Anyone setting up a business needs more than just a good idea. Access to initial customers, a valid market hypothesis and sound business fundamentals in the early stages determine whether a business model succeeds or fails before it scales up. FOSTEC Ventures is looking for entrepreneurial individuals who will develop and manage incubation projects alongside us – as co-founders or entrepreneurs-in-residence.
Building a business backed by the network and capital of FOSTEC Ventures
FOSTEC Ventures’ company-builder model is based on a clear division of labour: FOSTEC Ventures contributes business ideas, capital and access to the FOSTEC & Company network. The co-founder brings operational execution skills, domain expertise and entrepreneurial drive. Together, we develop a validated idea into a scalable business.
This model differs structurally from both traditional employment and external seed funding. It is a genuine co-founding arrangement: with shared responsibility, entrepreneurial ownership and the aim of creating long-term value.
Our approach
I Identifying and validating the business concept
FOSTEC Ventures develops incubation theses based on market observation and project experience gained at FOSTEC & Company. The co-founder is involved in the validation process from the outset: market and competitive analysis, customer interviews and the refinement of the business model are carried out through joint discussion before operational resources are deployed.
II Formation and startup phase (seed)
Once product-market fit has been demonstrated and a robust go-to-market hypothesis is in place, the company is formally incorporated. FOSTEC Ventures provides the start-up capital and actively supports the operational start-up phase: market positioning, initial customer acquisition and team building. The co-founder takes on the operational management of the company.
III Scaling and strategic development
During the scaling phase, the co-founder draws on the full range of expertise offered by FOSTEC Ventures: strategic market access and a network of decision-makers, go-to-market and enterprise sales, corporate finance and operational management, as well as AI and data expertise. FOSTEC & Company acts as a strategic sparring partner on an equal footing, not as an external service provider.
IV The network differentiation factor
Access to the FOSTEC & Company network is particularly effective for incubation projects: market validation does not take place in a vacuum, but is based on direct feedback from relevant customer segments. Initial sales contacts are not established through cold outreach, but through privileged access to decision-makers that FOSTEC & Company has built up over many years. This advantage is greatest in the early stages of a company’s development, as it significantly shortens the most expensive and time-consuming phase of the start-up process: the journey to securing the first reference customer.
What the co-founder brings to the table
FOSTEC Ventures is looking for individuals with the following profile:
- Operational execution skills: Experience in business management or in building business units, with a proven track record in one of the focus sectors.
- Domain expertise: A deep understanding of one of the following fields: B2B services, B2B technology, platform economy, AI deep tech or prop tech.
- Entrepreneurial accountability: Willingness to take on operational responsibility and run the company as if it were their own, not merely as a project.
- Intellectual humility: Openness to strategic feedback and the ability to incorporate the experience of external partners into their own decision-making.
- Substance-backed ambition: Growth ambitions backed by a proven track record of achievement in previous roles.
Results and impact
Co-founders at FOSTEC Ventures start with a structural advantage over a traditional solo start-up: funding is secured from the outset. Access to the FOSTEC & Company network has been proven to accelerate market validation and sales development. The advisory backbone is available to address strategic issues without incurring external consultancy costs in the early stages. And the co-founder retains operational autonomy at all times, because FOSTEC Ventures tailors its support to specific needs rather than following a standardised approach.
The result is a start-up environment that systematically increases the likelihood of success during the critical early stages, without restricting the co-founder’s entrepreneurial freedom.
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