CTO/Technical Co-founder – Wave-powered desalination for offshore environments

Job Description

Water scarcity is becoming one of the defining global challenges of this century, with more than 4 billion people experiencing severe water scarcity each year. As the UN warns of an emerging global “water bankruptcy,” the need for resilient and scalable freshwater production is becoming increasingly urgent.

Havstraum is a KTH-based deep-tech startup developing wave-powered desalination systems for offshore environments. Our goal is to enable reliable and scalable freshwater production using ocean wave energy through systems designed for long-term offshore operation.

Originally initiated as a research project at KTH, Havstraum is now transitioning into the engineering execution phase. The project has progressed through conceptual system design, early feasibility studies, and initial subsystem-level prototype development, supported by technical advisors and KTH Innovation’s venture development network.

Potential applications include coastal communities, offshore operations, ports, and water-intensive industries seeking resilient freshwater production with reduced infrastructure dependence.

We are now entering the next phase: system architecture, prototype development, and experimental validation.

Role and Challenges

We are looking for a CTO / Technical Co-founder to help build Havstraum’s core technology and lead its development from concept to deployment.

This is an opportunity to shape both the technology and the company from an early stage.

As CTO, you will:

• Lead the technical development of the system architecture
• Drive prototype development and experimental validation
• Navigate key engineering trade-offs across mechanics, hydraulics, offshore constraints, and durability
• Define and execute the technical roadmap toward pilot deployment
• Work closely with the founding team on strategy, partnerships, fundraising, and long-term product direction
• Help build the engineering culture and technical foundation of the company

We are looking for someone excited by hands-on deep-tech development, rapid learning, and solving difficult real-world engineering problems in uncertain environments.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to join early and help shape a deep-tech company from the ground up
• Work on a globally important challenge at the intersection of water, energy, and sustainability
• Hands-on involvement in developing a novel offshore mechanical system
• Support from KTH Innovation, including coaching, network, and venture resources
• A highly ambitious, low-ego, and execution-oriented founding environment
• Significant influence on both technical and strategic direction

This is a co-founder opportunity and should be viewed as an entrepreneurial venture with both significant upside potential and the risks that come with joining an early-stage startup.

As we are in the early stages of building the company, we are currently not able to offer a full-time market salary. The initial engagement may instead be structured as a part-time consultancy assignment, depending on your availability, experience, and the company's development needs.

The primary form of compensation during this phase will be equity ownership in the company, giving you the opportunity to share in the long-term value creation. As we secure funding, gain commercial traction, and scale the business, the intention is to transition key team members into salaried full-time roles.