Founding AE | AI | Seed Stage | Start up | Backed by Sequoia & Loveable founder |
Founding Account Executive — Series A AI Startup
The Role: Build go-to-market from zero for a Series A AI platform automating operations at mid-market companies. You just closed the first customer. Now you define how this scales.
This is not a quota-carrying AE role — it's a mini founder role with a GTM spike.
Why This Matters
- Backed by serious people: Founders from top AI companies, Sequoia + a16z investors, successful exits of $100M+
- Real problem: Multi-billion pound TAM of under-digitized service businesses desperate to automate operations
- De-risked: Revenue from day one (acquired services business + platform)
- Moving fast: Just closed first customer, raising Series A, hiring now
The 4 Must-Haves
- Mini Founder Mentality: You've built something from scratch. You don't need structure — you create it. You're comfortable with ambiguity and think "how do I scale this?" not "what's my next deal?"
- Sell Complexity: You can sit with a CEO/CFO on a whiteboard and design custom solutions. You've closed multi-threaded deals (6–12 month cycles, 3–5 stakeholders). You're not a transactional closer.
- One Sign of Excellence: Top quota attainment. Top 1% in a competitive org. Founded a successful company. Excelled in athletics/academics. Prove it.
- AI-Native + Hungry for Outbound: You understand AI and modern tech. You're comfortable hunting for opportunities (not waiting for inbound). You can find and build solutions around them.
What You'll Do
- Prospect, discover, scope, close deals (£40–210K ACV)
- Build the repeatable playbook that 15 AMs replicate
- Close 2–4 flagship customers that become case studies
- Think like a founder: contribute to pricing, positioning, product strategy
Nice-to-Haves
- Built or scaled GTM from scratch at another startup
- Experience defining service offerings from scratch
- All-arounder selling (different buyer personas, industries, multi-threaded deals)
Reality Check
- You'll do significant prospecting yourself (minimal BDRs)
- You'll sit in ambiguity (pricing, positioning, product scope still being refined)
- Leadership gives guidance but expects you to solve your own problems
- You'll define the playbook for 15+ AMs to scale
Compensation & Location
Base: £80–110K
Variable: £80–110K (commission + bonuses)
Equity: Performance-tiered (revenue milestones trigger grants)
Benefits: MacBook, flexible hours
Location: London. Hybrid. Quarterly travel for co-founder alignment.
Who NOT to Apply
- Need structured environments and clear playbooks
- Coming from PLG sales culture (Monday, Slack, etc.)
- Looking for VP Sales title or management role
- Risk-averse or need 100% base safety net