Founding Account Executive

Durlston Partners; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Founding-level equity

Direct partnership with experienced founders

Job summary

Durlston Partners is looking for a Founding Account Executive (US) in New York City to build and lead its go-to-market strategies for an early-stage AI infrastructure startup. This role offers the chance to define category narratives and close complex enterprise deals. Candidates should have 5-8 years of experience in sales, preferably in early-stage startups and technical platforms. Founding-level equity and a clear path to leadership are part of this unique opportunity.

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of experience closing enterprise deals.
• Experience in early-stage startups (Seed–Series B).
• Background selling technical platforms such as AI or infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle enterprise sales from prospecting to close.
• Build the US GTM motion from zero.
• Partner with founders on positioning.

Skills

Closing enterprise deals $75K–$250K+ ARR

Selling technical platforms

Navigating multi-stakeholder environments

Building processes from scratch

AI-native mindset

Job description

Founding Account Executive (US) | AI Infrastructure | NYC Preferred

A well-funded, early-stage AI infrastructure startup is hiring its Founding Account Executive (US) to build and lead its go-to-market motion from the ground up.

This is not a “plug into an existing playbook” role. This is a zero-to-one opportunity to define category narrative, close complex enterprise deals, and architect the revenue engine alongside experienced technical founders.

If you thrive in ambiguity, enjoy building from scratch, and want meaningful equity in a company shaping the next wave of AI-powered enterprise technology, this may be for you.

About the Company

• AI-native platform serving enterprise customers
• Focused on mission-critical infrastructure supporting customer-facing AI systems
• Backed by top-tier venture investors
• Currently working with design partners across regulated and high-value industries
• Preparing for broader market expansion in the US

The Role

As the first US sales hire, you will:

• Own full-cycle enterprise sales from prospecting through close
• Build the US GTM motion from zero (process, messaging, tooling, structure)
• Partner directly with founders on positioning and category definition
• Navigate complex buying committees (technical + business stakeholders)
• Lead pilots, technical evaluations, and security/compliance reviews
• Shape pricing strategy, including usage-based and expansion models
• Turn early customers into referenceable case studies
• Help define hiring strategy and evolve into a player-coach as the team grows

This is a builder role first, quota carrier second.

Ideal Background

• 5–8+ years closing $75K–$250K+ ARR enterprise deals
• Experience in early-stage startups (Seed–Series B)
• Background selling technical platforms (AI, infrastructure, observability, developer tools, or similar)
• Comfortable selling into regulated or complex industries
• Proven ability to navigate multi-stakeholder enterprise environments
• Strong business-technical translation skills
• Experience building process where none exists
• AI-native mindset — you actively leverage AI tools in your workflow

Why This Role Is Unique

• Founding-level equity
• Direct partnership with experienced repeat founders
• True category-creation moment in AI infrastructure
• Opportunity to architect a revenue engine from scratch
• Clear path to leadership as the GTM team scales