Chief Financial Officer

About Subsense

Subsense is an innovative deep-tech company based in Palo Alto, focused on developing the pioneering non-surgical, bidirectional brain-computer interface that utilizes plasmonic and magnetoelectric nanoparticles. Our goal is to enable direct communication between the human brain and artificial intelligence, initially targeting medical uses such as stroke recovery and progressing towards cognitive enhancements for healthy individuals. Our team includes leading experts in science and engineering, dedicated to revolutionizing human–machine interaction.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Chief Financial Officer to lead the company’s comprehensive capital strategy, overseeing aspects from valuation to funding pathways, including heading a critical Series A fundraising round. This role acts as the financial and strategic partner to the CEO, responsible for shaping fundraising approaches, managing investor relations throughout the process, and articulating complex scientific achievements and milestones into persuasive and credible investment narratives. You will coordinate across R&D, Product, Operations, advisors, and strategic partners to drive capital acquisition necessary for scaling Subsense.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and implement fundraising strategy, deciding on round size, structure, timing, and investor prioritization.
• Establish capital allocation plans linked to milestones and long-term financial requirements.
• Create compelling investor narratives that define the market landscape, positioning, and value creation journey.
• Design strategies to foster competitive investor interest, syndicate makeup, and negotiation tactics.
• Segment investors and tailor approaches for each group, partnering closely with the CEO to align strategy and board communications.
• Manage the entire fundraising process, including building and maintaining an investor pipeline across venture capitalists, strategic partners, family offices, and crossover funds.
• Lead investor engagements from outreach through meetings, due diligence, and closing phases.
• Maintain and update investor materials such as presentations, data repositories, and response trackers.
• Ensure consistent and transparent communication with investors through updates and milestone reporting.
• Coordinate the involvement of advisors, legal counsel, technical reviewers, and financial intermediaries as necessary.
• Represent Subsense at industry and fundraising events to enhance investor relations.
• Oversee valuation strategy, assumptions, and ensure defensible narratives supporting company valuation.
• Develop cap table models, dilution analyses, equity economics, and option pool planning consistent with financial forecasts and milestones.
• Present and uphold valuation arguments during investor negotiations, defining valuation limits and negotiation strategies.
• Align internal teams (R&D, Product, Operations) with fundraising logic and investor expectations, ensuring clean financials and disciplined KPIs.
• Translate scientific progress into relevant KPIs and funding rationales understandable to investors.
• Drive internal diligence preparation by clarifying strategy, documentation, identifying risks, and validating feasibility.
• Synchronize internal milestones and fundraising timelines with critical path dependencies.
• Evaluate and structure strategic partnerships with pharma, CROs, and enterprises to enhance valuation and fundraising leverage.
• Draft terms for partnerships, pilot projects, LOIs, and commercial agreements that boost investor confidence.
• Integrate partnership achievements into investor-facing narratives and coordinate related legal and technical diligence.
• Leverage partnerships to improve negotiation power and valuation defensibility.

Candidate Qualifications

• Substantial experience in venture-backed startups or complex sectors such as deep-tech, medtech, or biotech.
• Background in leading financial firms (investment banking, hedge funds, private equity, asset management) with proven skills in financial analysis, transactions, or capital markets.
• Track record managing or significantly contributing to $50-150 million institutional fundraising rounds.
• Well-established connections with top-tier venture capitalists, strategic investors, family offices, or crossover funds.
• Direct expertise in structuring equity economics, valuation narratives, and capitalization table strategies.
• Comprehensive understanding of investor processes, technical due diligence, financial defensibility, and capital planning grounded in milestones.
• Advanced proficiency with financial modeling, investment scenarios, and negotiation strategies based on company models.
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of delivering compelling investment stories and influencing senior stakeholders across diverse disciplines.
• Ability to operate effectively within scientific, regulatory, and interdisciplinary environments involving R&D, product teams, and external advisors.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Subsense is committed to being an equal opportunity workplace, valuing diversity, and fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.

Additional Information About Hiring Process

Artificial intelligence tools may be employed to assist with certain hiring stages such as application reviews or resume assessments. These tools support the recruitment team but do not replace human judgment, with final decisions made by human evaluators. Candidates interested in understanding data handling are encouraged to inquire further.