Founding CEO — Dense Network Labs

Sprout AI; Durham, Northern (NC, KY); Hybrid; Full time

Job description

We're building the connective tissue that lets high-trust communities function like the dense networks they were meant to be — surfacing the right introduction at the right moment, at a scale no community manager can hold in their head.

Communities That Never Become Networks

You join a community for the people. The network is the point — the alumni association, the founder cohort, the membership organization. You show up, you invest your time, and you mostly meet the people you already know. The one person you actually needed to meet is sitting three names deep in a community manager's head and never surfaces.

That's not a failure of effort. It's math. One or two leaders can't hold the full web of relationships past the first hundred members. By the thousands, the richest connections happen by happenstance — or not at all. Most networks call themselves dense and are really loose directories with a few warm pockets inside.

Density — people converging into real, mobilizable relationships — is what lets a community do the thing it exists to do. Today that density is rationed by whoever happens to remember whom. We think that's solvable now in a way it wasn't even two years ago.

Co-found Dense Network Labs

As Founding CEO, you'll co-found Dense Network Labs alongside our AI Builders and Partners — going from idea to seed funding in 12–18 months, supported by our proven process and shared resources. You'll own the vision, lead discovery and validation, and shape the product and the company from the ground up.

We already have design partners in the conversation. This is a co‑founder seat, not a role you slot into. The right partner is already itching to build something in this space and wants an engine underneath them to move faster than they could alone.

What We're Looking For

Right now, we're especially looking for a founder who lives and breathes community — building it, running it, and making the connections that turn a loose group into a dense network.

• You've built and run real community — you've stewarded a membership, a cohort, a chapter, or a network where the relationships between people were the whole value, and you felt the ceiling when it got too big to hold in your head
• You're a natural connector — you instinctively see the introduction worth making, and you understand why the most valuable connection is often to someone a member barely knows
• You feel called to found — with or without us, building a venture is your clear path forward
• You resonate deeply with the mission — building AI for human flourishing, especially around connection and relationships, is work you'd do anyway
• You're fluent in AI's practical uses — you don't need to be technical, but you should at least be a genuine power user

Who We Are

Sprout AI Studio is founding Relational AI ventures — technology designed to amplify genuine human bonds, not simulate them. We partner with visionary founders to build AI that deepens real relationships and human flourishing in an increasingly digital world. Our founding team pairs decades of proven commercial success with a redemptive vision for how entrepreneurs can build what the moment demands.

Dense Network Labs is one of our ventures, and we're looking for the founder to build it with us.

Why Build with Us

Building a venture is hard. Throw in AI plus a redemptive vision and it's harder still. Many entrepreneurs toil with ideas and spin their wheels for years. Our aim is to reduce years to months by surrounding you with the right people, process, and technology to launch a venture with lasting impact.

We remove the typical friction of starting up so you can focus on building something transformative. Think of us as your operational co‑founder, bringing the full stack of resources to go from concept to market. Each venture receives pre‑seed capital and hands‑on support, including:

• Deep technical expertise — datasets, reusable components, and engineering muscle that give you a real head start
• Partnership with Praxis — to design your venture with redemptive imagination
• Full studio team support — across product, engineering, design, and operations
• Access to aligned capital — investors who value both returns and impact
• The combined Sprout & Praxis networks — for mentorship, distribution, and growth

Program Structure

We typically start with a one‑to‑three‑month engagement to collaborate on searching, shaping, or validating the idea, depending on your stage. You'll lead customer discovery and test the core hypotheses with our support. Success in this phase leads to venture funding and comprehensive studio support through launch — where we help you build your MVP, win early customers, and raise your seed round.

Our Culture

We're builders and innovators at heart, exploring how technology can be applied redemptively rather than accepting the status quo. We set audacious targets while keeping a posture of humility. We balance high standards with grace, knowing that building ventures takes iteration and learning. Above all, we're looking for mission‑driven founders who see AI as a transformative tool for human flourishing.