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Chief Operating Officer
LocationMaker Village, KINFRA Hi-Tech Park, Kalamassery, Kochi, Kerala
Job TypeOn-site, Full time
CompensationEquity (1-year cliff, 4-year vesting) + performance bonus + perks
OperationsExecutive
About Us
Grafito Innovations is a deep-tech startup building advanced plant propagation automation solutions. Our mission is to increase agricultural efficiency and productivity while promoting sustainable and eco-friendly farming practices through robotics, AI, and cutting-edge engineering.
Role Overview
As Chief Operating Officer, you will be a core member of the leadership team, responsible for turning Grafito's product vision into execution. This is a techno-managerial role: you will oversee product development and direction, drive fundraising, and engage with stakeholders across the startup and hardware ecosystem. We are looking for someone who has already shown leadership in competitive, hands-on environments and who is genuinely passionate about consumer electronics, hardware, and robotics.
What You'll Do
- Product development & direction: Oversee product development end to end — from roadmap and priorities to delivery — and keep engineering, design, and operations aligned on where the product is going
- Fundraising: Support and lead fundraising efforts, including investor conversations, materials, pipeline, and follow-through
- Stakeholder engagement: Engage with customers, partners, investors, government bodies, incubators, and ecosystem organisations to build relationships that move the company forward
- Operations & execution: Build operating cadence, own key metrics, and make sure day-to-day work ladders up to company goals
- Cross-functional leadership: Work closely with founders and the engineering, product, and business teams to keep execution tight as we scale
Requirements
- Techno-managerial experience: Prior experience in a techno-managerial role, owning both technical context and operational or people leadership
- Leadership in competitions: Have participated in hackathons or competitions that demonstrate significant leadership capability (captain, lead organiser, or equivalent ownership — not just attendance)
- Hardware passion: Genuine passion for consumer electronics, hardware, and robotics, with enough technical fluency to work credibly with engineering teams
- Startup ecosystem: Have been part of the startup ecosystem through programmes and communities such as IEDC, TiE, Huddle Global, or similar
- Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable representing Grafito with investors, partners, and other stakeholders
- Availability: Full-time, fully on-site at Maker Village, Kochi
Good to Have
- Experience building or shipping hardware / robotics / electronics products
- Prior involvement in fundraising, grants, or investor-facing work
- Comfort operating in early-stage ambiguity with high ownership
Compensation
- Equity: 1-year cliff, 4-year vesting
- Performance bonus
- Perks
Why Join Us?
- Shape product direction and company operations at a deep-tech hardware startup from an early stage
- Work at the intersection of robotics, agritech, and the Indian startup ecosystem
- Be part of Kerala's deep-tech community with real-world impact on agriculture
- Opportunity to participate in startup and industry events
How to Apply Send your resume and a note on relevant leadership, ecosystem, and product experience (links welcome) to
[email protected] with the subject line "Application for Chief Operating Officer".
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📌 Chief Operating Officer (Kochi)
🏢 Grafito Innovations
📍 Kochi