CEO & Co-Founder Opportunity | Deep Tech | Industry 4.0 | FoodTech
Are you looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity to build a deep-tech industrial spin-off, applying advanced optical sensing, AI and Industry 4.0 technologies to transform food manufacturing?
OPTICMIZING is a deep-tech project born in 2024 from more than 10 years of academic research in optical technologies, supported by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). The project is seeking an entrepreneurial CEO to join the founding team and lead the creation of a high-impact industrial spin-off.
As CEO & Co-Founder, you will lead the venture-building journey, driving business validation, industrial pilots, fundraising and spin-off creation together with a highly experienced scientific and technical team.
Yogurt production still relies on manual and discontinuous pH control, creating significant inefficiencies: Error-prone sampling processes with contamination risk, lack of real-time, continuous data, and poor fermentation control, leading to longer production times, higher energy consumption and non-conforming batches
OPTICMIZING has developed a patented NIR optical sensing technology that enables in-line, real-time monitoring and control of pH and rheological properties (viscosity and elasticity) during milk fermentation.
The solution is:
Non-invasive and human-intervention free
Compatible with Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) industrial processes
Powered by predictive algorithms and machine learning, using high-volume continuous data
For a dairy producer operating at 20,000 liters/hour, the technology can generate up to €500K in annual savings.
The teams vision is to position OPTICMIZING as a new industrial standard for smart fermentation control, enabling more efficient, sustainable and scalable dairy production.
Patented technology: US patent granted (2021) and European patent granted (2025)
Industrial validation ongoing with two companies in the dairy sector
More than €300K in competitive public funding secured (AGAUR, DACC and others)
Recognized as Top 3 Startup at SECPHO Summit DeepTech 2025
Awarded Best Industrial Project at The Collider Opportunity Validation Programme 2025
Strong founding team commitment, with a founder ready to assume the CTO role upon spin-off incorporation, ensuring technological continuity and long-term leadership
You will lead OPTICMIZING through a key execution phase, focusing on:
Spin-off creation and alignment with the Technology Transfer Office
Defining the business model, pricing and go-to-market strategy
Commercializing industrial pilots and securing early adopters
Leading fundraising efforts (public and private)
Establishing strategic partnerships with industrial players and integrators
Building and leading the first commercial and operational structure
Dr. Manuel Castillo – Principal Investigator & CSO
+30 years leading research in optical technologies applied to the food industry
Àlex Gómez – Food Technologist & Entrepreneur
(Future CTO upon spin-off incorporation)
Relevant equity as CEO & Co-Founder upon company incorporation
€6,000 stipend during validation phase (3 monthly instalments of €2,000)
Access to The Collider venture-building programme, which includes experts and hands on support in market validation, finance, marketing, IP, Regulatory, fundraising, team formation and company structuring.
Access to The Collider and MWCapital ecosystem (4YFN, Mobile World Congress, corporate & investor networks).
Opportunity to access a participative loan of up to €50,000 to finance the first phases of the project.
Coworking space in Barcelona (Tech Barcelona – Pier 01).
Last but not least, our venture builder support continues for two years after incorporation, giving founders access to in-kind services, a strong community and portfolio perks.
You are an entrepreneur with experience in deep tech, industrial tech, foodtech or B2B SaaS
Previous experience as founder or co-founder is highly valued
Strong business background (MBA, ADE or equivalent experience)
Comfortable operating in industrial environments and B2B sales cycles
Familiar with technology transfer and collaboration with research institutions
Hands-on leader able to bridge science, industry and business
Eligible to work in Spain (passport or valid visa required)
Fluent in English and Spanish (Catalan is a plus)
Welcome to does recruitment, where talent meets purpose.
I'm Wouter Jaarsma, founder and fractional recruiter, and I’m here to help startups and mission-driven organizations build the teams they need to make a difference.
With over a decade of full-cycle recruitment experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, does recruitment has supported 25+ early-stage ventures in hiring their first key people — from founders and operators to engineers, growth leads, and climate experts.
Over the years, we’ve supported hiring across many sectors and roles.
Today, we focus on what feels urgent and important: helping early-stage ventures in climate, sustainability and deeptech find the talent they need to grow.
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If you're building something that matters — and need the right people to help you scale — we’d love to hear from you.
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