Founding Chief Executive Officer | Optotera

Optotera is a UCL spinout developing a low cost electro-optic optical comb device. The technology offers a route to comb sources that are significantly cheaper, lower-noise, and more robust than existing alternatives, opening up applications that have previously been limited by the cost and fragility of comb hardware. Target markets include data-centre interconnects, precision timing for telecom networks, imaging for healthcare, industrial metrology, and many others.

We are seeking a founding Chief Executive Officer to lead Optotera through its formative product-development and commercial stage, working in close partnership with CFT. The role spans go-to-market strategy, customer and pilot acquisition, partnership development, fundraising, and de-risking the transition from lab prototype to a manufacturable product. It is best suited to someone who has operated at the frontier of photonics, optical communications, or precision hardware and is ready to become a true owner and strategic architect of a high-potential venture.

You will be directly supported by Cambridge Future Tech (CFT), a deep tech venture builder specialising in creating companies around cutting-edge IP, bringing in the best commercial talent to support technical founders. Our team of expert operators and analysts work alongside the incoming CEO to accelerate and de-risk the early stages of company building.

Key responsibilities:

• Own company strategy, vision, and execution across commercial, product, and technical functions.
• Lead GTM strategy for Optotera's optical comb technology, drawing on direct customer relationships and deep sector knowledge to identify and convert leads.
• Own customer discovery and product direction by working directly with the technical team to validate product-market fit, shape the roadmap from prototype to a pluggable product, and build early commercial traction.
• Drive fundraising across venture capital and strategic routes, and articulate the Optotera vision credibly to both technical and financial audiences.
• Hire and develop the early team as the business scales beyond the founding stage.

Skills & Requirements:

• Preferred background in photonics, optical engineering, applied physics, or a related hard science discipline (degree level or equivalent through practice), sufficient to engage credibly with photonics engineers and technical partners.
• Demonstrable commercial experience, including hardware or component sales, product management, partnership development, or scaling a hardware business unit.
• Proven ability to navigate the commercial complexity of data-centre, telecom, or healthcare/industrial customers, and to secure high-value partnerships or enterprise contracts.
• Comfort operating in a capital constrained early-stage environment where you will be making decisions with incomplete information, moving fast, and getting your hands dirty.
• Track record of raising early-stage capital across at least two of: grants, strategic investment, or venture capital.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

The successful candidate will demonstrate at least two of the following:

• Track record of raising early-stage capital.
• Experience as a founder or early startup commercial hire
• Direct domain fluency in photonics or optical engineering, sufficient to engage credibly with engineering teams at target accounts.
• Established connections across data-centre, telecom equipment, or healthcare/industrial imaging customers and the broader photonics ecosystem, with both the breadth and depth to open and close meaningful commercial conversations.

Joining Optotera

Optotera is a pre-funding, early-stage venture. As such, this is a co-founding role where the successful candidate will join with meaningful equity in the company, commensurate with the risk and opportunity. Flexibility around cash compensation is required until the first funding round is closed.

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and actively encourage interest from those with experience spanning the target markets.

Stay Connected for Founding Roles

If this opportunity doesn’t align with your expertise, but you’re interested in founding a deep tech venture, we still want to hear from you. Get in touch with us through this form, and we will add you to our CXO bench so we can reach out with future opportunities tailored to your expertise.