The global intralogistics equipment market is valued at around €54 billion and is set to approach €100 billion by 2030. The used segment within that total is estimated at 20–40%, depending on equipment type.

Yet when a logistics operator upgrades to modern automation — AS/RS, high-speed sorters, robotic shuttles — the legacy systems they remove are often scrapped. Not because they've failed, but because there's no trustworthy way to resell, refurbish, and reinstall them with guarantees. OEMs lose control of the secondary market. Buyers face unverified units with no configuration history. Functional systems worth hundreds of thousands of euros end up as scrap metal.

This is the problem. You're going to build the company that solves it.

The opportunity

Beam has pre-validated this problem through deep industry research and expert interviews. As a Founding Lead, you will take ownership of this opportunity and build a platform that connects logistics operators, asset owners, OEMs, and certified partners to unlock the residual value of used intralogistics systems — leveraging BEUMER Group's OEM relationships, service data, installed base knowledge, and global customer network as your unfair advantage.

You're not joining an innovation lab. You're building a real company — with equity, funding, and a path to CEO.

What the journey looks like

This is an 18-month validation journey divided into 5 phases:

1. Insights (Months 1–2): Deep-dive research, 25+ expert interviews, problem validation

2. Problem-Solution Hypothesis (Months 3–4): Build a product vision, find a tech co-founder, secure 2 pilot commitments

3. Company Idea & Product Validation (Months 5–8): Launch MVP with customers, collect LOIs, write a business plan

4. Board Pitch (Month 9): Present your investment case to Beam and BEUMER Group leadership

5. Launch a Minimum Viable Company (Months 10–18): Incorporate, hire, convert pilots into paying contracts, scale

At each gate, we assess progress together. Not every validation leads to a startup — and that's by design.

We want to speak to you if

• You have 5+ years of professional experience in corporate or consulting environments — strategy, operations, supply chain, industrial sales, or manufacturing technology. You've worked with or within European industrial companies and understand how OEMs, asset owners, and logistics operators make purchasing decisions.

• You have an existing professional network in European intralogistics, warehouse automation, industrial equipment, or manufacturing sectors. Experience with marketplace or platform business models is a strong plus.

• You have the ability to navigate complex B2B sales environments — ideally with experience selling to or working alongside German Mittelstand or enterprise industrial customers.

• You understand or are excited by circular economy principles applied to heavy equipment — extending product lifecycles, refurbishment economics, and secondary market dynamics.

• You can identify a clear company vision and market opportunity and are prepared to defend it with data — rigorously.

• You communicate complex information simply and think clearly without needing to dominate.

• You thrive in ambiguity. You do your homework and go the extra mile to find the opportunity your competitors will miss.

• You are fluent in English and German — both are essential for navigating BEUMER Group's customer landscape and the European market.

What Beam offers

• €4,000/month (gross) so you can focus fully on your validation.

• Co-founder equity — we think long-term and want our founders' motivation to be rock solid.

• Solid funding: if your startup reaches go-to-market, our funding committee secures the runway you need — minimum 18 months after every round.

• Active support in finding suitable co-founders for your venture.

• Access to our network of experts, advisors, and mentors across intralogistics, industrial technology, and marketplace building.

• A home base at our Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg offices alongside other Founding Leads and startup teams.

This isn't for everyone

• This is based in Berlin, on-site 3 days per week (remote 2 days).

• This starts as a structured validation engagement. If you pass the board pitch at month 9, it becomes your company — with co-founder equity and dedicated funding.

• Our bar is high — over 80% of candidates don't make it to launch. But those who do get funded, supported, and backed by a family business that thinks in decades, not quarters. We've launched 12 startups with 16 founders since 2018.

How to apply

• Apply with your LinkedIn profile (CV optional).

• Tell us why this problem excites you and what you'd bring to it.

PS! For more information, head to the FAQ section on our jobs page.