Business Development Manager, AI Inference (Startup GTM)

IntelliPro; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

IntelliPro is seeking a Business Development Manager for AI Inference in the Bay Area. You will own the front end of the sales motion, identifying founders and CTOs, translating their needs into commercial deals, and partnering with Marketing to grow the BD pipeline.

You will engage with AI startup leaders, drive discovery conversations, and manage end-to-end deal cycles or handoffs to Account Management, reporting to the CMO. On-site presence in Mountain View is required.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in BD, sales, or partnerships at cloud/AI infra or dev-tools with startup founders/CTOs
• Existing working relationships with Bay Area AI startup founders and tech leaders
• Ability to move between CTO technical questions and founder commercial concerns in one meeting
• Comfort owning the front end of a deal cycle—from cold outreach to close or handoff
• Based in the Bay Area and able to work on-site in Mountain View

Responsibilities

• Source and qualify BD leads across the Bay Area AI startup ecosystem.
• Run discovery conversations to surface technical needs and model-access requirements.
• Translate startup requirements into commercial proposals including discounts and MaaS configurations.
• Own end-to-end deal cycles or hand opportunities to account management.
• Build and maintain founder-level relationships across AI, BioTech, and enterprise startups.
• Partner with Marketing on positioning, events and ecosystem programs to grow pipeline.
• Feed market intelligence back to Product on startup needs.

Skills

BD experience

Bay Area connections

Technical to commercial fluency

Front-end deal ownership

On-site in Mountain View

Job description

Job Title: Business Development Manager, AI Inference (Startup GTM)

Position Type: FTE

Salary Range: $160,000 – $220,000 USD base + equity + performance bonus

Job ID#: 165663

About the Opportunity

We're building the inference layer that AI startups actually deploy on — discounted access to frontier models (OpenAI, Gemini, and others), purpose-built MaaS infrastructure, and direct engineering support for teams shipping to production.

This role owns the front end of that motion: identifying the right founders and CTOs in the Bay Area AI startup ecosystem, understanding what they're trying to build, and translating that into commercial engagement. You'll sit on the Marketing team, report directly to the CMO, and partner with our Account Management org on closing.

If you've spent the last few years embedded in the AI startup community and can hold a substantive technical conversation with a founder over coffee, this is built for you.

What You Will Do

• Source and qualify BD leads across the Bay Area AI startup ecosystem — founders, CTOs, and technical decision-makers building on inference infrastructure
• Run discovery conversations that surface real technical needs, model‑access requirements, and total‑solution gaps
• Translate startup requirements into commercial proposals — including model‑access discounts, MaaS configurations, and bundled infrastructure offers
• Own end‑to‑end deal cycles where appropriate, or hand qualified opportunities to the Account Management team for closing
• Build and maintain a working portfolio of founder‑level relationships across AI, BioTech, and enterprise startup verticals
• Partner with Marketing on positioning, events, and ecosystem programs that compound BD pipeline
• Feed market intelligence back into Product on what AI startups actually want from inference infrastructure

What We're Looking For

Required

• 4+ years in BD, sales, or partnerships at a cloud, AI infrastructure, or developer‑tools company selling to startup founders and CTOs
• Existing working relationships with Bay Area AI startup founders and technical leaders — demonstrable, not aspirational
• Professional communication range to move between a CTO's technical questions and a founder's commercial concerns in the same meeting
• Comfort owning the front end of a deal cycle independently — from cold outreach through qualified handoff or close
• Based in the Bay Area and able to work on‑site in Mountain View

Preferred

• Prior experience selling AI infrastructure, MaaS, GPU compute, or LLM API products
• Background working with AI research labs, accelerator cohorts (YC, a16z, etc.), or AI‑focused VC portfolios
• Existing relationships in adjacent verticals (BioTech, enterprise SaaS startups) that can broaden the BD surface area

About Us

Founded in 2009, IntelliPro is a global leader in talent acquisition and HR solutions. Our commitment to delivering unparalleled service to clients, fostering employee growth, and building enduring partnerships sets us apart. We continue leading global talent solutions with a dynamic presence in over 160 countries, including the USA, China, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Philippines, UK, India, Netherlands, and the EU.

IntelliPro, a global leader connecting individuals with rewarding employment opportunities, is dedicated to understanding your career aspirations. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, IntelliPro values diversity and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or any other legally protected group status. Moreover, our Inclusivity Commitment emphasizes embracing candidates of all abilities and ensures that our hiring and interview processes accommodate the needs of all applicants. Learn more about our commitment to diversity and inclusivity at https://intelliprogroup.com/.

Compensation

The pay offered to a successful candidate will be determined by various factors, including education, work experience, location, job responsibilities, certifications, and more. Additionally, IntelliPro provides a comprehensive benefits package, all subject to eligibility.