CEO-in-Residence - Safety Intelligence Platform
Founding CEO: Lead the AI Transformation of Aviation Safety with UP.Labs If you've built and exited a successful B2B SaaS or data-driven company in safety, operations, or aviation - and are eager to do it again - this is your moment to found something game-changing that includes structural advantages beyond the dreams of most startups. We're looking for a CEO to build and scale an AI-powered safety intelligence platform from day one, in partnership with our corporate partner, a leading US airline. This is a rare opportunity to lead a venture that starts with:
- A real industry problem with immediate, measurable value
- A committed enterprise design partner already engaged
- Capital from tier-one VCs (with flexibility to bring your own backers)
- Full founder equity and support from the UP.Labs platform
Why Build With UP.Labs
- Enterprise traction from day one. You will be joining a startup team, with a product already in pilot/market, being built by an UP.Labs team of product, go to market, and engineering leaders. You're solving a problem validated by our corporate partner and the broader ecosystem.
- Accelerated path to exit. Our portfolio companies are structured to scale fast with capital efficiency - targeting liquidity in 3-4 years.
- Founder-level equity. A competitive base salary and a meaningful ownership stake from day one.
- Backed by the best. Work alongside institutional investors, UP.Partners, and top corporate LPs.
- World-class infrastructure. Tap into product, engineering, legal, recruiting, and GTM support from the UP.Labs operating team.
What You'll Build You'll lead a vertical AI company building an AI-powered safety intelligence platform that transforms how airlines manage safety operations - moving from reactive incident investigation to predictive risk prevention. The Problem Airlines today are drowning in safety data they can't act on. Thousands of monthly safety reports are manually processed, trends are identified only after incidents occur, and investigators spend hours pulling together basic information from fragmented systems. Legacy platforms were built for compliance, not intelligence - and lack the AI capabilities needed for proactive safety management. The Solution The platform delivers:
- Voice-enabled mobile reporting replacing legacy desktop systems with an intuitive, offline-capable experience for frontline workers
- AI-powered classification across 140+ safety categories, eliminating manual triage and dramatically accelerating response times
- Predictive risk management surfacing patterns and precursor events before they become incidents
- Autonomous investigation agents that compile evidence, generate insights, draft reports & take action automatically
The Opportunity You'll lead this vertical AI company through its four-phase transformation roadmap - from foundation through fully autonomous safety operations. The platform is positioned to become the first comprehensive AI-powered safety intelligence system in commercial aviation, with expansion potential across transportation industries globally. Your Role You'll serve as founding CEO - setting the direction, building the team, and owning outcomes. This is a hands-on role for someone who can go from zero to scale with urgency, clarity, and grit.
Responsibilities
- Own the business end-to-end: Full P&L ownership, strategic direction, and operational execution as the founder and leader of this startup
- Drive to product-market fit: Translate customer insights into product decisions, iterate rapidly, and prove value with early adopters
- Build revenue and scale: Close the first 5-10 enterprise customers, establish repeatable GTM motion, and accelerate ARR growth
- Recruit and inspire a world-class team: Build engineering, product, sales, and customer success functions from the ground up
- Forge deep customer partnerships: Start with the design partner airline and expand into new accounts across aviation and transportation
- Raise capital and tell the story: Partner with VCs, articulate the vision, and secure the resources needed to scale
- Leverage the UP.Labs platform: Work with UP.Labs product and venture teams to unlock value and accelerate time-to-market
You Might Be a Fit If You've:
- Founded or scaled a B2B SaaS, AI, or data platform - ideally in safety, operations, or aviation
- Sold into or worked with complex enterprises (airlines, transportation, or safety-critical industries)
- Built AI/ML-enabled platforms or have a sharp eye for building defensible data moats
- Experience with regulatory environments (FAA, EASA, SMS programs) is a plus
- Closed enterprise customers and maintained long-term commercial relationships
- Led a company through Series A+ or to a successful exit
- Built and inspired exceptional, diverse teams under pressure
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