About Mercura

Mercura is building AI software for the backbone of our economy.

Backed by Y Combinator, we raised a heavily oversubscribed round at one of the highest valuations in our cohort. As one of Europe's fastest growing startups, we surpassed $2M in ARR in in our first year. Now, we are looking for team members ready to go all-in to help us reach our next milestone: $10M ARR by the end of 2026.

One of our co-founders, Lukas, grew up in a trades family that has been active in the construction industry for over 115 years. Having worked on the construction site himself, he learned first-hand how slow and manual quoting still is in the industry.

In an era where AI becomes ubiquitous, we set out on a deeply personal mission: bring AI to the backbone of our economy - to the companies that keep our world running. To amplify human expertise and free people to do what only humans can do.

About the role

We’re looking for a Founder's Associate (Operations) to help us 10x our company over the next year.

This is a fast-paced , hands-on role for candidates with high agency. As the right hand to our CPO, you’ll help design the operational backbone that enables us to scale to €10M ARR and beyond.

If you're excited about taking ownership in the early stages of a venture and thinking about founding yourself - this is your opportunity to lead, learn and contribute.

What you will be working on

• Collaborate closely across product, customer success, recruiting and commercial teams

• Optimize the entire customer lifecycle, from seamless onboarding to ensuring maximum satisfaction and 0% churn

• Drive recruiting and onboarding of a stellar team

• Build and manage relationships with customers

• Translate customer insights into new features, prototypes, and product improvements

• Build, execute and optimize the operational processes that drive us to 10x revenue next year

• Grow with the company and collaborate with other stellar team members to achieve ambitious goals

What we’re looking for

Personality & Experience

• You are a strong operator with experience in building, executing and managing processes and projects in fast paced environments (e.g. startups, consulting, VC, initiatives)

• You’re energetic and caring , enjoy working with people , and find purpose in supporting others through thoughtful acts of service

• You a strong problem solver and and excel in taking full ownership of tasks

• You have strong customer empathy and business sense to understand customer pain points and needs

• You a strong and professional communicator in German & English

Commitment & Mindset

• Your job is part of how you define yourself. You treat your work as a top priority , and you’re fully committed to achieving ambitious goals amid uncertainty

• You’re are entrepreneurial , hands-on , ambitious , resilient and not afraid of doing unglamorous work

• You’re a team player who cares about people and leads proactively when situations call for it

• You want to work in-person in Munich with a higher intensity than in a 9-5 job

Company Perks

• Guaranteed career advancement opportunities in a rapidly growing team

• An ambitious team that feels like family and 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 - join our team workouts 3x/week

• Easy relocation to Munich — our office is located in the <u>Werk1 Startup Incubator</u>, 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

The target total compensation (cash+bonus+equity) for this position is €75,000-€110,000 annually. Actual offers and compensation are based on specific job duties, experience, performance, total rewards structure, and other considerations.

Your team & mentors

You will work with

• Stefan (Co-Founder & CPO; prev. Consultant at Bain & Researcher at Harvard Business School)

• Julia (prev. CSM & Presidents Club winner at Personio)

Your mentors will be

• Julian Borg (Co-Founder & CPO Remberg)

• Mario Espindola (Senior Director Talent & Operations at SignalFire)

About the interview

Step 1: Intro call

Casual intro meeting with one of the founders to get to know each other and introduce Mercura.

Step 2: Practical exercise & role play

Two practical exercises to showcase your skills, followed by a call to walk us through your approach, insights, and solution for the exercise. The calls can include role plays in which we simulate the interaction with a customer.

Step 3: Personal Fit

Meet another co-founder to get a feel for our culture and working style.

Step 4: On-Site

Work alongside the entire team for a day on-site from our Munich office to fully immerse yourself in our culture and collaboration style. This on-site will be paid.

Step 5: Offer

If we see a great fit, you will get an offer, including a competitive compensation package.

Why Mercura

• Join an ambitious team that feels like family : Your future colleagues are experienced operators, ex-founders, Science Olympiad medallists, and top graduates from places such as Google, Bain, MIT, TUM, Harvard, CDTM, and Cambridge. We bring extraordinary people together and deeply invest in your growth as your mentors, teammates and friends. We care, trust, and support one another like family, and we make sure that fun is at the heart of everything we do.

• Work with the latest tech : AI is at the core of our product, and use the latest tech across our product and processes to tackle meaningful challenges and shape how users interact with AI.

• Thrive in a high-growth, high-commitment environment : We’re growing extremely fast because we always put our work and our customers first. If you excel in fast-paced settings and want to grow as part of something big from day one, Mercura is for you.

• 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.

• Build a company : As an early team member, you will have a direct, lasting impact on our culture, processes, technology, and product. Joining us offers immense rewards: ownership, financial upside, and hands-on experience building a company from the ground up. Our track record speaks for itself - over five Mercura alumni have gone on to found their own companies and raise millions after their time with us.

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.

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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.