CEO, Founders Profiles

Founders Forum Group is launching a new venture called Founders Profiles, to complement its existing service offering. The launch is planned for late 2024, and we are looking for someone to take the lead on this venture. This CEO will have to oversee the creation of Founders Profiles as a proposition, guide its strategic growth, and run the business’ day-to-day operations. This is a leadership role, with an equity stake offering. 

Overview

1. Founders Profiles overview

• Founders Profiles is a new online, invite-only community showcasing the impact on the world of the most successful entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders (starting with Founders Forum’s global network but with greater aspirations).
• Founders Profiles will enable its members to craft and refine their image online, with a) data visualisations of the impact they have had on the world and b) a repository of their online persona, cherry-picked, crafted & maintained by us. This profile will showcase the breadth and depth of impact the member has had, beyond just their CV, and will act as a central place to direct netizens to this accurate & trusted source of information, with add-on services such as personalised calls to action for personal brand-related services (such as speaking engagements or angel investments).
• Individuals will be invited to be showcased on the platform and charged a yearly membership fee to maintain this (along with add-on brand-related services). 

2. State-of play

• We have ideated and validated the concept, price point, and identified our delivery partners. 
• We have received a term sheet from a global tech provider to invest & build the platform.
• We are now looking for the venture’s first team hire, and lead.
• This person would join us as soon as possible to oversee the actual build of Founders Profiles, and take it to market.

The role

This role will report directly to Carolyn Dawson (Group CEO) and will work closely with Brent Hoberman (Founder & Executive Chairman). You will be the person in command on matters relating to Founders Profiles.

We expect you to:

• Oversee the venture build phase, coordinate with all of our tech delivery partners, and ensure we build a high-end finished product, before getting it to market for launch
• Develop and execute a growth strategy that encompasses both short-term and long-term goals, focusing on market expansion, customer acquisition, and revenue growth
• Work with our tech venture partner, who will cover the operational aspect of the platform and its developments
• Work & manage one or more account managers, who will build and manage profiles
• Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring efficient and effective processes are in place, promoting productivity and scalability as the venture grows

More specifically, we expect you to:

• Sales: take ownership of sales processes, including identifying and pursuing new business opportunities, and building strong customer relationships. We expect you to pitch to potential new customers, partners, and sponsors alike
• Customer success: onboard our first members, handhold them as much as necessary (white-glove service), and welcome their feedback
• Platform development: leverage constant feedback from members to inform the improvement of our service. Constantly identify & ideate new features or concepts, and determine a road-map to improve the platform. Work with our tech lead to inform those changes
• Team growth: recruit, onboard & manage a team of account managers. Nurture a positive & collaborative work environment
• Growth metrics: continuously evaluate and analyse performance, utilising key metrics and data to identify areas of improvement and drive ongoing optimisation
• Market: stay abreast of industry trends, market dynamics, and competitive landscape, using insights to inform strategic decisions and adapt Founders Profiles’ approach and product(s) accordingly
• Relationship-building: develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including investors, industry partners, and advisors, leveraging our network connections to support the venture's growth and expansion plans
• Go-to-market: responsible for building the business and brand awareness

Objectives

Our aim is to make Founders Profiles a profitable venture as early as possible. As CEO & venture lead, your focus will be to achieve the following:

• Ensure our product & service-offering is of high-quality, and answers our customer needs
• Operating a revenue-generating business with growing customer numbers, and low customer-churn
• Ensuring a rapid path to profitability, and improving gross margins as time passes
• Operating an efficient business, with low-frictional costs, and efficient cash-burn
• Leverage the Founders Forum network to identify potential customers, partners or sponsors
• Grow the team and retain employees

Additional details on Founders Forum Group

Founded by Brent Hoberman, Founders Forum Group is a global community and group of businesses supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their journeys. 

Its forums unite the world’s most influential founders, investors, corporate and government leaders to tackle era-defining questions in iconic locations across the globe. 

Since 2019, Founders Forum has partnered with Informa Tech to celebrate the strength and diversity of UK tech through London Tech Week. 

Fuelled by the connections and ideas forged at the group’s flagship events, FF Group businesses support the needs of today’s founders via professional services (Founders Keepers,  Founders Law, Founders Makers, MFN, Founders HR, Founders Comms), education (01 Founders), investment (Founders Factory, firstminute capital), networking (Grip, Founders Assistants), philanthropy (Founders Pledge, The Centre for Entrepreneurs,) and content (Founders Insights). In 2021, the group sold its innovation strategy consulting firm, Founders Intelligence, to global consultancy, Accenture. 

Last year, FF Group acquired Tech Nation, the UK’s leading growth platform for tech scaleups. Founders Forum Group continues the previously government-funded Tech Nation programmes centred around early-stage and diverse founders, as well as data-driven research into the UK's tech ecosystem.

Founders Profiles would be the latest addition to the group.

Requirements

Experience required

• You are a strong operator with experience in leading businesses from inception to scale
• A strategist, who is comfortable addressing blockers of growth, determining a path forward, and ensuring execution
• You are PR-aware with strong knowledge of social media platforms, the broader media landscape and an aptitude for brand work and/or executive positioning 
• A great relationship builder across clients, partners, suppliers, employees, and the wider FFG network
• Some product development experience is an added advantage, as you will be overseeing changes in our offering as time goes on
• Some technical knowledge is an added advantage, as the whole venture build phase will entail having to liaise with our delivery partners (web application developers, data scrapers, SEO advisers etc.)

This is a role for you if…

• You have a highly entrepreneurial disposition: drive & self-motivation, comfort taking action in ambiguity, and balancing big-picture thinking with tactical execution (someone who sees the forest for the trees, but focuses execution on tackling one tree at a time)
• You have a “nothing is beneath me” mentality, and seek to automate & build processes. This is not an administrative role, however, there will be elements of operational focus – high EQ, low ego
• You are comfortable managing people, both internal and external, including setting high expectations, holding accountable compassionately, and following through

Benefits

• Competitive annual salary with equity, dependent on experience
• Bonus structure will be determined on an annual basis by our board of directors
• Founders Profiles’ will have a board of directors and separate advisory board made up of industry leaders 
• You will be entitled to 25 days of annual paid leave