Innovation Lead

28DIGITAL is Europe’s digital innovation engine, a multi-stakeholder platform, rooted in European values and open to the world, we turn knowledge into innovation, scale startups into global ventures, and build the next generation of digital talent to shape a fair, competitive, and human-centric digital future. 

We work at the intersection of science, business, and society, transforming breakthroughs in AI, cybersecurity, robotics, and advanced computing into solutions that strengthen Europe’s sovereignty, accelerate the green transition, and improve lives.

For more information, visit www.28digital.eu.

Main Responsibilities

• Innovation Consulting and Pre-Sales: Support the development and delivery of 28DIGITAL’s programs and tailor-made innovation projects. This includes understanding client needs, designing suitable services, contributing to proposals and presenting solutions to prospective clients and partners.
• Startup and Scaleup Advisory: Advise founders on topics such as product–market fit, business models, go-to-market strategy, sales, internationalisation, organisational development and commercial growth. Example:
• Fundraising Support: Help startups assess their investment readiness, develop fundraising strategies, improve pitch decks and financial plans, prepare for investor discussions and identify relevant private or public funding opportunities.
• Mentoring and Education: Deliver mentoring sessions, workshops, masterclasses and other learning activities for entrepreneurs, corporate professionals and innovation stakeholders.
• Program and Project Delivery: Contribute to the design and implementation of 28DIGITAL programs, custom client assignments and publicly funded projects, including stakeholder coordination, participant support, monitoring, reporting and quality assurance.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential Requirements

• At least five years of relevant professional experience in innovation consulting, startup and scaleup support, business development, entrepreneurship, corporate innovation, investment or a related field – the more areas are covered, the better.
• Strong understanding of startup development, business-model validation, commercialisation and growth.
• Strong understanding of corporate innovation, co-creation, open innovation and facilitating such relationships on a commercial basis.
• Ability to understand client needs and translate them into clear services, projects and deliverables.
• Experience contributing to bids, proposals, presentations, offers or scopes of work.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and strategic-thinking skills.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts in a clear and practical manner.
• Excellent facilitation, presentation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments, clients and stakeholders in parallel.
• A proactive, hands-on and results-oriented approach.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams.

Desirable Qualifications

• Previous experience as a founder, startup early employee, investor, consultant, accelerator manager or corporate innovation professional.
• Experience supporting startup fundraising or working with investors – especially stages after the Seed round.
• Experience with publicly funded innovation projects.
• Knowledge of European startup, investment and innovation ecosystems.
• An established network of innovation-savvy corporates, startups, investors, mentors or innovation organisations.
• Experience working in international, multi-partner or consortium-based projects.
• Relevant postgraduate degree, MBA or equivalent professional qualification.
• Knowledge of additional European languages.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for a versatile professional who can move confidently between consulting, business development, mentoring, training and project delivery.

The successful candidate should be equally comfortable:

• Discovering and discussing an innovation challenge with a corporate executive
• Advising a founder on product - market fit
• Reviewing a startup’s pitch deck and financial projections
• Designing a program or consulting assignment
• Delivering a workshop
• Supporting a startup - corporate pilot
• Scouting, locating and qualifying commercial leads
• Presenting a proposal to a prospective client
• Coordinating multiple partners within a project

The role requires commercial awareness, credibility with entrepreneurs and executives, strong judgement and the ability to turn broad innovation challenges into concrete and practical actions.

Mastery of English, with superior verbal, presentation and written communication skills.

This is a full-time position. Place of employment is at one of 28DIGITAL’s main offices in Europe (Brussels, Budapest, Helsinki, Madrid, Trento, Berlin, Stockholm, Eindhoven). Regular travel across Europe will be required for this position.

Apply now

28DIGITAL is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. To build a strong digital Europe that works for everyone it is vital that we have diverse range of skills, knowledge and experience in the sector. Therefore, we welcome applications from anyone who meets the above criteria and encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, and other underrepresented groups.