Founder-in-Residence (CEO-in-waiting) at Social Fitness Venture (AINAD Portfolio)
London, UK (Hybrid)
Posted 2 months ago
Top 1% of applicants do these two things.
The other 99% submit and hope. You're about to do something different.
Job Description
AINAD is looking for a Founder-in-Residence who will take end-to-end ownership of building and scaling our social fitness portfolio company, with a clear and structured pathway into the Chief Executive Officer role.
About the Social Fitness Venture
The portfolio company is a social fitness venture on a mission to connect people for workouts, accountability and community, bridging the gap between local fitness ecosystems (gyms, trainers, studios) and engaging digital experiences. AINAD is a venture studio and technology partner that builds and scales early-stage ventures into market-defining companies, providing product, growth, capital and operational support.
The Role
As Founder-in-Residence, you will act as the de facto founder/CEO-in-waiting of the portfolio company. You’ll own strategy, product, growth and operations from day one, working closely with AINAD’s partners and shared services. As you achieve key milestones (product–market fit, early scale, core team in place), the role transitions into the formal CEO position with corresponding equity and governance.
This role is ideal for an entrepreneurial leader who wants to build a company from the ground up with the backing of a venture studio, rather than joining a fully formed organisation.
What You’ll Do
- Define and evolve portfolio company’s vision, strategy and roadmap, in partnership with AINAD.
- Lead customer discovery and product development to achieve product–market fit in target segments (consumers, gyms, trainers, nutritionists).
- Design and execute go-to-market and growth strategies, including local market launches and partnerships.
- Build and manage the initial core team across product, growth, operations and support.
- Set up lean operations, processes and metrics to track performance and drive disciplined execution.
- Work with AINAD on fundraising, investor materials and strategic partnerships as the company scales.
- Gradually assume full CEO responsibilities as milestones are met (team, traction, revenue, governance).
What We’re Looking For
- Experience as a founder/co-founder or senior operator in a high-growth startup (ideally consumer tech, marketplace, fitness/wellness or community products).
- Proven track record of taking something from zero to one (and beyond) – launching products, driving growth, and owning outcomes.
- Strong product and customer instincts; comfortable running experiments and making decisions from data and user insight.
- Commercial and growth mindset, with an understanding of unit economics and sustainable acquisition.
- Leadership and communication skills to attract, inspire and align a small, high-performing team and external stakeholders.
- Genuine passion for fitness, wellbeing and building communities.
What We Offer
- A unique "founder with a safety net" opportunity: you build like a founder, with the backing of an experienced venture studio.
- Direct access to AINAD’s product, engineering, growth, talent, finance and legal support.
- The chance to shape a company’s culture, product and trajectory from the earliest stage.
Location
We are flexible on location, with a preference for candidates who can spend meaningful time in key markets (e.g., US/UK/Europe) and on the ground with gyms, trainers and communities. Hybrid/remote working is supported.
If you’re an entrepreneurial builder who wants to lead a venture from the earliest stages through to CEO, we’d love to hear from you. Please apply with your CV/LinkedIn and a short note on why you’re excited about social fitness venture and this Founder-in-Residence path.
AINAD
AINAD exists to build what matters, companies that don’t just grow fast, but endure.We take a systematic approach to venture creation, combining proven methodologies, structured frameworks, and hands-on execution to turn ambitious ideas into scalable, defensible businesses. Our focus isn’t experimentation for its own sake; it’s disciplined building, where every step from opportunity identification to market entry is intentional, validated, and repeatable.We work as true partners. Side by side with founders and investors, we move from concept to MVP, from validation to scale, embedding ourselves in the journey to ensure momentum never stalls. This isn’t advisory, it’s active co-creation, where strategy, technology, and execution converge in real time.Our platform is designed to de-risk what is inherently risky. By applying a proprietary, insight-led operating system, we systematically identify high-potential opportunities, pressure-test assumptions early, and accelerate the path to product-market fit. The result is not just faster companies, but stronger ones, built with resilience, clarity, and long-term value in mind.At our core, we are building the next generation of AI-native companies across sectors that define the future - sustainability, health, education, and fintech. We don’t chase trends; we focus on where technology can create meaningful, lasting impact.What sets AINAD apart is the collective behind it. A tightly integrated network of operators, investors, and domain experts working as one unit, combining capital with deep operational expertise, data-driven insight, and relentless execution.For investors, AINAD offers something fundamentally different: structured access to early-stage innovation through a disciplined, repeatable system. By systematically de-risking venture creation, we deliver a curated portfolio of high-growth technology businesses, built not on chance, but on process, precision, and partnership.
