
We are an AI research and application company that researches, develops and operationalises large-scale AI models for language, image data and strategy, thereby contributing to securing Europe's digital sovereignty.

We are an AI research and application company that researches, develops and operationalises large-scale AI models for language, image data and strategy, thereby contributing to securing Europe's digital sovereignty.
Headquarters: Heidelberg, Germany
Founded: 2019
Core focus: Sovereign, human-centric generative AI and large-scale models
Notable product: PhariaAI (AI operating system)
Total funding reported: ≈ $650M
Generative AI for language, image data and strategic applications with emphasis on sovereignty and domain specialization.
2019
Technology, Information and Internet
€23M (~$27M)
$500M (announced)
Consortium included strategic investors such as HPE, SAP and Burda
“Includes strategic and corporate investors (Schwarz Group, Bosch Ventures, HPE, SAP, Burda) and institutional VCs (Earlybird, Lakestar)”
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About The Role You’ve likely scaled systems most people only read about.
We’re entering a phase where infrastructure decisions directly shape model capability — not just cost or reliability. The next gains won’t come from brute force alone, but from better systems, sharper tradeoffs, and sound judgment under real constraints.
As VP AI Engineering (Pre-Training), you’ll define how large-scale training actually works here — from compute strategy and data movement to iteration speed. This role is for someone who has been close to the metal, seen what breaks at scale, and knows how to design systems that hold up under pressure.
Infrastructure in this role isn’t a support function. It’s a first-order driver of model outcomes. You’ll be accountable for whether training runs succeed, stall, or fail — and for the decisions behind those outcomes.
This is a role for builders who have owned training systems end-to-end, not for abstract platform or governance leadership.
What You Will Lead
You Will Own The Entire Pre-training Foundation, Including
This is not a “keep the lights on” role. You’ll be expected to:
Many of the decisions you’ll make here are difficult to reverse. You’ll commit to architectures, tooling, and operating models that must hold up in production training runs measured in weeks — not just in design documents.
You’ll build a lean team around you, but this role succeeds through clarity and leverage, not headcount.
What You Bring
You’ve Likely Done Several Of The Following Already
You’ve been close enough to the system to know where theoretical efficiency breaks down in practice — and you’ve adjusted accordingly.
We care less about where you worked and more about what you personally owned, especially when things didn’t go to plan.
Why This Is Different
If you’ve ever wanted to apply everything you’ve learned without the inertia of a massive organization, this is that moment.
What You Can Expect From Us