About Protocol Labs

Protocol Labs is an innovation network of 750+ teams, projects, and movements with a common mission: to drive breakthroughs in computing to push humanity forward. For us, decentralization is more than just a rallying cry; it's an operational ethos and a belief system baked into the products we develop. Protocol Labs operates as an innovation network built to help breakthrough technologies move from bold R&D into real-world adoption. Through funding, mentorship, and deep network support, PL has enabled pioneering teams to cross the critical "R&D chasm" and bring transformative products to market. Our network has supported projects like IPFS, Filecoin, and libp2p, alongside emerging efforts in neurotech, AI, and digital rights, demonstrating the breadth of impact possible when world-class founders and investors connect through Protocol Labs. Our key focus areas include digital human rights, upgrading economies and governance systems, safe AI, and neurotech. For more information on Protocol Labs and our focus areas, please watch Juan Benet's talk from PL Summit 2023 and the 2024 PL Summit Video (Remote Update).

About the Early Builder Group

The Early Builder Group (EBG) sits within Polaris, Protocol Labs' venture and ecosystem arm, and is responsible for the entire pre-investment builder funnel — from a developer's first hackathon to accelerator graduation to investment committee review. We operate at the intersection of Protocol Labs' most ambitious focus areas: AI/AGI and Robotics, Neurotech and Brain-Computer Interfaces, Crypto and Next-Generation Economies, and Web3 and Digital Human Rights.

What makes EBG unusual is its breadth. We don't run a single program — we run an interconnected portfolio of programs that together form the primary pipeline for Protocol Labs Capital. That portfolio includes Founders Forge, a pre-accelerator that pairs early-stage teams with corporate sponsors who serve as their first customers and co-investors; PL Genesis, an annual flagship hackathon that draws 2,500+ developers building across every PL focus area; a network of third-party hackathon sponsorships at events like TOKEN2049, Devcon, NeurIPS, and ICRA; DevSpot, a builder platform we're developing to become the standard infrastructure for hackathons across multiple domains — not just crypto, but AI, robotics, neurotech, and beyond; and a growing set of network programs including fellowships, residencies, and ambassador initiatives that keep top builders connected to the PL ecosystem long after their first event.

Our north star: source high-quality, investment-ready startups that enable Protocol Labs Capital to consistently attract co-investors, position Protocol Labs as the premier innovation network, and turn existing builders into vocal advocates who create momentum we can scale.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial programs leader to serve as the right hand to the Head of Builder Programs. This is a rare role that combines the operational intensity of running large-scale developer programs with the strategic scope of shaping how Protocol Labs discovers and develops its next generation of portfolio companies — across multiple frontier technology domains simultaneously.

As EBG Programs Lead, you will be the primary execution partner across the full EBG portfolio. On any given day, you might be closing a six-figure sponsorship deal for PL Genesis, reviewing Founders Forge cohort applications from teams building brain-computer interfaces, driving adoption of DevSpot across new hackathon partners, and prepping a team standup — all before lunch. You will manage a team of 4-6 contractors, drive business development and sponsorship revenue, and ensure every program feeds into a unified builder funnel that produces investment-ready startups.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to operate at the center of Protocol Labs' builder ecosystem. The scope is unusually wide: you'll touch every focus area PL cares about, shape a platform (DevSpot) that is positioning itself as the go-to infrastructure for hackathons well beyond crypto, and directly influence the quality of the venture pipeline that Protocol Labs Capital invests from. If you thrive on variety, move fast between strategic and tactical work, and care about helping breakthrough founders find their footing — this role was designed for you.

Core Responsibilities

1. Program Execution & Operations

Own end-to-end execution across all EBG programs, ensuring quality delivery, timeline adherence, and alignment with strategic objectives.

• Founders Forge DRI: Manage cohort operations including team selection, curriculum delivery coordination, mentor/speaker scheduling, milestone tracking, Demo Day preparation, and investor pipeline development. Execute the LP-as-Customer model where corporate sponsors serve as selectors and first customers for accelerator teams.

• PL Genesis Hackathons: Oversee the annual flagship hackathon with 2,500+ developers, managing challenge design, platform setup on DevSpot, judging workflows, and winner advancement into the builder funnel. Explore and execute PL leadership's directive to spin up smaller, lower-lift hackathons for rapid experimentation.

• Third-Party Hackathons: Manage 3-5 annual hackathon sponsorships, including sponsor track design, IRL staffing, and builder recruitment at events like TOKEN2049, Devcon, NeurIPS, and ICRA.

• DevSpot Adoption & Feedback: Drive adoption of DevSpot across EBG programs and external hackathon partners. Provide roadmap feedback to the DevSpot product team based on builder and sponsor needs, coordinate hackathon instance creation, and support data integration between DevSpot and LabOS.

2. Team Management & Development

Serve as the day-to-day manager and force multiplier for the EBG team, ensuring the right people are doing the right work at the right time.

• Directly manage 4-6 contractors/ICs across operations, marketing, community, and design.

• Set weekly priorities, run team standups, and maintain accountability dashboards for all active programs.

• Maintain operational documentation (playbooks, runbooks, SOPs) so programs can scale beyond founder-led execution.

• Coordinate cross-functional collaboration with PL stakeholders.

• Manage contractor budgets, invoicing cadence, and resource allocation across programs.

3. Business Development & Sponsorship

Drive revenue and partnership growth across hackathons and the accelerator to build a self-sustaining program ecosystem.

• Hackathon Sponsorship Sales: Support outreach, negotiation, and closing for PL Genesis sponsors. Support sponsor onboarding, satisfaction, and cross-over to Founders Forge.

• Accelerator Partnerships: Develop relationships with corporate sponsors for the LP-as-Customer model — securing Letters of Intent, pilot commitments, and co-investment from technology companies who serve as both selectors and customers for Founders Forge teams.

• Investor Relations: Build and maintain the investor database. Coordinate warm introductions between Founders Forge graduates and the investor network. Support Demo Day execution.

• Ecosystem BD: Identify and pursue partnership opportunities with adjacent accelerators (YC, Techstars, a16z Speedrun) for deal flow sharing, co-investment, and team referrals.

• Conference & Event Strategy: Represent Protocol Labs' builder programs at key industry events. Identify speaking opportunities, partnership prospects, and builder recruitment channels.

4. Strategy & Reporting

Support the Head of Builder Programs in strategic planning, stakeholder communication, and continuous program improvement.

• Maintain the unified builder funnel metrics dashboard — tracking conversion rates from hackathon participant to project submission to Founders Forge application to cohort acceptance to investment committee to funded team.

• Prepare bi-weekly program updates, quarterly reports, and board-ready materials.

• Support OKR development, tracking, and reporting for the Early Builder Group across Polaris.

• Conduct program retrospectives after each hackathon and accelerator cohort. Identify bottlenecks, propose interventions, and implement improvements.

• Monitor competitive landscape — track what ETHGlobal, Encode, Gitcoin, and other ecosystem programs are doing.

Requirements

Must-Have

• 8+ years running large-scale developer programs, hackathons, or accelerators with 1,000+ participants.

• Experience with venture capital, accelerator investment processes, or startup ecosystem development.

• Demonstrated sponsor/partnership sales experience with proven ability to close $50K+ deals.

• Experience managing distributed teams of 4+ people across multiple programs simultaneously.

• Track record of building programs that survive beyond founder-led execution (playbooks, SOPs, scalable systems).

• Strong operational execution — ability to manage compressed timelines, complex stakeholder environments, and competing priorities.

• Data-driven mindset with experience setting and tracking KPIs, building dashboards, and reporting to senior leadership.

• Technical background or ability to evaluate projects across diverse technical domains (from blockchain to brain-computer interfaces).

• Comfort with 30-40% travel to major ecosystem events globally.

Nice-to-Have

• Experience across Protocol Labs' focus areas: AI/AGI/Robotics, Neurotech/BCI, Crypto/Economies, Web3/Digital Human Rights.

• Existing relationships with major hackathon sponsors, VC networks (YC, Techstars, a16z), and developer communities.

• International experience, particularly with emerging markets (APAC, LATAM, Africa, MENA).

• Experience with hackathon/developer platforms (DevSpot, Devpost, ETHGlobal, DoraHacks).

• Familiarity with CRM tools (HubSpot), project management (Notion, Airtable), and data analytics.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape the future of technology by identifying and nurturing breakthrough projects across AI, blockchain, robotics, neurotech, and emerging computing paradigms.

• Direct impact on Protocol Labs' venture pipeline — the teams you help build become the portfolio companies PLC invests in.

• Access to Protocol Labs' extensive network of founders, investors, and researchers.

• Remote-first culture with significant travel to major ecosystem events globally.

• Competitive compensation: base + performance bonus + commission + carry.

• Budget and team to execute an ambitious vision.

Equal Opportunity: Protocol Labs is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are particularly interested in candidates who can help us expand our reach in underrepresented communities across all our technology focus areas.