Entrepreneur in Residence – Product & Spinouts
Why this role matters
Before starting Amodo, I believed only product companies were cool. However, contracting has proven to be a fantastic model for deep tech venture creation. By working across multiple clients, our engineers gain extensive industry knowledge and pattern-match across sectors. They encounter real customer problems and are compensated for solving them. They also witness the full product lifecycle repeatedly, which provides valuable market validation.
This model isn’t new. In the previous century, contract research was a significant way companies were formed. For example, MIT’s Technology Plan made their staff and facilities available to local industry for contract research, leading to the establishment of companies like Texas Instruments, Raytheon, and Gillette. Cambridge Consultants, spun out from MIT, created 27 companies, including four unicorns, and significantly shaped the deep tech ecosystem in Cambridge, UK.
What you’ll do
Leverage existing engineering projects to launch products. We’ve developed three scientific instruments ready for market. Within your first three months, you’ll handle all aspects of go-to-market: positioning, pricing, sales channels, and securing initial customers.
Identify future market opportunities by immersing yourself in our project portfolio. Attend client calls, review technical work, and discuss with engineers. Look for recurring problems that could become products, especially those seen across multiple customers.
Map out Amodo’s future direction. Over the first six months, propose new areas of expertise, consider new business models, or initiate spinouts that deserve their own companies and founding teams.
Support the growth of Amodo. Shape decisions about when to develop products internally versus creating spinouts, how to establish new business lines, and how to balance contracting with product revenue.
About you
Entrepreneurial drive with a history of building things—whether companies, products, or initiatives requiring innovation without a standard playbook.
Commercial acumen: the ability to quickly assess the viability of a technology, determine who would pay for it, and justify its value.
Enough technical proficiency to engage deeply with engineers and comprehend what makes a hardware product robust and defensible.
A willingness to tackle the less glamorous tasks: writing sales emails, chasing invoices, and managing shipping logistics alongside strategic thinking.
Comfort with ambiguity: this role lacks a predefined framework, so you’ll need to adapt and innovate as you go.
Strong additions
Experience founding, co-founding, or being an early employee at a hardware or deep tech startup.
Background in sales or business development, particularly in technical or scientific markets.
Engineering or scientific training, even if you’ve transitioned to commercial roles.
Experience in venture building, product management, or commercializing research and development.
A network in UK deep tech, scientific instrumentation, or related sectors.
What is it like to work at Amodo?
Values: Truth-seeking, excellent, enthusiastic, kind, humble, and always learning.
Approach: Think before acting, iterate rapidly, and focus on high-impact tasks. Embrace rapid experimentation and quick feedback loops.
Feedback culture: Practice radical candor, maintain kindness, and welcome feedback at all levels.
No “not my job”-ism: Address issues promptly and support underperforming projects.
Social events: Table tennis every lunch, personal project evenings, pub trips, trail running club, etc.
Office: Modern, spacious space in central Sheffield with parking and bike storage. In-house workshop and equipment for mechanical and electrical work.
Project structure: Generally on one main project at a time, supporting on one to two smaller projects. Team sizes vary from 2 to 10+ engineers, typically around 4.
Benefits
Free lunch every day.
Flexible remote working.
35 days holiday.
Flexible working hours.
We cover professional institution fees.
Weekly maker evenings (tools, budget, and pizza provided).