Entrepreneur in Residence (stealth FinTech Venture), 80-100% - diverse

Axelra is a Swiss tech venture builder that turns digital business models into real, operating ventures. We are looking for an exceptional Venture Strategy Lead / Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) to take the lead on a new venture in the digital gold space, one of the most strategically interesting opportunities at the intersection of TradFi, digital assets, and the global precious metals industry.

The venture is incubated for a confidential industry partner that operates a trusted, productive infrastructure used by the global bullion industry today. The venture is incubated for a confidential industry partner that operates a trusted, productive infrastructure used by the global bullion industry today. The mission is to develop an innovative solution for physically backed digital gold, building on Swiss bullion industry standards and targeting institutional and wealth distribution channels (banks, securities dealers, SPVs, ISIN/WKN). The intention is for this innovative approach to evolve into a market standard over time. The venture will be developed in close alignment with current industry level initiatives around shared digital gold infrastructure.

You will start under a regular employment contract on the partner side, with full backing from Axelra during the Venture Validation & Planning phase. At the validation milestone, the board decides on incorporation. A core decision criterion will be the go to market and partner strategy: who launches the product into the market and provides the necessary liquidity. Securing an anchor partner with the relevant capabilities and licences is a prerequisite for moving into Phase 2. If the venture is spun out, the EIR is expected to take on a leading operational role with a minority equity participation (subject to role definition, vesting and cliff, as customary for an EIR).

Strategic direction, external positioning, IP ownership and partner relationships remain with the sponsor during Phase 1. The role operates under defined decision rights and governance, which will be reviewed prior to any incorporation or role transition. External communication with industry bodies, regulators and partners is coordinated with the sponsor.

You report to the Founder/Chairman of the partner company.

Phase 1: Venture Validation & Planning (first 2 to 3 months)

You lead the structured Venture Validation & Planning phase in close alignment with the sponsor and board-defined decision rights. By the end of it, every key question that an institutional investor or strategic partner could reasonably ask must be answered and evidenced. Concretely, you are responsible for:

• Anchor partner & liquidity strategy (decision gate): identify, qualify and secure commitment from an anchor partner with the relevant capabilities, licences and distribution reach to launch the product into the market and provide the necessary liquidity. Securing such a partner is a prerequisite for moving into Phase 2.
• Go-to-market: ICP definition and partnership strategy with a clear TradFi focus (banks, securities dealers, wealth managers, SPV operators); pricing logic; and a concrete pipeline of named target partners.
• Technology & architecture: validate and refine the technology infrastructure (physical inventory and connecting trust layers) and the related digital representation as one possible access format, including custody and integration into the partner's existing bullion ledger infrastructure.
• Regulation & legal: consolidating the Swiss legal model (co-ownership vs. e-warehouse-receipt, register value rights / Bucheffekt under OR 973d, FINMA classification), MiCA positioning, US commodity treatment, KYC/AML, prospectus questions, and bankruptcy remoteness.
• Business model & financial plan: issuance, custody, trading, lending and AUM fee mechanics; stakeholder splits; multi-issuer logic; 5 year P&L and cash flow plan; funding requirement and use of proceeds.
• Investor ready package: pitch deck, data room, venture plan and an MVP scope ready for an internal investment decision and external fundraising.

Phase 2: First MVP delivery and venture build (post incorporation)

Following a successful validation and POC decision, and subject to board approval, you may take on a broader operational leadership role to lead the build of the first MVP and the incorporated venture. You are accountable across the integrated dimensions of Product, Management and Growth, working closely with Axelra delivery teams and the partner company.

• Product: translate the validated hypotheses into a working MVP for the TradFi distribution channel (ISIN/WKN, banks, securities dealers, SPVs); own the roadmap, technological scalability, security architecture and proof of reserves integrity.
• Management: build the founding team and operating foundations; run venture planning, financials and reporting; execute the rulebook (transfer semantics, redemption, situs) within the governance and cap table framework set by the board.
• Growth: lead structured customer validation, pilots and early commercial engagement with the anchor partner, banks, refiners and wealth distribution channels. Generate concrete proof points (LoIs, pilots, first revenues) and translate them into a compelling investment narrative.Investment & scaling: support fundraising rounds (Seed / Series A) and prepare materials for internal investment decisions; act as the operational face of the venture vis-a-vis banks, refiners, regulators, industry bodies (LBMA, WGC), technology partners and investors.

Entrepreneurial track record

• Proven entrepreneurial responsibility as founder, co-founder or senior operator.
• Has built at least two technology driven ventures in FinTech, digital assets / blockchain, or capital markets infrastructure. Outcome does not need to have been successful; what matters is depth of execution and learning.
• Track record of taking at least one venture to a meaningful market or scaling milestone.

Dual fluency: technology, business, regulation

• Able to lead and personally contribute on the technology side and the business side, and to navigate the regulatory dimension confidently (FINMA, MiCA, US commodity / securities treatment).
• Comfortable in deeply technical conversations (architecture, custody, settlement, token designs, smart contracts) and in CFO, board or regulator level conversations on the same day.

Gold market knowledge

• Solid working knowledge of the global gold and precious metals market: supply chain (refiners, vaults, logistics, insurance), wholesale (Loco London / OTC, LBMA Good Delivery, AM/PM Fix) and retail (bars, coins, ETFs, vaulted accounts, gold tokens).
• Familiarity with current industry initiatives such as Pooled Gold Interests (PGI) and shared infrastructure proposals like Gold as a Service (WGC / BCG).

TradFi distribution & partner network

• Working familiarity with token standards and the underlying architecture choices (custody models, proof of reserves, transfer semantics, KYC at protocol level), and a clear view on the legal and regulatory trade offs each triggers.
• Enough fluency to make sound design and build vs. buy decisions and to engage credibly with technology partners.

Blockchain & token design

• Hands on familiarity with token standards (ERC-20, ERC-1155 and equivalents on other chains), smart contract security, multi chain architectures, custody models and bridge / oracle design.
• Practical understanding of token economics design choices (minting gating, proof of reserves, burn rules, redemption logic, transfer semantics, whitelisting / KYC at protocol level) and the legal and regulatory trade offs each triggers.

Ecosystem embedment

• Already embedded in the relevant Swiss / European ecosystem at the intersection of financial services, precious metals and digital assets. An existing, activatable network across banks, regulators, refiners, custodians, crypto native players and law firms is a strong plus and will materially shorten time to validation.

Delivery & communication

• Strong delivery focus, leads interdisciplinary teams while still actively contributing to solution design and customer engagement.
• High ownership, structured thinking and the ability to translate technical and regulatory complexity into clear product, business and investor decisions.
• Fluent in English; German is a strong plus.

Location & presence

• Based in Switzerland.
• Hybrid setup: 2 days per week on site in the greater Zurich area for workshops and team work; flexible otherwise.

A rare opportunity to step into an EIR role on top of a real, industry anchored venture. Not a greenfield idea, but an opportunity already validated by clear market signals, an existing operating partner with global industry footprint and strong tailwinds from regulators, banks and the broader digital asset market.

• EIR trajectory: start with a focused 2 to 3 month Venture Validation & Planning phase under a regular employment contract; upon successful validation and incorporation, take on a leading operational role with equity participation (vesting and cliff as customary for an EIR).
• Direct access to a productive industry network: established relationships across LBMA certified refiners, vaults, banks and digital asset infrastructure providers.
• Strategic alignment with global initiatives: positioned in direct dialogue with industry level efforts around shared digital gold infrastructure.

We are not looking for a manager/advisor/consultat. We are looking for someone who genuinely wants to build.

Please apply via Join. We are filling this position without any external staffing agencies, recruiters or intermediaries. Relocation will not be covered.