SouthwestX
CEO / Business Co-Founder (f/m/d) role at startup PEELBACK
Is this role open to you?
Saarbrücken
Confirm work authorization, visa sponsorship and location requirements with the employer.PEELBACK
Berlin, Germany | On-site | Co-Founder / Equity | Deep Tech / Battery Recycling & Circular Economy
About PeelBack
PeelBack recovers battery-grade metals from black mass using a froth flotation process — no acid, no smelting. Developed by Dr. Anna Maria Dominic (PhD Physical Chemistry, TU Dresden) as solo technical founder, the process already reaches 95–99% purity at TRL 3–4 and is co-filing a next-generation patent with Dr. John Warner (US 9,972,830 B2).
The opportunity
With the EU's 2026 battery-recycling deadline creating real urgency, PeelBack needs to move from lab validation to pilot scale fast. As sole technical founder, Anna Maria is looking for a CEO / Business co-founder to lead fundraising and business development while she pushes the technology from TRL 4 towards TRL 5 (Boston lab visit planned).
Tasks
**What you will own
Company build-up & fundraising
**- Lead incorporation (GmbH planned) and fundraising strategy, building on the non-dilutive greenCHEM Cohort #1 stipend already secured.
- Own investor relations and prepare PeelBack for its next funding round ahead of the EU battery-recycling deadline (Nov 2026).
Business development
- Convert existing interest into signed LOIs and pilot agreements with EU recyclers and battery manufacturers.
- Own commercial strategy as PeelBack moves from pre-pilot validation to recycler-scale proof.
Operations & partnerships
- Build the operational and commercial foundation of the company alongside Anna Maria Dominic (CTO/technical founder).
Requirements
**What you bring
Core experience
**- Business development and fundraising experience, ideally in deep-tech, climate-tech or industrial/circular-economy startups.
- Comfort working against a hard regulatory deadline (EU battery regulation, Nov 2026) and translating technical validation into commercial traction.
Especially valuable
- Existing network among EU recyclers, battery manufacturers or materials-recovery buyers.
- Experience with accelerator/incubator environments (PeelBack has been through two startup accelerators).
- Familiarity with IP-heavy, patent-protected deep-tech ventures.
Benefits
Why join PeelBack
- A technology already validated at 95–99% purity, with a next-gen patent co-filed with a recognized green chemistry expert (Dr. John Warner).
- Real regulatory tailwind: the EU 2026 deadline makes PeelBack's solution urgent, not speculative.
- Founder equity: an indicative ~50% co-founder stake has already been discussed, to be finalized in the term sheet.
PeelBack welcomes co-founder candidates regardless of gender, age, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, sexual identity, or any other characteristic. This is a search for the right partner to build the company with, not a conventional hire.
Find more English Speaking Jobs in Germany on Arbeitnow
