Founder Associate Intern (m/f/d)

Founder Associate Intern (m/f/d)

Location: Dusseldorf / Hybrid

Start: As soon as possible

Note: Occasional business travel to Berlin may be required.

We are a Germany-based defense technology startup developing mission-critical systems for defense against drones, missiles, and other airborne threats. Our team builds real-world systems at the intersection of hardware, software, sensing, and operations.

As an early-stage company, we operate in stealth mode and place strong emphasis on ownership, engineering rigor, rapid iteration, and close collaboration across disciplines. This is a unique opportunity to join a defense deep-tech company at an early stage and work directly with leadership on topics that are critical to company building.

We are looking for a Founder Associate Intern to work closely with the CEO on a broad range of strategic, operational, and day-to-day business topics.

This is a high-exposure, high-ownership role for someone who wants to understand how an early-stage defense startup is built from the inside. You will contribute to strategic initiatives, support business-critical operational work, prepare presentations and decision materials, and help drive execution across the company.

The role combines analytical work, project coordination, and hands-on support in the daily business of the CEO. It is well suited for someone who is highly structured, fast-learning, proactive, and excited to work at the intersection of strategy and execution.

·   Work directly with the CEO on strategic, operational, and organizational topics

·   Support the preparation of presentations, briefings, internal documents, and decision materials

·   Conduct research and analysis on markets, customers, competitors, technologies, and strategic priorities

·   Help structure and drive cross-functional projects across business, product, and operations

·   Support fundraising, partnership, recruiting, or business development related workstreams as needed

·   Prepare materials for internal and external stakeholders, including partners, investors, and candidates

·   Take ownership of recurring and ad hoc tasks that are important for the company's progress

·   Help improve internal processes, coordination, and execution speed across teams

·   Assist in the day-to-day business of the CEO and help remove operational bottlenecks

·   Contribute wherever needed in a fast-moving startup environment with changing priorities

·   Support coordination for occasional business travel to Berlin and related follow-up tasks when required

·   Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's degree, ideally in Business, Economics, Management, Finance, Engineering, Political Science, International Relations, or a related field

·   Strong analytical and structured thinking

·   Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

·   Strong presentation skills and confidence in creating clear, high-quality slides and documents

·   Ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, and handle a broad range of tasks

·   High attention to detail, reliability, and a strong execution mindset

·   Strong proficiency with PowerPoint or Google Slides and Excel or Google Sheets

·   Interest in startups, defense, deep-tech, and company building

·   Comfortable working in an environment with ambiguity, speed, and high expectations

·   Previous internship experience in startups, consulting, venture capital, private equity, strategy, operations, or high-growth environments

·   Strong interest in defense, security, geopolitics, or industrial technology

·   Experience supporting leadership, founders, or cross-functional projects

·   German language skills are a plus, but not required

·   Direct exposure to the CEO and close involvement in company-critical topics

·   A broad role with visibility across strategy, operations, and company building

·   High ownership from day one

·   The opportunity to work on meaningful defense technology with real-world relevance

·   A steep learning curve in a fast-scaling startup environment

·   Hybrid work model with base in Dusseldorf

·   Dynamic and flexible work setup

·   The chance to grow with the company over time

·   Ownership-driven: You take responsibility and proactively move topics forward

·   Hands-on: You are willing to work on both strategic questions and operational tasks

·   Adaptable and resilient: You thrive in fast-changing environments with incomplete information

·   Structured and reliable: You bring order, clarity, and follow-through

·   Collaborative: You work well with different people and functions across the company

·   Mission-aligned: You are motivated by contributing to high-impact defense technology