Investment Manager

About First Momentum Ventures We’re engineers at heart and investors by choice. That’s why what started in 2019 as a campus spin-off, we’ve grown into one of Europe’s leading pre-seed funds, backing 50+ deeply technical startups reshaping industries from new industrials to novel computing. With our €35M+ second fund in full swing and Fund III on the horizon, we’re hiring an Investment Manager / Principal to lead a software thesis in Infra, DevTools, AI infra, amongst others, and drive pre-seed investments end-to-end, from sourcing and technical diligence to term sheets and post-investment work. Our aim is to be the #1 destination for deeply technical founders in Europe. We believe great teams create the future, and we’re here to back them early and support them deeply. We aren’t just capital providers; instead, we invest in incredible individuals and view EQ as our greatest competitive advantage compared to traditional funds. The same applies for our own team: we win as a team (not individuals), believe in high agency & independence, and have every team member participate directly in the fund’s economic upside and provide a clear path to partnership. The Role First Momentum is built on the conviction that exceptional engineers will build the future. Our current team reflects this - with experts in deeply technical domains. Own a software thesis and lead deals end-to-end. You’ve built or scaled software at the infrastructure layer and can separate impressive demos from scalable systems. You’ll team up with the two founding partners as a full member from day one and grow toward a partner role as you compound results. You'll join a team of three investment professionals working directly with our two founding partners. This isn't about learning the ropes from the sidelines: you'll be a full member of our investment team from day one, with real responsibility in a role designed to develop you into a partner over time. Our goal is to have you lead investments into software infrastructure, developer tooling, AI infra & similar topics on a short timeline. We’re a distributed team across Europe with a strong in-person rhythm: regular working sessions in Munich and periodic offsites. You’ll spend meaningful time in the ecosystems where our founders and co-investors are, ideally from a hub you already know well. We expect everyone to own outcomes end-to-end, keep peers unblocked, and raise the bar for the group. We measure ourselves by collective wins, not solo credits, and hire deliberately for that mindset. Tasks You’ll bring deep software engineering expertise to the heart of our investment decisions and our portfolio. This includes: Scout and invest into exceptional pre‑seed founders building software infrastructure, dev‑tools & AI infra - alongside broader exposure to our other core verticals (New Industrials, Energy & Novel Compute). Challenge us to higher standards in evaluating what extraordinary software builders look like. You will be the one to spot the difference between impressive demos and truly scalable technical architectures. Work directly with portfolio companies to improve their odds of success. This means sparring with founders on technical roadmaps, helping them build high-performance engineering teams and anticipating the challenges they'll face as they scale to 20+ engineers. Syndicate with top co-investors: maintain high-signal relationships with funds and angels across EU/US to unlock follow-on and customers. Requirements What We're Looking For You’ve led or managed engineering teams and shipped systems at scale, or led multiple early-stage software deals with real post-investment impact. You’ve built deeply technical B2B products or infrastructure-level software and can assess scalability and failure modes with operator clarity. You are playing to win. You have a genuine ambition to operate at the highest level, actively hunt for exceptional opportunities. You strive to work with the best people you can find. You’re embedded in the software community: from OSS and technical meetups to angel investing or founder circles. You have a bias toward action and active communication. This role is about building strong networks, which means your calendar will mix focused work with calls, meetings, and events. You're comfortable with both. You communicate crisply with founders, co-investors, and LPs; you enjoy robust discussion internally and clear storytelling externally. You’re open to travel for founders, co-investors, and the regular team on-sites. You’ve shipped systems, hired teams, and made build/buy calls; now you’re ready to apply that judgment to originate, diligence, and lead software deals. Benefits Why join First Momentum? Build & shape a sector-defining fund. First Momentum is one of the few through-and-through deep tech funds in Europe. We aim to build a portfolio and relationships that will define this generation of world-leading companies. Become a key pillar of our investment team, with complete responsibility for your investments from the initial conversation through to ongoing support after our investment. Exceptional colleagues who thrive on debate, rigour, and mutual support. Share in the economic upside through meaningful carry participation and a clear path to partnership for stellar performers. Full flexibility with a remote-first culture balanced by regular in-person gatherings across Europe. Continuous learning through mentorship, training, and resources to accelerate your development in the venture world. Directly influence how next-generation tech companies emerge and scale. Find companies that will transform their field and work with founders who have incredible energy & technical depth, enabling them to push their vision further.