Founder's Associate - New Venture

About Ibanfirst

Founded in 2016, iBanFirst has quickly established itself as the leading alternative for businesses that trade and carry out international payments. iBanFirst offers a next-generation cross-border payment experience that combines a powerful platform and the support of FX experts. With iBanFirst, executives and finance teams can get direct access to currency markets, receive, send and track payments and develop tailored hedging strategies.

With more than 350 employees in 10 European countries, processing a volume of transactions worth more than €2 billion each month, and listed by the Financial Times as one of Europe's fastest growing companies, iBanFirst became in less than 10 years a trusted partner for SMEs across borders.

iBanFirst has the financial backing of the French public investment bank (bpi France), European venture capital leaders (Elaia, Xavier Niel), and the American investment fund Marlin Equity Partners (more than 8 billion dollars of capital under management).

Regulated by the National Bank of Belgium as a payment institution, iBanFirst is authorized to operate throughout the European Union. Member of the SWIFT network and SEPA certified, iBanFirst holds AISP and PISP accreditations under PSD
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We are launching a new entrepreneurial initiative at the intersection of finance, technology and artificial intelligence.

The initiative is supported by iBanFirst and its Founder & CEO, but is designed to operate with the speed, autonomy and ambition of a new venture. The objective is to explore and build a new business opportunity from the ground up, starting with a clear market need and the support of an established and profitable company.

We are looking for a Founder's Associate to work closely with the Founder & CEO and help turn the initial vision into a structured, actionable and scalable business.

This is not a traditional Chief of Staff role focused solely on coordination. You will contribute to strategy, market exploration, business development, project execution and the practical work required to turn an idea into a functioning business.

The role is ideally based in London, with Paris or Brussels also considered.

Working directly with the Founder & CEO, you will act as a strategic and operational partner during the early stages of the venture.

You will help structure the opportunity, test assumptions, coordinate stakeholders and move key initiatives forward. You will be expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, while knowing when to seek guidance and involve the right people.

• Support the Founder & CEO in refining the venture's vision, positioning and strategic priorities
• Conduct market research, competitor analysis and customer discovery
• Help assess market opportunities, customer needs and potential business models
• Translate strategic ideas into clear action plans, priorities and milestones
• Prepare business cases, financial analyses, presentations and decision-making materials

• Coordinate the key work streams required to move the venture from concept to execution
• Follow up on priorities, decisions and deliverables across internal and external stakeholders
• Build simple but effective operating processes, reporting routines and project management tools
• Identify obstacles early and help find practical solutions
• Ensure that agreed actions move forward at the right pace

• Support the identification and qualification of potential use cases, partners and early opportunities
• Prepare meetings and materials for conversations with prospective clients and partners
• Help structure initial offers, pilots or proof-of-concept projects
• Contribute to the design of the venture's operating model, processes and tools
• Support the Founder & CEO in testing, learning and iterating quickly

• Develop a strong understanding of the role of AI in finance and business operations
• Monitor relevant AI tools, trends and use cases
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, automate tasks and support better decision-making
• Contribute to the practical testing and implementation of AI-enabled workflows

During your first year, you will have the opportunity to:

• Work directly with the Founder & CEO on the creation of a new business
• Gain exposure to strategy, business development, finance, technology and operations
• Learn how to assess a market opportunity and turn it into an executable plan
• Participate in early client, partner and internal conversations
• Build the foundations of a new venture, rather than joining an already-established organisation
• Develop a broad entrepreneurial skill set with significant visibility and responsibility

• 2 to 4 years of professional experience in one or more of the following environments: strategy or management consulting, investment banking, private equity or venture capital, start-up or scale-up operations, Chief of Staff or…