Venture Capital Investor (Berlin)

Merantix Capital is an early-stage AI investor backing the most ambitious AI founders. Our roots lie in the Merantix Venture Studio, where we have supported and built AI-native companies since 2016 - from idea validation and co-founder matching to first customers, team building and follow-on financing. Today, we combine this company-building DNA with a dedicated early-stage €100M fund, investing in pre-seed AI-native companies across Europe.

We are part of the Merantix Group, one of Europe’s leading AI platforms, including the AI Campus in Berlin, London AI Hub, Merantix Momentum, AI House Davos and a network of founders, engineers, industry partners, investors and AI experts. Our ambition is to be more than a capital provider: we help founders access customers, attract talent, sharpen product and go-to-market strategy, prepare for follow-on financing and scale AI companies from the earliest stages.

We are looking for an experienced investor, with a technical background, to join Merantix Capital and focus on direct investments.

You will work with the investment team to identify, evaluate and invest in AI founders across Europe. The role spans the full investment process: sourcing, thesis development, technical and commercial due diligence, investment committee preparation, deal execution and portfolio support.

A core part of the role is forming a view on whether an AI company is not only commercially attractive, but also technically credible: whether the product works, whether the data or model approach is defensible, whether the system can scale, and whether the team can execute.

This role also involves working with our founder-in-residence teams in our venture studio alongside your direct investments. You will typically work with one team at a time: exceptional founders who join us before they have a company, often before they have settled on an idea. 

You will help them pressure-test and reshape their ideas, run customer discovery, find co-founders, shape the product and go-to-market, and get them ready for their pre-seed round.

This gives you a view of company building that few investors get, and early access to outstanding founders before anyone else meets them. Prior studio experience is not required.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Sourcing exceptional pre-seed founders and investment opportunities across Europe’s AI ecosystem

• Developing original investment themes in AI based on market research, founder conversations, customer feedback and technology shifts

• Evaluating new investment opportunities across team, product, market, technology, competition, business model, GTM and financing dynamics

• Leading due diligence processes, including market sizing, competitive mapping, customer calls, technical assessment and financial analysis

• Preparing high-quality investment materials and recommendations for internal discussions and investment committee decisions

• Building strong relationships with founders, angels, VCs, operators, accelerators, universities and AI research communities

• Supporting portfolio companies on strategic topics such as fundraising, hiring, customer introductions, positioning and GTM

• Working with founder-in-residence teams in the Merantix Venture Studio, from idea validation and customer discovery to co-founder matching, first customers and pre-seed readiness

• Leveraging the Merantix ecosystem to support portfolio companies and strengthen our position as a leading European AI investment platform

Required:

• Background in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, Data Science, Engineering or a related field, or a business background complemented by self-taught technical skills.

• Prior experience in VC, early-stage investing, angel investing or technical due diligence

• Strong network in the European AI, software, research or startup ecosystem

• Strong understanding of modern AI/ML systems, including model development, data pipelines, deployment, evaluation and production constraints

• Excellent analytical skills and ability to quickly understand new markets, products, technologies and business models

• Strong commercial judgment and ability to assess venture-scale potential

• Clear written communication and ability to prepare investment memos and recommendations

• High ownership and ability to manage several processes in parallel

Strong plus:

• Prior founder, or hands-on startup experience building, shipping or scaling technical products, ideally in AI/ML, data, software or infrastructure

• Experience in company building, for example in a venture studio, or as one of the first team members of a startup

• MSc or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI or a related technical field

• Domain expertise in Industrial AI, Healthcare, Robotics, FinTech, Cybersecurity, Defence & National Security, Developer Tools, Enterprise Software or AI Infrastructure

We are flexible on seniority.

We offer attractive compensation, including carry in our AI fund, and a high-ownership role at the intersection of AI, venture capital and company building. You will work closely with founders from the earliest stages through financing and scaling, while benefiting from the broader Merantix ecosystem of founders, AI engineers, operators, industry partners, investors and the AI Campus.

At Merantix, we value ownership, intellectual honesty, low ego and high ambition. You will be encouraged to develop your own investment themes, build strong founder relationships, make independent investment recommendations and help us back the next generation of European AI companies.

Due to the volume of applications we receive, warm introductions are helpful but not required. We review all applications carefully.