Description

Hitchhiker Orbital is building the foundational infrastructure layer for commercial LEO — modular research environments, scalable orbital systems, and the backbone for inspace manufacturing. We are seeking a CEO who has already taken an earlystage company through capital formation, product validation, and organizational scaling. This leader will drive strategy, fundraising, partnerships, and the operational discipline required to take a frontiertech company from early traction to sustained growth. If you prioritize cash over equity and mission, this isn’t your company. We’re owners here — fully committed to the vision — and we expect the same from anyone joining the leadership team. Our product is engineered to be profitable before launch; we wouldn’t build it any other way.

This is a role for someone who has lived the startup grind, understands capital markets, and knows how to turn a technical vision into a durable, investable business. You must embrace our vision, strive for embracing company needs, and understand the vision is bigger than anyone of us. 

• Fundraising & Capital Strategy
  • Lead Seed → Series A/B fundraising, including investor targeting, narrative development, and deal execution
  • Build and maintain relationships with VCs, strategics, government partners, and institutional investors
• Develop longrange capital plans aligned with product milestones and regulatory timelines
  • Company Leadership & Growth Management
    • Own company vision, culture, and operational cadence
    • Build and scale a highperformance team across engineering, operations, and business functions
    • Implement processes for planning, budgeting, hiring, and execution as the company grows
• Market & Partnership Development
  • Establish strategic partnerships with aerospace primes, research institutions, and commercial LEO stakeholders
  • Represent Hitchhiker Orbital at industry events, government forums, and technical conferences
  • Drive customer discovery and early revenue pathways for orbital infrastructure services
• Product & Technical Alignment
  • Work closely with engineering leadership to translate technical capabilities into marketready offerings
  • Ensure product roadmap aligns with regulatory, safety, and missioncritical requirements
• Champion a standardsdriven approach to orbital infrastructure
  • We are seeking to create a blue ocean in Orbital Infrastructure as a Service, this is innovation not replication. We are a white glove service, we live to serve our clients.

Requirements

• Startup Leadership 
  • 5–10+ years in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, or frontiertech startups 
  • Experience as CEO, COO, GM, or senior operator in a company that scaled from early stage to growth 
• Capital Raising 
  • Demonstrated success raising $20M+ across Seed, Series A, or nondilutive funding 
• Familiarity with orbital systems, space operations, or regulated hardware
  • Experience working with NASA, DoD, FAA, or commercial LEO partners is a strong plus
• Ability to translate complex engineering into investorready and customerready narratives