Chief Financial Officer (Palo Alto)

About Subsense

Subsense is a deep-tech company developing the world’s first non-surgical, bidirectional brain-computer interface powered by plasmonic and magnetoelectric nanoparticles. Our mission is to unlock direct communication between the human brain and AI - starting with medical applications such as stroke recovery and moving toward cognitive enhancement for healthy users. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Subsense brings together leading scientists and engineers to redefine the future of human-machine interaction.

The Opportunity

We're looking for a CFO who can own the full capital strategy—from defining valuation and funding pathways to leading a high-stakes Series A. You will be the financial and strategic counterpart to the CEO: shaping the fundraising architecture, driving investor engagement end-to-end, and translating complex science and milestones into a compelling, defensible investment narrative. Your work will connect R&D, Product, Operations, external advisors, and strategic partners into a unified fundraising engine that secures the capital required to scale Subsense.

Key Responsibilities

• Investment Strategy & Fundraising Leadership
• Shape the fundraising strategy: round size, structure, timing, sequencing, investor tiering
• Define capital allocation logic tied to milestones and long-term funding pathways
• Craft the core investor narrative (market framing, positioning, value-creation path)
• Build strategy for competitive tension, syndicate composition, and negotiation positioning
• Prioritize investor segments and define approach per segment
• Partner with CEO on strategy, messaging, and board alignment
• Fundraising Execution
• Build and manage the investor pipeline across VCs, strategics, family offices, and crossover funds
• Lead all investor interactions: outreach, screening, meetings, diligence coordination, closing
• Own investor materials: deck, data room, trackers, diligence responses
• Maintain consistent investor communication across updates and milestones
• Coordinate advisors, legal, technical reviewers, and bankers (if engaged)
• Represent Subsense at fundraising-relevant conferences and strategic events
• Valuation Strategy & Execution
• Own valuation strategy, valuation assumptions, and defensibility of the valuation narrative
• Develop equity economics and investment scenarios aligned with financial models and milestones
• Run cap table modeling, dilution scenarios, and option pool planning
• Present and defend valuation during investor discussions and diligence, define valuation boundaries and negotiation logic
• Fundraising Readiness & Company Alignment
• Align R&D, Product, and Operations milestones with capital-to-milestones logic and investor expectations
• Ensure defensible KPIs, clean financials, and a coherent technical milestone trajectory
• Translate scientific progress into measurable investor KPIs and funding logic
• Drive internal preparedness for diligence: strategy clarity, documentation, risks, feasibility
• Ensure internal alignment on fundraising timeline, critical path, and interdependencies
• Strategic Partnerships & Deal Support
• Evaluate partnerships (pharma, CROs, enterprise) for impact on valuation and fundraising leverage
• Structure partnership terms, pilots, LOIs, and commercial frameworks that enhance investor credibility
• Integrate partner traction and external validation into the fundraising narrative
• Coordinate legal, technical, and commercial inputs for partnership-related diligence
• Use strategic partners to strengthen negotiation leverage and valuation defensibility

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience in venture-backed startups, deep-tech, medtech, biotech, or related high-complexity fields
• Proven experience in top-tier financial institutions (investment banking, hedge funds, private equity, or asset management) with a track record in high-stakes financial analysis, transactions, or capital markets work.
• Proven record leading or materially driving $50-150M institutional fundraising rounds.
• Established relationships with top-tier VCs, strategics, family offices, or crossover funds.
• Direct experience structuring equity economics, valuation narratives, and cap table strategies.
• Fluency in investor processes, technical diligence, financial defensibility, and milestone-driven capital planning.
• Strong command of modeling logic, investment scenarios, and deal negotiation principles (built on top of existing company models).
• Exceptional communicator who can craft high-conviction investor stories and influence diverse senior stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating in scientific, regulated, and cross-functional environments with R&D, Product, and external advisors.

Subsense is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.