Founding Account Executive

About the role

This is a founding commercial role at an early‑stage AI infrastructure startup, where you will build the sales engine from the ground up alongside the CEO in a true category‑creation market. You will define how a new category gets sold, land lighthouse customers, and shape the go‑to‑market system through your field experience.

Key responsibilities

• Generate pipeline from scratch through scrappy outbound, network‑driven opportunities, and high‑conviction account engagement.
• Engage architects, staff‑level engineers, and platform teams early to understand architecture challenges, modernization goals, and organizational constraints.
• Multi‑thread across technical champions, engineering leadership, and executive sponsors to build deal‑wide alignment.
• Partner with a Solutions Architect to translate technical validation and proof‑of‑value work into decision‑grade artifacts.
• Convert technical proof into clear business narratives, including BVAs, ROI, velocity, and risk reduction, to move deals forward.
• Structure and drive proof‑of‑value engagements with clear success criteria and mutual action plans.
• Work closely with the CEO to secure executive alignment and drive deals to close.
• Feed high‑fidelity market intelligence back into product, positioning, and go‑to‑market strategy.

Required profile

• 6 to 10 years of enterprise SaaS sales experience with full‑cycle ownership.
• Proven success generating pipeline and closing net‑new business in emerging or category‑creation markets.
• Experience selling infrastructure, cloud, AI/ML, DevTools, data platforms, or other architecture‑level technology to technical buyers.
• Ability to navigate multi‑stakeholder enterprise buying processes involving technical champions, CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and platform leadership.
• Credibility to engage confidently with architects, principal engineers, and engineering leadership.
• Background in early‑stage or founder‑led environments where GTM systems and sales playbooks were still being defined.
• Consultative and diagnostic mindset with a talent for framing situations before pitching.
• Comfort operating in 0‑to‑1 environments with undefined processes and real ambiguity.