Business / Industry Co-Founder (F/M/D) Role At Startup Guardsphere

GUARDSPHERE

Saarbrücken, Germany | On-site | Co-Founder / Equity | Deep Tech / OT & Industrial Cybersecurity

About GuardSphere

GuardSphere protects factories, energy plants and critical infrastructure from cyberattacks without ever stopping production. Its product, NeuroX Shield, passively watches a plant's industrial network, learns normal behavior, and lets operators respond to threats safely and gradually — built for mid-sized German manufacturers and utilities who can't afford downtime and have no in-house security specialist.

The opportunity

Founded around Farah Elshenawy (7 years in penetration testing, OSCP, MSc Entrepreneurial Cybersecurity at Saarland University/CISPA) and machine-learning lead Nazligul Kese, GuardSphere has validated its prototype with 47+ industry professionals across 6 industrial events and secured €800k in StartupSecure funding. What's missing is the commercial engine to turn validated R&D into revenue. We are looking for a Business / Industry co-founder specialized in OT security go-to-market, GuardSphere is separately also open to a CTO / software co-founder with OT/ICS development experience.

Tasks

What you will own

Go-to-market & sales

• Build GuardSphere's route into German manufacturing and utilities, converting strong customer interest (47+ contacts across 6 events) into pilots and paying customers.
• Bridge NeuroX Shield's technical capabilities with the budget and risk-appetite decision cycle of Plant Managers and CISOs.

Commercial strategy

• Understand and navigate industrial procurement processes, budgets and buying decisions in OT/manufacturing.
• Own pricing, packaging and commercial positioning as the prototype becomes a repeatable product.

Company build-up

• Lead incorporation (planned mid-2027) and support fundraising alongside Farah Elshenawy (Project Lead / CEO track).

Requirements

What you bring

Core experience

• Business development or sales experience in OT/ICS cybersecurity, industrial automation, or a closely related B2B industrial technology field.
• Understanding of German manufacturing and utilities procurement, budgets and decision cycles.

Especially valuable

• Existing network among Plant Managers, CISOs or OT security buyers.
• Familiarity with IEC 62443 and industrial compliance standards.
• GuardSphere is separately seeking a CTO/Developer co-founder, hands-on OT/ICS software development experience is valuable for that parallel track.

Benefits

Why join GuardSphere

• A prototype already validated through 47+ customer conversations and 6 industrial events, real market pull, not just a hypothesis.
• €800k in non-dilutive StartupSecure funding already secured.
• Ground-floor equity in a company addressing a growing, regulation-driven market (IEC 62443, rising OT/ICS attack surface).

GuardSphere 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.

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