Founding Account Executive

About the role

We’re hiring a Founding Account Executive to build Catio’s commercial engine alongside the CEO. This is not a traditional AE role; you will help define how a new category is sold, own complex consultative enterprise sales cycles, and land lighthouse customers that establish Catio in the market.

Key responsibilities

• Own full‑cycle enterprise sales from pipeline creation through close.
• Generate pipeline through scrappy outbound, network‑driven opportunities, and high‑conviction account engagement.
• Engage primary users early to understand architecture challenges, modernization goals, and organizational constraints.
• Partner with a Solutions Architect to turn technical validation into decision‑grade artifacts.
• Multi‑thread across engineering, platform, and executive stakeholders.
• Convert technical proof into clear business narratives (BVAs, ROI, velocity, risk reduction).
• Structure and drive proof‑of‑value engagements with clear success criteria and mutual action plans.
• Partner with the CEO to secure executive alignment and drive deals to close.
• Help define and refine the sales‑assisted playbook for a new category.
• Feed high‑fidelity market insight back into product, positioning, and activation.

Required profile

• 6–10 years of enterprise SaaS sales experience selling complex platforms into technical buyers.
• Experience selling infrastructure, cloud, AI/ML, DevTools, data platforms, or other architecture‑level technology offerings.
• Demonstrated success generating pipeline and closing net‑new enterprise business in emerging or category‑creation markets.
• Experience navigating multi‑stakeholder enterprise buying processes with technical champions and executive sponsors.
• Experience operating in early‑stage or founder‑led environments where GTM systems were still being defined.
• Exposure to modern cloud‑native ecosystems (hyperscalers, data platforms, developer infrastructure, AI platforms).
• Proven ability to sell into skeptical, highly technical users (not just economic buyers).