Founding Computer Vision Engineer (Up to 15% Equity + EXIST Funding)

INTRO

NexTex AI is building machine-level intelligence for textile manufacturing.

Our platform combines industrial cameras, retrofit sensors, machine data, and AI models to detect textile defects, identify production anomalies, and generate sustainability intelligence across knitting, dyeing, finishing, and quality control operations.

Unlike traditional quality control systems, NexTex AI connects machine behavior, fabric quality, and sustainability performance through a unified industrial AI platform. By combining computer vision, machine signals, production metadata, and process parameters, we help manufacturers reduce fabric waste, rework, water consumption, energy usage, and CO₂ emissions while improving process stability and production quality.

Initial applications include needle-related defects, elastane failures, oil stains, fabric distortions, shade deviations (ΔE), machine start-stop anomalies, and process instabilities in large-scale textile production environments.

NexTex AI is currently preparing its EXIST startup funding application and collaborates with industrial partners including Terrot Textilmaschinen GmbH in Germany, as well as Ribana Tekstil and Nuryıldız Tekstil in Turkey. These partnerships provide direct access to real production environments, industrial machine fleets, textile defect scenarios, and manufacturing datasets.

We are looking for a Founding Computer Vision Engineer to join the core team and help build the AI technology behind NexTex AI from the ground up.

Tasks

• Design, develop, and deploy computer vision systems for industrial textile inspection

• Build object detection, segmentation, classification, and anomaly detection models using real-world manufacturing data

• Train, evaluate, and optimize deep learning models using modern computer vision architectures

• Develop image acquisition, preprocessing, augmentation, labeling, and validation pipelines

• Build and maintain large-scale industrial image and video datasets collected from textile production environments

• Develop multimodal AI systems combining visual data, machine events, sensor signals, PLC/SCADA data, and production metadata

• Optimize models for edge deployment and real-time inference in industrial environments

• Develop model monitoring, validation, and continuous learning workflows

• Work directly with real-world manufacturing challenges including needle-related defects, elastane failures, oil stains, fabric distortions, shade deviations (ΔE), and machine-process anomalies

• Collaborate with textile engineers and industrial partners to translate manufacturing problems into scalable AI solutions

• Contribute to the architecture of NexTex AI’s edge-to-cloud industrial AI platform

• Participate in pilot deployments and industrial validation projects with textile manufacturers and machine technology partners

• Help define the long-term AI strategy, technical roadmap, dataset strategy, and product architecture of NexTex AI

Requirements

• Strong background in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or related technical fields

• Strong Python skills

• Experience with PyTorch or TensorFlow

• Experience with OpenCV

• Understanding of object detection, image segmentation, anomaly detection, and classification

• Experience training and evaluating deep learning models

• Familiarity with Linux, Git, and collaborative software development

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Ability to work independently and take ownership of technical decisions

• Entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to work in an early-stage startup environment

• Fluent English

Nice to Have

• Experience with YOLO, Detectron2, Vision Transformers, Segment Anything, or anomaly detection frameworks

• Experience with CUDA, Docker, Kubernetes, or GPU-based training environments

• Experience with MLOps, model deployment, and production-grade ML systems

• Experience with edge AI deployment and real-time inference

• Experience with industrial AI, robotics, manufacturing, IoT, or automation-related projects

• Previous startup experience

Benefits

• Founding team position from day one

• Equity participation of up to 15%, depending on experience, commitment, and long-term involvement

• Monthly compensation of approximately €2,500 through the German EXIST Startup Grant program

• Full health insurance coverage through the EXIST funding program

• Opportunity for increased compensation following successful completion of the EXIST funding phase and company financing milestones

• Opportunity to grow into a future CTO or technical leadership role

• Access to the Berlin startup ecosystem, including mentoring and support through the EXIST and PRO FIT funding programs

• Direct access to pilot factories, industrial datasets, and machine manufacturers from day one

• Collaboration with leading textile manufacturers and machine technology partners

• Gym membership support

• Flexible working arrangements, with Berlin preferred and Europe considered for exceptional candidates

• High ownership, fast decision-making, and direct impact on company strategy and product development

• Opportunity to build a category-defining Industrial AI company from the earliest stage

Closing

If you are excited about building real-world Computer Vision systems, working directly with industrial data, and applying AI to one of the world’s largest manufacturing industries, we would love to hear from you.

This is a rare opportunity to join a company at its earliest stage, work with real manufacturing partners, access industrial datasets from day one, and help build the technological foundation of a venture-backed industrial AI platform.

Please include your CV or LinkedIn profile, a short introduction about yourself, and any relevant GitHub, portfolio, research, or project links.

We are particularly interested in builders, researchers, and engineers who enjoy solving difficult real-world problems, taking ownership, and helping shape both the technology and the future direction of the company.

Join us in building the next generation of AI-powered manufacturing intelligence.