Forward Deployed Engineer

About Inception Collective

Inception Collective is a Berlin-based venture equity and advisory firm operating at the intersection of technology, investment, and company building. We partner with founders, management teams, and investors to transform and scale businesses across Europe.

Our work spans three dimensions: building digital-first ventures, investing in special situations and overlooked opportunities, and operating companies hands-on to unlock performance. Unlike traditional investors or consultants, we embed directly into organizations – deploying technology, strategy, and execution to deliver measurable impact.

At Inception Collective, we move fast, think long-term, and create value by combining entrepreneurial instinct with disciplined execution.

The Role: Forward Deployed Engineer

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you'll be on the frontlines of our projects – deploying technology into real businesses, solving complex problems, and creating immediate impact. You won't just write code; you'll sit alongside founders, management teams, and operators, shaping how new technology drives transformation, growth, and long-term value creation.

You'll work across venture building, private equity, and transformation projects, always at the intersection of deep technical work and sharp business thinking. One day you may be building a data pipeline to help a portfolio company unlock hidden efficiency; the next, you're designing a digital product MVP with a founder team, or working with investors to evaluate technology-driven growth strategies.

This is not a pure engineering role, nor a pure business role – it's both.

What You'll Do

• Deploy technology into high-stakes business environments – from MVPs to scalable systems.
• Work directly with founders and executives to translate strategic goals into tangible digital solutions.
• Build and iterate quickly: data pipelines, integrations, APIs, AI prototypes, and production-ready systems that solve real business problems.
• Develop and deploy AI applications – from rapid prototyping to operational rollouts.
• Automate and optimize processes by designing intelligent workflows, deploying agents, and embedding innovation where operations meet software.
• Collaborate across disciplines – engineers, operators, investors, and entrepreneurs.
• Bridge the gap between technology and business: you'll explain engineering decisions in commercial terms and business trade-offs in technical terms.
• Own outcomes: your work will be visible, measurable, and tied directly to company performance.

What We're Looking For

• Strong technical foundation in software engineering, data engineering, or systems design.
• Experience with modern development stacks (e.g. Python, , cloud platforms, APIs, data pipelines).
• Hands-on experience or strong interest in AI applications – from prototyping with LLMs to deploying operational agents and automation frameworks.
• Curiosity and ability to learn new technologies quickly and apply them pragmatically.
• Business mindset – you think in terms of outcomes, value creation, and scalable operations.
• Strong communication skills: you can talk tech with engineers and business impact with executives.
• Drive for innovation at the intersection of operational processes and software deployment.
• Hands-on, entrepreneurial attitude – you thrive in ambiguous, high-pressure environments.
• Fluency in English; German is a plus, not a must.

What We Offer

• A front-row seat in building and transforming companies at the intersection of technology, private equity, and venture building.
• The chance to work on high-impact, high-ownership projects with immediate visibility.
• A diverse, international team with backgrounds in technology, venture building, and finance.
• A fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment where your work directly drives measurable outcomes.
• Competitive compensation with opportunity for equity participation in our ventures and investment activities for exceptional contributors.
• A steep learning curve and the opportunity to grow into leadership as the firm scales.

How to Apply

If you're excited about using your engineering skills in an ambitious, high pace and impact-driven environment – we'd like to hear from you here via Linkedin, or via