Founding Account Executive

About the Role

We are seeking a Founding Account Executive to play a pivotal role at an early-stage AI company developing autonomous solutions for performance marketing. The company is currently generating substantial revenue and rapidly expanding as it moves into large-scale commercialization. This position offers the unique chance to work alongside the founders to establish the sales strategy, acquire customers, and influence the market approach.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the entire sales cycle from prospecting and inbound qualification through negotiation and closing deals
• Develop and build the sales pipeline in a market where commercial playbooks are still being created
• Directly generate new customer revenue and close sales personally
• Contribute to designing and implementing the company's sales, pre-sales, and post-sales processes
• Collaborate closely with founders, as well as product and engineering teams
• Transform customer feedback into actionable product priorities
• Identify successful customer segments, use cases, and messaging that convert effectively
• Assist the transition from founder-led sales to a scalable and repeatable go-to-market engine

Candidate Profile

Ideal applicants are currently or have recently been early or first Account Executives at startups, or senior Account Executives in early-stage SaaS companies, with direct revenue closing responsibilities. Experience of roughly 3 to 7 years in sales, full-cycle closing in B2B technology or SaaS, and working at Seed or Series A stage startups is highly valued. Candidates must show proven ability to independently create pipeline without relying on established sales development or marketing support, provide clear evidence of quota attainment and revenue closed, and work effectively with founders and technical teams.

Qualifications & Skills

• 3-7 years of relevant sales experience including closing full sales cycles in B2B/SaaS contexts
• Historical sales achievements with quantifiable revenue and pipeline metrics
• Experience as an early sales hire at early-stage startups (Seed or Series A preferred)
• Proven capacity to generate pipeline from scratch without a dedicated SDR or marketing team
• Capability to operate autonomously in dynamic, ambiguous environments and challenge product assumptions based on direct customer input
• Familiarity with adtech, marketing technology, mobile, gaming, or AI is advantageous but not mandatory

Not Suitable For

• Those whose experience is primarily in partnerships, business development, or alliances without direct sales closings
• Candidates focused on account management, customer success, or renewals rather than new business closing
• People accustomed only to selling within large organizations with robust SDR, RevOps, solutions consulting, and marketing support
• Candidates unable to provide explicit personal revenue, quota, or deal ownership results
• Applicants looking mainly for management roles or defined territories with mature sales processes
• Individuals unwilling to prospect independently and develop their own pipeline

Location & Work Setup

This position is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and will follow a hybrid work model with an expectation of approximately three days per week in the office. Candidates must be either currently based in the Bay Area or prepared to relocate. US work authorization is strongly preferred.

Compensation Package

• Base salary range: $150,000 to $200,000 annually
• On-target earnings (OTE): $214,000 to $286,000 annually including commissions
• Commissions tied directly to revenue performance
• Equity may be offered to exceptional candidates

Why Join?

This role allows direct engagement with company founders, significant influence over the product's direction, and ownership of a sales function still in its formative stages. It provides an opportunity for proven early-stage sellers to broaden their responsibilities beyond traditional Account Executive roles.

Application Instructions

Applicants should include concrete examples in their resumes of:

• Revenue they have personally closed
• Pipeline they have independently developed
• Quota targets and attainment details
• Sales process contributions they have made
• The company stages and sizes where these results were achieved