Technical Co-founder

Job Title: Technical Co-founder / AI Product Engineer

Location: Athens, Greece (or open to relocate)

Position Type: Full-Time, Equity + Leadership Role

Company Overview:

Early-stage pre-seed AI-first fintech venture reimagining SME finance across Europe. SMEs are the backbone of the economy, yet remain underserved by outdated banking and factoring models that are slow, costly, and exclusionary. We are solving this by embedding financing directly into the tools businesses already use — ERPs, invoicing platforms, supplier networks — and applying adaptive AI models to assess risk, predict cash flow, and unlock liquidity in real time.

Teddy's mission is to become the operating system for SME liquidity in Europe, ensuring that access to capital is as natural and frictionless as sending an invoice. By combining embedded finance, data intelligence, and automation, Teddy is building the next generation of financial infrastructure for small and medium businesses.

Job Description:

The current founder is seeking a Technical Co-founder / AI Product Engineer to join as a founding team member and drive the design, development, and scaling of our AI-powered platform.

This is a full-time hybrid role for a Technical Co-founder / AI Product Engineer. The position is located in Athens, with some work from home acceptable. The Technical Co-founder / AI Product Engineer will be responsible for developing and implementing AI-based products, conducting research, managing technical teams, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Additionally, the role involves participating in strategic planning, overseeing product development cycles, and ensuring the alignment of technical requirements with business objectives. The individual will also engage in hands-on coding, algorithm development, and data analysis.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on AI/ML engineer with strong product instincts, passionate about turning complex data into transformative financial products. As a technical co-founder, you will play a defining role in architecting the product, leading the engineering team, and shaping long-term technical strategy while holding significant equity in the business.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, architecture, and deployment of core fintech and artificial intelligence systems (risk scoring, payments infrastructure, data pipelines).
• Build and optimize AI/ML models for creditworthiness, fraud detection, and predictive financial analytics.
• Collaborate on product vision, roadmap, and execution, balancing speed with scalability.
• Recruit, mentor, and lead the early engineering team.
• Integrate with financial institutions, payment providers, and open banking APIs (PSD2 compliance).
• Ensure best practices in data security, compliance, and regulatory frameworks (KYC, AML, GDPR).
• Contribute as a co-founder to fundraising, investor discussions, and long-term company strategy.

Requirements:

• Education: Degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or related field. (Master's or PhD a strong plus.)
• Experience: 5+ years in software engineering, with at least 3 years building or deploying AI/ML-driven products. Experience in fintech is strongly preferred.
• Technical Skills:
• Proficiency in Python, TensorFlow/PyTorch, SQL, cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP).
• Experience in deploying machine learning models at scale.
• Strong knowledge of APIs, microservices, and financial data structures.
• Familiarity with KYC, AML, or financial compliance systems is a plus.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a hybrid work environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience as a founder, early-stage engineer, or technical lead in a fintech/AI startup.
• Demonstrated success in scaling data-heavy or financial applications.
• Knowledge of European fintech ecosystem, open banking regulations, or embedded finance trends.
• Publications, patents, or open-source contributions in AI/ML.
• Hungry and ready to build with a product-first mentality.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary: The venture is pre-funding and aiming for a pre-seed raise in October. The current founder takes no salary but post pre-seed funding co-founder salaries will be competitive with Athens-based startups, with flexibility based on experience.
• Equity: Significant equity stake as a co-founder.
• Benefits: Flexible working arrangements, open to semi-remote working but prepared to collaborate closely in-person (office).
• Culture: A fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment with strong support for innovation and ownership.
• Career Growth: Opportunity to shape the company from day one, lead a world-class engineering team, and grow into CTO-level leadership.