Founders Associate

About Cognee

Cognee is pioneering the AI memory engine, enabling agents to adapt and learn from feedback. We are developing a crucial developer tool for engineers and data scientists, allowing them to build scalable agentic systems for critical workflows. Our open-source Python SDK boasts over 600,000 monthly runs, is utilized in 70+ companies, has garnered 12,000+ GitHub stars, and has frequently appeared on GitHub trending lists.

Having recently secured a $7.5 million seed round from Pebblebed Ventures in San Francisco, a firm founded by former OpenAI and Facebook AI research lab engineers, Cognee is entering a high-growth phase. We are seeking a dedicated individual to help shape our core processes. You will join a a close-knit, highly driven team, collaboratively working towards establishing a generational AI infrastructure company.

Role Overview: Founders Associate

The Founders Associate will provide full-time support to Cognee’s C-level executives across essential operational functions, including finance, accounting, growth, and human resources. This pivotal role ensures the smooth day-to-day operation of Cognee and drives new strategic initiatives in finance and growth. It's an ideal opportunity for someone who thrives on ownership and significant impact within a dynamic startup environment.

What You'll Do

• Set up and optimize existing finance, accounting, and order-to-invoice processes for both US and German operations.
• Own the P&L and contribute to financial planning, ensuring team-wide alignment.
• Prepare investor updates, reports, and board materials, effectively communicating our progress and vision.
• Lead strategic initiatives from conception to completion, spanning market rollouts to launching new beta programs.
• Serve as the primary contact for operational HR matters and establish a structured recruiting process, encompassing active sourcing, screening, and interview coordination.
• Support HR administration, including onboarding, offboarding, payroll management, and contract creation.
• Manage office operations, vendor relationships, and assist in planning and executing internal and external company events.
• Plan and execute team events and manage travel arrangements to cultivate a strong, connected company culture.

What We'd Like You to Bring

• Strong academic record and completion (or near completion) of a university degree in business, finance, computer science, or engineering.
• Relevant undergraduate work experience, ideally within a high-growth, venture-backed startup or venture capital firm.
• A technical mindset for problem-solving; you prefer working with AI agents before requesting additional team resources.
• High-agency, outcome-obsessed, and accountable mindset ("I'll do it" over "someone should").
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of summarizing key decisions for both internal and external stakeholders.
• Preferably, coding and development expertise in Python and SQL, or a strong willingness to learn these skills.
• Native (or near-native) English language proficiency, both written and oral.

Why Join Cognee in Berlin?

• Work in a fast-paced environment where effort is directly rewarded with a strong salary and stock options, allowing you to participate in the company’s success.
• Be at the forefront of AI innovation, building core infrastructure to enable scalable, self-adapting agentic systems.
• Opportunity to learn coding skills, with support for a part-time coding bootcamp.
• Gain access to the San Francisco ecosystem and the chance to work from our Bay Area office.
• Enjoy a beautiful office space in Kreuzberg, recognized as one of the 'coolest streets in the world,' complete with free lunches.

Key skills/competency

• Financial Planning & Analysis
• Operations Management
• Strategic Initiatives
• Human Resources Operations
• Startup Environment
• Stakeholder Communication
• Project Management
• Python
• SQL
• AI Agents