguity and rapid iteration

We are not looking for first-time managers discovering leadership for the first time.

The OSS Deal

• Unpaid until first fundraising

  • Typically 12 to 18 months

• Equity split

  • 75% founders

  • 25% OSS Ventures

• Paris-based during the 9-month program

• Full commitment expected

This framework is explicit and designed for founders who are ready to fully commit to building a company from scratch.