CEO, Displacing Glyphosate

Direct message the job poster from Marble

Stealth is a Marble Portfolio Company

Marble is a climate tech venture studio. We partner with scientists, engineers, and operators to create companies solving hard climate problems in the world's largest industries.

Our first 11 companies are building transformative products across energy, industry, agriculture, and climate resilience. 100% have been successful in raising follow‑on to date.

Since Monsanto introduced glyphosate in the 1970s, and commercialised the Round Up Ready system in the 1990’s, it has become farmers’ go‑to for weed control. But that era is ending. With increasing weed resistance, rising regulatory pressure, and shifting climate conditions, farmers urgently need new weed management tools that are effective, affordable, and sustainable. So how do we finally displace glyphosate?

Non‑microbial biologicals have long been touted as the next frontier in crop protection, but their high cost and inconsistent field performance have strangled adoption  core challenge here is not discovery, but formulation: how these biologicals are stabilised, delivered and maintained in the field.

Formulation determines development speed, efficacy, and critically, the cost. Today’s delivery systems were built for chemicals, not biology, leading to poor stability, inconsistent performance and high costs. Solving formulation is the key unlock that will finally allow biologicals to deliver on their potential as the next generation of crop protection.

We are creating a next‑gen biological replacement for glyphosate, thanks to two key innovations:

• A novel delivery platform that’s purpose‑built for non‑microbial biologicals
• Peptide‑based bio‑herbicide, designed for broad efficacy and low resistance risk

Combined, these two innovations create a scalable biological herbicide system that can be produced at cost parity, with field‑level performance, whilst maintaining the environmental benefits of biologicals. This system can be paired with a spray‑on trait layer, to protect the primary crops from the herbicide, replicating the benefits of the Round Up Ready system, but without GMOs and with rapid adaptability.

So far, we have lab‑scale feasibility data and a clear technical scale‑up strategy that can deliver field results within 18 months of spinout from Marble.

We are seeking a CEO and Co‑Founder to shape the commercial strategy, validate the market, build early customer and industry partnerships, and secure capital from top‑tier investors. You will define the go‑to‑market model, build and lead a world‑class team, and translate our scientific breakthroughs into scalable products with a dominant market position. If successful, you will lead a company that will displace one of the most widely used and depended on chemicals in the agricultural sector.

You will join a stellar CTO with 10+ years of plant peptide experience. She holds a PhD in plant peptide biology, has completed postdocs at John Innes Centre, Wageningen University, and University of Cambridge, led commercialisation efforts for novel plant biotech solutions, and patented the world’s first peptide that increases nitrogen fixation.

• Shape the commercial strategy and go‑to‑market model for a disruptive biological herbicide.
• Validate the market and build early customer and industry partnerships.
• Lead capital raising efforts with top‑tier investors.
• Build and manage a world‑class team, ensuring operational excellence.
• Translate scientific breakthroughs into scalable products and secure a dominant market position.

We are looking for an entrepreneurial leader who is passionate about impactful technology that can transform how we grow our crops to feed the world.

The ideal candidate has demonstrated experience and/or potential in CEO‑equivalent responsibilities, prior experience in strategic commercialisation of novel biotechnologies, and outstanding communication skills for partner and stakeholder engagement.

We’re primarily looking for someone in the UK, Netherlands,…