Co-founder (Education & Pedagogy)

About BluePen AI BluePen AI is building the world's first screen-free AI tutor, an intelligent pen that teaches children in their own language, inside their own notebook. No screens. No distractions. Just learning. We are preparing our launch in Germany in partnership with Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the Saxony-Anhalt Department of Industry, on the EXIST Gründungsstipendium, ego-Gründungstransfer pathway and other similar grant pathways. Funding is not yet confirmed, and we are fully transparent about that stage. Our founding team is deliberately structured across India and Germany. We will walk serious candidates through the full picture during our conversations. Important Eligibility Note This role requires you to be a recent graduate (within the last 5 years) from a recognized German university. This is a strict requirement due to grant eligibility (EXIST and similar programs). If you do not meet this criterion, this role is not for you. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to follow our journey. Tasks We are looking for a co-founder who is an educationist at heart. Someone who can genuinely call themselves an educationist, not because of a title, but because they have spent real time thinking about how children learn, where the system falls short, and what better looks like. This person will be our navigator inside the German education system. Someone who grew up in it, understands how it actually works, and can open the doors we need opened. This is not a curriculum-design hire. This is a co-founder seat for someone who went through German schooling themselves, knows how children learn in German classrooms, and will take full ownership of getting BluePen AI into schools. That means pilot access, syllabus alignment, and navigating the legal and regulatory landscape around EdTech, data privacy, and classroom adoption. You will define what BluePen AI teaches, how it teaches, and why. Grounded in evidence, shaped by German and European curricular standards, and validated through real-world pilots with children, teachers, and parents. You will sit at the strategy table as a co-founder alongside the CEO and CTO. Responsibilities Navigate the German education system end to end: state curricula (Lehrpläne), school approval processes, Kultusministerien requirements, and the decision-making structures that determine what enters a classroom Secure pilot access with schools, school districts, and education authorities across Bundesländer, starting with Saxony-Anhalt Own syllabus alignment and ensure BluePen AI's learning content maps precisely to grade-level curricula across German states Identify and navigate legal and regulatory challenges: data privacy (DSGVO/GDPR as applied to minors), EdTech procurement rules, Schulgesetz requirements, parental consent frameworks, and any compliance hurdles that stand between the product and the classroom Own the pedagogical vision and learning architecture of BluePen AI: what the product teaches, how it adapts, and how learning outcomes are measured Build the evidence base: design classroom pilots, define learning outcome metrics, run validation studies with partner schools and universities Develop and maintain relationships with German education stakeholders: teachers, school administrators, parent associations, and education researchers Co-lead grant applications (EXIST, BMBF, EU Horizon, and similar), especially the pedagogical narrative, impact thesis, and research methodology sections Represent BluePen AI in education forums, conferences, school visits, and ministry conversations, especially where native German and firsthand experience of the system are essential Translate user research into product requirements alongside the CTO: what children struggle with, what teachers actually need Shape BluePen AI's public positioning on education, childhood attention, and responsible technology Requirements Native German speaker who personally went through the German school system (Grundschule through Abitur or equivalent). English proficiency B2 Recent graduate (within the last 5 years) from a recognized German university. Degree in Education Sciences (Erziehungswissenschaften / Pädagogik), Lehramt, Educational Psychology, Learning Sciences, or a closely related field. Master's degree strongly preferred Current or former teacher Deep, lived understanding of the German school system: how Grundschulen work, how state curricula differ, how teachers actually plan lessons, where children fall behind, and how decisions about classroom tools get made Familiarity with the regulatory environment around EdTech in German schools: data privacy for minors, procurement processes, and what it actually takes to get a new product approved for classroom use Genuine intellectual curiosity about how children learn. Not just theory, but observable, evidence-based pedagogy Ideally, practical experience in German classrooms: teaching internships (Schulpraktikum), tutoring, volunteer teaching, after-school programs, or early-career teaching roles Roots in the German education, university, or EdTech ecosystem. Ideally with connections to OVGU, education faculties, or school networks Comfort on stage and in rooms with policymakers, school heads, and ministry officials. You will be BluePen AI's education voice in Germany Complementary strengths to our existing team. We have the tech and the business. We need someone who breathes education Excellent personal fit: we are three people who will make hard decisions together for years. Chemistry comes before every checkbox Benefits Meaningful co-founder equity, vested over four years with a one-year cliff A real seat at the strategy table, not an advisor or consultant role Formal co-founder title for the entity once established A mission that compounds: the first AI product designed to return attention to children, not steal it Two co-founders who have built together before and know exactly what a third great partner looks like Important: Please Read Before Applying This is a full-time co-founder role. Under certain grant rules, participants cannot hold other active employment beyond 5 hours per week during the 12-month funding period. If you are currently in a full-time role you are unwilling or unable to leave after selection, this is not the right moment for you, and that is okay. At this stage the primary compensation is co-founder equity and, once secured, the EXIST stipend. We are transparent about where we are. #J-18808-Ljbffr