Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) — VP Sales & Business Development

About KUORI

KUORI is a Swiss deep-tech materials startup developing next-generation biobased and recyclable thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for industrial and high-performance applications. Built on upcycled food industry by-products — including olive pits and walnut shells — KUORI's proprietary BIOWA platform replaces fossil-based TPU, EVA and rubber with materials that offer performance at a fraction of the environmental footprint.

Recognised by the EU Horizon programme and awarded Renewable Material of the Year 2023, KUORI operates at TRL 8–9 on its core grades and is entering its commercial scale-up phase. Active customer relationships and a pipeline spanning footwear, toys, automotive, and consumer goods reflect strong market interest. The company now requires a dedicated commercial leader to convert this momentum into first anchor accounts and sustained revenue.

The Role

KUORI is seeking a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to serve as its dedicated field commercial leader. The primary mandate is direct customer engagement, relationship-building, and account conversion — not organisational management.

The commercial architecture — including ideal customer profiles, qualification methodology, and go-to-market structure — is being established in parallel. The CRO will inherit a structured foundation and be positioned to focus immediately on what matters most: activating relationships with the right buyers and closing first lighthouse accounts.

This role carries management team status and reports directly to the CEO, with full strategic visibility and equity participation in what is built.

What You Will Own

• Direct ownership of the top 15–20 qualified accounts — from initial relationship activation through to first commercial commitment and repeat supply
• Identification and proactive outreach to new prospects within defined target segments: compounding, specialty distributors, and OEM procurement in footwear, industrials, and adjacent sectors
• Revenue accountability — ownership of the sales number, target-setting, forecasting, and personal accountability for commercial milestones; variable compensation tied directly to performance
• Field intelligence: translating customer conversations into product-market fit signals and feeding them back into the commercial and R&D roadmap
• Channel and network building: where strategically appropriate, identification and management of commission-based sales representatives and distribution partners
• Commercial representation at industry events, trade fairs, and in direct customer engagements across Europe and beyond

What You Bring

• Field presence. A real hunter mentality — energised by customer contact and genuine satisfaction from opening and converting relationships.
• Industry network. A wide and active network in specialty materials, polymer compounding, or adjacent sectors (footwear, automotive tier 1/2, consumer goods OEMs). Relationships that translate into meetings within weeks, not months.
• Proven commercial track record. Demonstrated track record of opening and closing five- and six-figure B2B accounts in materials, chemicals, or specialty manufacturing.
• Technical credibility. Enough technical grounding to hold credible conversations with R&D, procurement, and sustainability leads — and to translate KUORI's material science into a compelling commercial argument.
• Builder comfort. Comfort with ambiguity, thrives in an early-stage environment without a full support apparatus.
• Equity mindset. Genuine motivation by equity upside and long-term ownership, not just short-term base compensation.

What We Offer

• Management team membership with direct access to the CEO and full strategic visibility
• Meaningful equity participation: co-ownership in a technically differentiated and defensible product
• A structured commercial foundation to step into — go-to-market architecture and a qualified account shortlist ready for activation
• A product that wins on both sustainability credentials and performance
• A lean, high-trust environment: no politics, no layers, genuine autonomy
• The opportunity to join at the moment of commercial inflection

Location: Zurich, Switzerland. Hybrid. Start: January 2027. Compensation: Base + Variable + meaningful equity participation.