How to apply for Founding GTM & Sales Manager - DACH & Nordics (gn) @ AI Digital Defense Venture, Germany

About FoodLabs

This is an early, venture-backed company building frontier AI for governments and defence organisations. It has closed a pre-seed round and is already running live government pilots. The work helps national security teams read a complex information environment faster and clearer.

About the role

This is a founding go-to-market and sales role for the DACH region and the Nordics. You own growth from the first conversation through to a signed contract, building the region much as the company built the UK. You work with the founders and a forward-deployed engineer who builds the tools and prototypes a live sales process needs.

A typical day

A typical day likely involves outreach to government, defence, or large enterprise contacts in DACH and the Nordics, meetings with prospective buyers, and working with the founders and a forward-deployed engineer on tools, integrations, or prototypes a live deal needs. Because this is a founding remote role, much of the work is self-directed territory building. Ask the founders how they structure a week and how the UK playbook is being adapted.

Who FoodLabs is looking for

• Has sold to government, defence, or large enterprise buyers in the DACH region and the Nordics, and understands how those procurement processes work.
• Can map a region from a blank slate, find advisory relationships that open doors, and build a network where none exists yet.
• Has closed contracts from first conversation to signature, not just generated leads or run inbound.
• Can work closely with a forward-deployed engineer, direct technical build during a sales process, and translate what the customer actually needs into prototypes and integrations.

Tips for this application

• Name specific government, defence, or large enterprise accounts you have opened or closed in DACH and the Nordics. The role is about landing pilots and turning them into long-term contracts, so show that pattern.
• Explain how you built a region or territory from a blank slate. This company built the UK first and wants the same playbook applied to DACH and the Nordics.
• Describe a deal where you worked with engineers or technical staff to build something during the sales process. The role pairs you with a forward-deployed engineer.
• State your language skills clearly. DACH and Nordics coverage likely requires German and English, and Nordic languages may help. Do not assume the reader knows.
• Keep the application focused on revenue and contracts. This is a founding GTM and sales manager role, not a marketing or partnerships role.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your track record selling to government, defence, or large enterprise buyers in DACH and the Nordics, with named accounts or contract values where possible.', 'How you mapped a new region or territory, found the advisory relationships that opened doors, and built a network from scratch.', 'A specific example of landing a pilot and turning it into a long-term contract.', 'How you have worked with technical teams or engineers to shape a product or prototype around what a customer actually needs.']

Research before applying

• FoodLabs and Atlantic portfolio ventures. Understand how this venture is backed and what stage it is at.
• The company's public materials on its AI systems for governments and defence, and how it describes the information environment problem.
• Government and defence procurement processes in the DACH region and the Nordics, including which agencies or ministries buy AI and information analysis tools.
• The company's UK go-to-market history, since the role is explicitly about building DACH and the Nordics the way the UK was built.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would map the DACH region and the Nordics from a blank slate, including which countries, agencies, or accounts you would target first and why.
• A walkthrough of a government or defence deal you closed, from first conversation to signature, including how you handled procurement and security requirements.
• How you have worked with a forward-deployed engineer or technical team during a live sales process.
• How you would turn a live government pilot into a long-term contract, including what milestones or evidence you would use.
• Your view on the information environment problem this company addresses and how you would explain it to a national security buyer.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying with a generic enterprise SaaS sales background and no evidence of government, defence, or large enterprise deals in DACH and the Nordics.
• Focusing on lead generation, marketing, or partnerships instead of owning the full cycle from first conversation to signed contract.
• Ignoring the technical side of the role. This position works with a forward-deployed engineer, so candidates who cannot discuss working with technical teams during a sales process will look unprepared.