Co-Founder in Residence, Turning Plastic Waste into Circular Olefins

Join as a Founder in Residence in Climate

We're on the lookout for entrepreneurial individuals with technical and commercial domain expertise with keen interest in founding, and building a global scale, impact driven, high growth company from ground up.

We are seeking applications from experienced industry, startup and/or new science or engineering based technology development professionals from anywhere in the world to work with us on the next generation of plastics recycling.

You’ll work closely with the DSV team and the current Founder in Residence for this area to co-found and spin-out a new company. Once the new venture is incorporated with pre-seed investment from DSV, you and your co-founder(s) will own the majority stake in the business and continue receiving support from the DSV team post-spinout.

The role is full-time, remote initially until venture incorporation and spin-out (circa Q1 2026).

The Opportunity

The global olefins market - ethylene and propylene - underpins most of the world’s plastics and chemicals, worth over $300B annually. Today, nearly all of it is made by cracking fossil hydrocarbons, tying the industry to volatile feedstock prices, rising CO₂ emissions, and tightening policy pressures. At the same time, 400M+ tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually, most of it either landfilled or down-cycled.

We are creating a new venture that flips this equation: directly converting waste plastics into high-value olefins with breakthrough energy efficiency and yields. By skipping two major steps of conventional chemical recycling, our process targets delivery of propylene and ethylene at costs competitive with fossil-derived routes, while solving the industry’s most pressing waste and carbon challenges.

Our Approach

We are developing the first commercial-scale plastic cracker capable of turning mixed polyolefin waste into a high-purity olefin gas stream with >65% yield at ~50% of the energy input of incumbent processes. Compared to pyrolysis + steam cracking, our process targets 3× the olefin recovery per ton of waste plastic.

Our near-term commercialisation objectives:

• Secure feedstock supply agreements to support 90,000 tonnes/year, diversified across at least five sources;
• Secure off-take agreements with 2+ petrochemical refiners;
• Establish a JV partnership with at least one major petrochemical company to accelerate scale-up and market entry;
• Demonstrate a credible cost trajectory to bring the minimum selling price of propylene to parity with fossil-derived alternatives, scaling operations to at least 10 kg/h.

The incoming Co-Founder will lead this commercialisation journey - securing customers, partners, and investors - while positioning the company as the disruptor in circular olefins.

The Role

The primary focus of the incoming Co-Founder will therefore be centred around:

• Leading early business development and commercialisation de-risking incl. securing off-take, feedstock, and JV agreements with major petrochemical players;
• Owning the go-to-market strategy, navigating regional chemical supply chain dynamics (US vs EU vs Asia) and positioning the company where economics and policy align;
• Driving fundraising from top-tier venture capital and strategic investors, leading the company from pre-seed to a successful Series A and beyond.

Requirements

Who We're Looking For

Must-Have Experience (one of the following core tracks):

• Experience in the olefins/petrochemicals industry incl. off-take agreements, JV negotiations, and/or large-scale feedstock supply deals;
• OR experience in the chemical recycling / waste plastics industry, with proven experience partnering with major petrochemical companies.

Essential Capabilities:

• Deep understanding of petrochemical market dynamics: feedstock cost curves, regional trends, plant shutdowns/new builds, and long-term olefins demand growth;
• Proven track record of negotiating and closing commercial agreements (off-takes, feedstock contracts, JVs, licensing);
• Experience in fundraising from early-stage investors (VC) and/or strategic investors, ideally at Seed or Series A;
• Strong leadership credentials: ability to recruit talent, inspire cross-functional teams, and manage complex industrial partnerships;
• Entrepreneurial drive and resilience: ability to navigate early-stage uncertainty and push through to venture inflection points.

Valuable “Nice-to-Haves”:

• Previous founder/CEO experience, ideally with a successful fundraise, exit, or JV spin-out;
• Technical familiarity with extrusion and polymer processing (underpinning the business’s value proposition and engage credibly with partners);
• Previous exposure to chemical recycling technologies (pyrolysis, depolymerisation, gasification) and their limitations;
• Strong network across both strategic corporates and VC investors in climate/deeptech;
• PhD or equivalent R&D experience in process/industrial engineering is a plus, but not required.

Benefits

By joining DSV, you will be part of a team of operators who have founded companies and led the translation of science at some of the most respected universities, charities, funds, and government agencies. Here’s what we offer:

• Access to optimised, purpose-built, proprietary tools, resources, and processes to help create high-impact ventures from scratch;
• Opportunity area-specific know-how from our network of Partners and Advisors;
• Up to £250k in investment to incorporate the new venture and develop early proof-of-concept data;
• Guaranteed income of £4,166 per month paid as a fixed consultancy fee until the company is launched and the pre-seed investment is secured;
• Majority equity stake in the new company between you and your co-founder(s);
• Continuous post-spinout support, including fundraising, commercial partnerships, recruitment, and team-building;
• Collaborative support from dozens of Founders currently at DSV across sectors.

About DSV

Deep Science Ventures (DSV) is on a mission to create a future in which both humans and the planet can thrive. We use our unique venture creation process to create, spin-out, and invest in science companies, combining available scientific knowledge and founder-type scientists into high-impact ventures. Operating in four sectors—Pharmaceuticals, Climate, Agriculture, and Computation—we tackle the challenges defining these areas by taking a first principles approach and partnering with leading institutions.