Partnered with a job platform founder during the pre-seed stage, where capital, team structure, and early go-to-market decisions were all in flux. I helped identify and secure grant funding opportunities that had not been previously explored, bringing in non-dilutive capital at a critical point. Supported development of pitch materials to help the founder clearly communicate the vision and opportunity. Worked with the founder to make their first hire, introducing the function of partnerships and helping define the role, expectations, and value of that channel early on. At the same time, I helped rethink how the team was being compensated to avoid unnecessary equity dilution, introducing alternative approaches and clearer accountability. I also brought more structure to how work was tracked and executed across the team. This gave the company more financial flexibility and a stronger foundation across hiring, partnerships, and execution.