About Turtle
Turtle is an AI-powered career companion that walks alongside students and early-career professionals as they navigate their study and career paths. Think of it as having a smart, always-available mentor in your pocket.
We've built and piloted the product in US high schools, universities, and for-profit colleges — and the response has been strong. Our platform includes AI-guided career exploration, interactive tools, and personalized reflection exercises, all powered by AI and designed for the way Gen Z actually engages.
We're three technical co-founders with a working product. What we need now is someone to lead.
The Role
We're looking for a CEO who will become a co-founder and take the reins on the business side. This is not a advisory role or a title — it's a roll-up-your-sleeves, make-things-happen leadership position.
You will:
- Define and lock in our beachhead market (we've piloted across segments — we need someone to pick the lane and go)
- Own the go-to-market strategy: sales, partnerships, distribution
- Lead fundraising efforts — from pitch deck to closing
- Represent Turtle externally: investors, customers, conferences, press
- Build the business org as we grow (sales, marketing, customer success)
- Set company priorities and keep the team focused and accountable
You are:
- A pusher — you move fast, break through walls, and don't wait for permission
- Collaborative by nature — you know how to lead without steamrolling, and you thrive working alongside co-founders who are deep in the product. You bring the team with you, not just your own agenda
- Experienced in EdTech, SaaS, or ed-services — you understand how schools, colleges, and districts buy
- Comfortable with a $0 salary and meaningful equity — you see the upside and are willing to bet on yourself
- A natural seller and storyteller — you can get meetings, close pilots, and pitch investors
- US-based or deeply connected to the US education market
- Someone who has operated at an early stage before — ideally taken something from 0 to 1 (or 1 to 10)
- Obsessed with focus — you'd rather dominate one niche than spray across five
Nice to have:
- Network in K-12 administration, higher ed, or workforce development
- Prior startup founding or C-level experience
- Experience selling to schools, districts, or colleges
- Understanding of AI product positioning
Compensation
This is an equity-only position with a significant co-founder-level stake. We are pre-revenue and bootstrapped. The right person sees this as an opportunity, not a limitation.
How to apply
Send a short message (not a resume) to [email protected] telling us:
- Why this specific opportunity excites you
- One thing you'd do in the first 30 days
- Your relevant experience in 3 sentences or fewer
- You LinkedIn or any other contact details