Business Development Lead (m/w/d)

Business Development & Market Building with Equity Potential

We are technically strong, possess real projects, and have substantial expertise. Now, we are looking for an entrepreneurial personality to develop more market presence, visibility, and sustainable growth from this foundation – not a classic salesperson, but someone who truly wants to take responsibility for Business Development, Market Building, and Strategic Customer Development.

Who We Are

PERFACCT was founded in 2017 as a spin-off from the EXIST founder scholarship program at the University of Potsdam. We bridge the gap between theoretical ideas and production-ready applications, working on everything from data-intensive simulations and GPU acceleration to web applications and software solutions for production use. Our team consists of four software developers and an assistant. We excel at understanding complex technical and scientific requirements and translating them into stable, comprehensible software, often for topics with societal relevance.

Your Responsibilities

• Elevate Business Development from an accompanying task to a distinct function.
• Sharpen our products, services, and offerings.
• Build a clearer market and brand positioning.
• Acquire new customers and further develop existing customer relationships.
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships.
• Evaluate research topics and project ideas for economic relevance.
• Prepare and accompany customer meetings, pitches, and events.
• Develop a long-term Business Development strategy with clear priorities: what to pursue, and what not to.
• Act as the interface between the market, customers, research, and the development team, identifying key actions and ensuring concrete next steps are taken.

Your Qualifications

Who We Are Looking For:

You don't need to be a tech expert (develop software or write CUDA kernels), but you should have a genuine interest in research, technology, and complex subject matter. Your strength lies in speaking the language of customers: understanding problems, goals, and expectations, and translating them into meaningful next steps with our technical team. Crucially, you must recognize when a topic is economically relevant and when it's interesting but not the right focus for us at the moment.

A background in Business Administration, Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship, Technology Management, Industrial Engineering, or a similar field is a good fit. What's essential is your ability to understand people, markets, and business models.

You'll fit well with us if you:

• Enjoy speaking with researchers, developers, customers, and partners on an equal footing.
• Are enthusiastic about scientific and technical topics.
• Are comfortable with sales, phone calls, presentations, and public speaking.
• Can explain complex topics clearly and understandably.
• Confidently assess numbers, business models, and economic contexts.
• Think strategically and know who to involve and when.
• Are self-organized and disciplined in following through on tasks.
• Are empathetic and approachable, yet direct and able to set clear boundaries.
• Bring fresh ideas aligned with our team, history, and competencies.
• Are open to feedback and value open exchange.

We are not looking for loud self-promoters. We seek someone who communicates as an equal, is enthusiastic without losing sight of the economic perspective, and is ready to take long-term responsibility.

What We Offer

We do not offer a corporate role – no ready-made sales machine, large marketing team, or perfectly defined BD structure. What we offer is a genuine key role with direct influence on market perception, customer acquisition, offering development, and growth. You will work closely with the founding team, projects, and strategic decisions. More responsibility, more creative freedom, more proximity to decisions – and you will build something that doesn't exist in this form yet.

We cannot currently offer corporate salaries. Instead, we offer an entrepreneurial role with equity potential: When we collectively refine products, expand customer relationships, and develop new business areas, you should share directly in the success. Fair, transparent, and sustainably long-term.

Who This Role is For:

This role is ideal for someone who wants to work entrepreneurially but not found a company alone. For someone who enjoys translating technical substance into market opportunities, building networks, and turning good ideas into robust business relationships.

We are looking for someone who recognizes: Here is substance. Here is potential. And now, business development is needed to make more of it.

This role is not suitable if you are looking for a clearly defined 9-to-5 job with established processes, reduce business development to pure acquisition, or if short-term earnings and status are your primary motivators. This role is demanding because not everything is in place yet – but therein lies the opportunity.

Not as a classic salesperson. Not as external consulting. But as an entrepreneurial personality who truly wants to take responsibility for business development, market building, and strategic customer development.