How to apply for Founder in Residence, Priming plant resilience for climate risks

About Deep Science Ventures

Deep Science Ventures is unique as a venture creation platform that builds companies from scratch based on scientific theses addressing planetary-scale challenges, rather than funding existing startups. They combine deep scientific research with entrepreneurial execution to create ventures focused on ecosystem restoration and climate reversal. Someone would want to work here to translate cutting-edge plant science into scalable climate solutions within a structured venture-building environment.

About the role

This Founder-in-Residence role involves leading the creation of a new agtech company focused on enhancing plant resilience to climate risks, building upon DSV's existing scoping work. You'll be responsible for developing the technical thesis, commercial strategy, and team while preparing for a Q2 2027 spin-out with pre-seed funding. This is impactful because you'll be creating a company that directly addresses food security threats from climate change through deployable agricultural products.

A typical day

A typical day involves analyzing plant resilience data to refine the technical thesis, meeting with potential co-founders or team members, developing regulatory pathways for target markets, and working on investment materials for the DSV Investment Committee. You'll split time between deep scientific analysis and entrepreneurial execution—perhaps reviewing epigenetic research in the morning and investor pitch decks in the afternoon.

Who Deep Science Ventures is looking for

• Has a PhD or equivalent deep R&D experience in plant physiology, crop science, or molecular biology with specific expertise in epigenetics or microbiology relevant to climate resilience
• Demonstrates proven experience translating plant traits or biological actives from lab discovery to field deployment, not just theoretical research
• Has cross-functional leadership experience spanning R&D, product development, regulatory strategy, and IP management in agtech/biotech
• Combines scientific expertise with entrepreneurial execution—either through previous venture creation/fundraising or product leadership in a relevant startup environment

Tips for this application

• Quantify your translational experience: specify how many traits/actives you've taken from discovery to field, what crops, and what regulatory pathways you've navigated
• Demonstrate understanding of DSV's venture creation model by referencing their portfolio companies like CustoMem or Constructive Bio and how your approach aligns
• Show how your scientific expertise specifically addresses climate risks to plants (drought, heat, flooding) rather than general plant biology
• Prepare a concise thesis (1-2 paragraphs) on how you'd approach the intersection of climate risk, plant biology, and deployable products
• Highlight any parallel fundraising experience or connections to climate/agtech investors since you'll need to secure additional funding alongside DSV's investment

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your specific experience taking plant science from lab to field and how it addresses climate resilience gaps', "How you've previously managed the R&D-to-product-to-regulatory pipeline in agtech/biotech", 'Your entrepreneurial mindset and why the DSV venture creation model appeals to you over traditional startup paths', 'Your vision for building a team and company around plant resilience by Q2 2027']

Research before applying

• Study DSV's existing portfolio companies (especially in climate/agtech like CustoMem) to understand their venture-building approach
• Research DSV's 'Science to Venture' framework and how they structure Founder-in-Residence programs
• Analyze the competitive landscape for plant resilience products and identify specific commercial neglect opportunities
• Review DSV's published content on climate risk and ecosystem restoration to align with their thesis

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk us through your experience translating a specific plant trait from discovery to field deployment and the challenges you overcame
• How would you approach developing a regulatory strategy for a novel plant resilience product across different geographies?
• What commercial opportunities do you see at the intersection of climate risk modeling and plant biology?
• How would you build and recruit a team for this venture given the cross-functional requirements?
• What parallel fundraising strategies would you pursue alongside DSV's investment to reach pre-seed goals?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Focusing only on academic research without demonstrating translational or commercial experience
• Treating this as a traditional research role rather than a company-building position with a Q2 2027 spin-out deadline
• Having no specific ideas about fundraising or team building despite the requirement to prepare for Investment Committee