Kabuni is a fast-paced AI sports coaching scaleup dedicated to unlocking the true potential of every athlete. We give players access to professional-grade coaching, combining biomechanics, multimodal AI, and elite performance data to deliver real-time guidance that was once available only to academy athletes.
Starting with cricket, and with India as our core market, Kabuni is building a global ecosystem where coaching, gaming, and talent discovery come together. We are building not just a product, but a movement powered by community, technology, and purpose.
Important Note: This is a fast-paced scaleup role with high growth targets. While it offers significant upside through equity participation, it requires comfort with ambiguity, rapid change, and building from ground zero. If you are seeking a steady, secure corporate legal role, this position won’t be the right fit.
Overview
We are seeking our first Chief Legal Officer to be the foundational legal leader as we scale toward Series A in 2026. You will build our legal function from absolute ground zero – there are no internal legal systems today. You will create them. You will protect our core IP, ensure regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions, and enable our ambitious growth through strategic commercial partnerships. Our product is in development and your contribution will enable us to prepare for commercial launch and long-term success, supported by rock solid legal foundations and practices.
Candidate Profile & Experience Level
We are seeking an experienced legal leader who can operate at CLO level from day one. Given the scale and complexity of our business, which is set to increase rapidly, we require:
1. Minimum 8+ years post-qualification experience (PQE)
2. Ideal background: Training and experience at a major national or international law firm
3. Role level: We are seeking someone with existing CLO or equivalent senior in-house experience or current legal partner from practice ready for their first CLO role at a high-growth company.
4. Flexibility: While an existing CLO or legal partner is ideal, we will consider exceptional senior associates from top-tier firms or experienced senior in-house counsel who demonstrate the strategic mindset and leadership potential required for this role.
5. Timing: We are targeting a full-time CLO to start in Q2. However, we are open to a fractional/interim arrangement starting immediately, transitioning to full-time in Q2, for the right candidate.
Key Responsibilities
1. Intellectual Property & Technology Protection:
o Develop and execute IP strategy for our multimodal AI coaching algorithms, pose estimation models, and proprietary data pipelines
o Manage patent portfolio for sports technology and AI innovations
o Protect trade secrets and proprietary algorithms through robust confidentiality frameworks
o Ensure open source compliance in our AI/ML technology stack
2. Data Privacy & Regulatory Compliance:
o Implement global privacy frameworks (GDPR, CCPA) with specific focus on biometric and performance data (BIPA, GDPR Article 9)
o Navigate India\'s evolving digital landscape (DPDP Act) and data localisation requirements
o Establish youth/sports data protection protocols for minor athletes
3. Commercial & Partnership Law:
o Lead legal strategy for all commercial and strategic partnerships
o Negotiate and manage critical technology development agreements with external development partners
o Negotiate media rights and broadcast partnerships for video data pipelines
o Structure framework contracts with media rights holders and contract manufacturing partners
o Build scalable commercial contracting processes for rapid growth
4. Startup Scale-up & Corporate Governance:
o Support fundraising preparation and execution through series A and beyond
o Design and administer equity compensation plans (ESOPs and growth shares for advisors)
o Establish corporate governance frameworks for board operations (sophisticated board includes Haroon Lorgat, Nick Prior, Mark Spelman, James White)
o Build legal systems from ground zero: Select and implement legal tech stack, contract lifecycle management, and compliance tracking systems, scalable legal processes
o Manage external counsel across jurisdictions with discipline and cost awareness
5. Risk Management & Strategic Advisory:
o Identify and mitigate top legal risks in fast-moving startup environment
o Provide strategic legal advice to leadership team on business decisions
o Manage external counsel relationships across jurisdictions
o Develop AI regulatory strategy for emerging compliance frameworks
Sweat the Detail /// Integrity Always /// Behaviour Over Attention /// Progress Is Collective /// Health, Family and Happiness /// Build for the Long Term
Required Functional Competence & Experience
1. Intellectual Property & AI Technology Law:
o Proven experience protecting AI/ML algorithms and proprietary technology
o Patent portfolio management for emerging technologies
o Open source compliance and technology licensing expertise
o Areas of Focus: AI patents, machine learning IP, algorithm protection, trade secrets
2. Data Privacy & Biometric Compliance:
o Hands-on experience with biometric data regulations (BIPA, GDPR Article 9)
o Knowledge of India\'s data protection landscape (DPDP Act)
o Youth data protection and cross-border data transfer mechanisms
o Areas of Focus: biometric data compliance, GDPR, Indian digital laws, youth privacy
3. Commercial & Partnership Law:
o Experience with technology partnership agreements and development contracts
o Media rights and broadcast partnership negotiation
o Framework contracting and commercial agreement scaling
o Areas of Focus: technology partnerships, media rights, commercial contracts, vendor agreements
4. Startup Scale-up Operations:
o Equity compensation plan design and administration
o Corporate governance for scaling companies
o Ground-zero systems implementation: Experience building legal department processes and systems from scratch
o Areas of Focus: Fundraising, ESOPs, board governance, legal operations, systems implementation
5. International Legal Management:
o Experience supporting international expansion (India focus preferred)
o Cross-border contracting and dispute resolution
o Management of overseas external counsel
o Areas of Focus: international expansion, cross-border contracts, India operations
The Ideal Candidate Profile - We are looking for a legal leader who possesses:
* Strategic IP Protection Mindset: You understand that our AI algorithms and data pipelines are our core IP and know how to protect them
* Startup Pragmatism with Compliance Rigor: You balance fast-moving business needs with minimal legal risk appetite
* Ground-Zero Builder: You're comfortable and experienced building legal systems and processes from absolute scratch
* Commercial Partnership Acumen: You can structure deals that enable growth while protecting the company
* Global Perspective with India Focus: You understand international compliance while prioritizing our core Indian market
* Board-Level Communication: You can effectively advise our sophisticated board and leadership team
Career Path Flexibility: We are open to candidates from:
* In-house counsel at scaling AI/tech companies (with CLO or Deputy GC experience)
* Law firm partners with relevant tech/commercial practices
* Senior associates from top-tier firms ready for their first CLO role
* Hybrid backgrounds (firm + in-house with startup experience)
Technical Background: Open to any tech sector experience (AI/ML, sports tech, gaming, consumer apps, software/SaaS)
Working Arrangements & Location
* Primary Location: London-centric with hybrid working
* Travel Requirements: Occasional travel to India (Pune engineering centre and Mumbai commercial office once established)
* Collaboration Tools: Google Workspace and Notion-based collaboration with regular in-person meetings
* Reporting: Direct report to Jo Rothwell, COO
Compensation & Benefits
Note: We appreciate this role will be a step-down in cash takehome pay month to month. The right candidate will value the upside this opportunity brings, including enjoyment in creating something new and the potential to work with the team to generate significant wealth relating to equity-based incentives.
* Competitive Salary: £100,000 - £125,000 per annum (dependent on experience)
* Significant Equity Stake: A very meaningful ESOP package, offering substantial upside as we scale
* Performance Bonus: Annual cash bonus tied to company and personal objectives
* Benefits: Pension scheme, private healthcare, and flexible working arrangements
Business Context & Growth Targets
Funding Stage: £1M seed funding raised in December 2025, working toward Series A (target February 2026)
Revenue Model:
* Subscriptions: Targeting 1.5M cricket subscriptions by YE 2028
* Devices: Targeting 400,000 device sales by YE 2028
* Gamification: Targeting £50M ARR by YE 2028
* Talent Data: Targeting 500 data access packages by YE 2028
Global Ambassador: Sourav Ganguly (legendary Indian cricket captain, former BCCI President)
Market Focus: India-first (cricket starting point), global expansion ambitions
Note: We are targeting a full-time start in Q2 but are open to a fractional/interim arrangement starting immediately for the right candidate.
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