AI Startup Accelerator Lead

Vercel Inc.; New York, San Francisco (NY, CA); Hybrid; USD 114,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Healthcare

Mentorship

Flexible time off

WFH budget

Job summary

Vercel is seeking an AI Accelerator Lead to own the AI Accelerator end to end, guiding pre-seed and idea-stage founders from strategy to Demo Day. You will shape cohorts, partnerships, content, and community engagement, coordinating across Startups, Community, Content, Marketing, and Product teams.

The role requires deep startup program experience, strong cross-functional skills, and a passion for AI-native companies and founder storytelling. SF-based with potential remote options may apply.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in startup programs, accelerators, ecosystem, community, partnerships, founder relations, venture, or strategic programs.
• Experience owning complex programs end to end, from strategy through execution, measurement, and iteration.
• Strong understanding of early-stage founders and AI-native startups.
• Proven ability to build founder/community experiences combining programming, relationships, content, and operations.

Responsibilities

• Own the AI Accelerator strategy, roadmap, operating model, and execution end to end.
• Design and run a repeatable program for pre-seed and idea-stage AI founders.
• Manage full cohort lifecycle: applications, selection, onboarding, programming, and Demo Day.
• Build scalable systems for review, communications, activation, content, and operations.
• Collaborate with multiple teams to surface founder stories and opportunities for product impact.
• Build trusted relationships with founders, VCs, accelerators, and ecosystem partners.

Skills

Startup programs

End-to-end ownership

Cross-functional

Editorial storytelling

Communication

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Vercel is seeking an AI Accelerator Lead to own the AI Accelerator end to end, guiding pre-seed and idea-stage founders from strategy to Demo Day. You will shape cohorts, partnerships, content, and community engagement, coordinating across Startups, Community, Content, Marketing, and Product teams.

The role requires deep startup program experience, strong cross-functional skills, and a passion for AI-native companies and founder storytelling. SF-based with potential remote options may apply.