Founder Associate

About Contextual

Contextual is an early‑stage AI startup building the first AI that can actually edit real products — understanding context, design systems, and layout to generate production‑ready UI. No repo access required.

Today's AI tools either generate designs from scratch (but can't touch live products), or require full repository access that most teams don't have. We're building the missing piece: AI that can log into a real product, understand its design system, and generate production‑quality UI that actually fits.

Founded by Christian (CEO), who built design systems used by 25M+ users and partnered with YC startups on product, and Emanuel (CTO), a former Principal Architect at AWS who has led 0→1 product builds, we raised a $1.8M pre‑seed round and are assembling a small, high‑leverage founding team.

About the Role

As Founder's Associate, you'll work directly with Christian and Emanuel as a true force multiplier — helping turn Contextual from an early product into a category‑defining company. You'll own critical initiatives across hiring, growth, operations, and fundraising, ensuring nothing important falls through the cracks as we move fast.

This is not a support role. This is a build‑the‑company role. You'll have deep exposure to how a company is actually built from 0 → 1, with the ownership and context that comes from sitting at the center of everything. If we're right that every product team will eventually need an AI designer, you'll be one of the people who helped build it.

You're joining at the earliest possible stage, where your work will directly shape the company — not just contribute to it.

What You'll Do

Founder Collaboration & Special Projects

• Act as a right hand to the founders, driving key initiatives from idea to execution


• Work across product, growth, hiring, and operations — wherever leverage is highest


• Bring structure to chaos: turn ambiguous problems into clear plans and outcomes

Hiring & Talent

• Source and engage top‑tier candidates, especially early engineering and design hires


• Run candidate pipelines and coordinate interviews end‑to‑end


• Conduct product demos and testing sessions with candidates and design partners


• Help shape what a \"Contextual hire\" looks like

Growth, GTM & Community

• Execute early growth experiments and outreach campaigns


• Manage relationships with design partners and early users


• Create and manage social content (especially around AI, design, and product building)


• Support building Contextual's presence among top designers and product teams

Fundraising & Strategic Support

• Prepare materials for investor conversations (decks, updates, data rooms)


• Support ongoing fundraising processes and investor communication


• Conduct lightweight research on markets, competitors, and opportunities

Operations & Finance

• Own day‑to‑day operational workflows (tools, processes, coordination)


• Manage financial admin (receipts, invoices, lightweight reporting)


• Coordinate logistics (offsites, travel, team setup)


• Help implement automations to reduce manual work across the company

Execution & Systems

• Identify inefficiencies and fix them


• Build simple systems and workflows that scale with us


• Use tools and automation (AI‑first where possible) to increase leverage

What We're Looking For

• 1–3 years of experience in startups, consulting, VC, or high‑performance environments


• Extremely proactive — you don't wait to be told what to do


• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and at speed


• Structured, detail‑oriented, and reliably get things done


• Strong communicator — clear, concise, and persuasive


• Genuinely excited about AI, product design, and building from scratch

Nice to Have

• Experience with no‑code tools, automations, or AI‑native workflows


• Background in early‑stage startups or founder environments


• Strong taste for product, design, or UX

Compensation & Location

• Remote‑first, Berlin preferred


• Full‑time


• Pre‑seed stage — competitive equity and compensation