Over 5 million tonnes of electronics are discarded in the EU every year. Collection rates for small devices sit below 50%; far short of mandated targets. The WEEE Directive demands 85% recovery by weight. The new ESPR regulation requires product passports and design-for-disassembly. And the Battery Regulation sets minimum recycled content quotas by 2030.

OEMs are scrambling to comply. Postal carriers have daily access to every household but play almost no role in the circular value chain. The infrastructure for a compliance-grade, scalable take-back system exists in pieces — but nobody has stitched it together.

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 B2B2C software platform that enables postal and CEP carriers to operate as data-rich, compliance-grade recyclers for electronics OEMs — leveraging BEUMER Group's sorting and logistics technology expertise and 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 Managing Director.

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, sustainability, supply chain, or industrial technology. You've worked with or within European industrial companies and understand how they buy, build, and decide.

• You have an existing professional network in European CEP/postal, electronics manufacturing, sustainability/circular economy, or waste management sectors.

• You have the ability to navigate complex B2B sales environments — ideally with experience working with OEMs, postal operators, or regulatory-driven industries in the DACH region.

• You understand or are excited by EU regulatory frameworks like WEEE, ESPR, and the Battery Regulation — and see compliance as a business opportunity, not just a burden.

• 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 logistics, sustainability, and technology.

• 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.