Startup & Venture Ecosystem Lead

United States Digital Space LLC; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 101,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC in San Francisco seeks a strategic Startup & Venture Ecosystem Lead to build partnerships across the Bay Area and beyond. You will map the local VC and accelerator landscape, cultivate trusted relationships, and design programs that attract high-potential startups to the Startups program.

This role sits at the intersection of market strategy, relationship-building, and program execution.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, marketing, or GTM roles.
• Experience working in startup, VC, or accelerator ecosystems.
• Established relationships with Bay Area VC firms and accelerators (e.g., Y Combinator).
• Highly organized and execution-oriented with stakeholder management.
• Strong communication with founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders.

Responsibilities

• Map and prioritize the Bay Area VC, accelerator, and community landscape.
• Develop and manage partnerships with VC firms, accelerators, and ecosystem partners.
• Design and run campaigns, events, and enablement programs.
• Source, qualify, and onboard high-potential startups into the Startups program.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Events teams to scale regional initiatives.
• Measure KPIs: lead generation, startup acquisition, activation, pipeline contribution.

Skills

Partnerships

Business development

GTM

Relationship management

Market strategy

Job description

We're looking for a highly strategic, relationship-driven Startup & Venture Ecosystem Lead to build and scale the company's partnerships across the Bay Area startup ecosystem. This is a highly strategic, regional leadership role focused on partnership development, pipeline growth, and execution at scale. You will be responsible for establishing the company as the database of choice for high-growth, venture-backed startups by building deep, trusted relationships with venture capital firms, accelerators, and community partners, scaling from the Bay Area and across the globe.

In this role, you will own the full lifecycle of the company's startup ecosystem strategy, starting with mapping the Bay Area's VC, accelerator, and community landscape and prioritizing where to focus based on relevance and opportunity; developing deep, trusted relationships with the firms and partners that matter most; and then designing and running the marketing campaigns, events, and programs that build on those relationships to bring high-quality, high-potential startups into the the company for Startups program. This role sits at the intersection of market strategy, relationship-building, and program execution, and requires a leader who can pair sharp prioritization with hands‑on marketing delivery.

We’re looking to speak with candidates based out of San Francisco, California.

Position Expectations

• Map and prioritize the ecosystem: Develop a clear view of the Bay Area's VC, accelerator, and community landscape, and prioritize where to invest relationship and program energy based on startup quality, deal flow, and strategic fit

• Develop and manage VC, accelerator, and community partnerships: Build and maintain strong relationships with leading Bay Area venture capital firms, accelerators, and key startup ecosystem partners, serving as the company's trusted representative and growing its visibility and influence across all three groups

• Create and deliver value-added marketing campaigns, events, and programs: Design and execute campaigns, events, and enablement programs with VC, accelerator, and community partners that convert these relationships into high-quality startups joining the company for Startups

• Drive and grow the startup pipeline: Source, qualify, and onboard high-potential startups—sourced through VC, accelerator, and community partner relationships—into the company's startup program

• Measure and optimize partnership success: Own and track KPIs including lead generation, startup acquisition, activation rates, and pipeline contribution; use data and feedback to evaluate impact and refine strategy

• Collaborate across teams: Partner with Revenue Marketing, Strategic Events, DevRel, Brand, Social, and Digital Marketing to align goals, extend regional initiatives across owned and earned channels, and ensure programs serve the startup ecosystem effectively

• Champion the voice of the startup ecosystem: Represent the perspective and needs of VC, accelerator, and community partners within the company's internal planning and prioritization

The right candidate for this role will be:

• Have 8+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, marketing, or GTM roles, with significant experience working directly in the startup, VC, or accelerator ecosystem

• Bring existing, established relationships with leading VCs and accelerators (e.g., Y Combinator) and other key players in the Bay Area startup ecosystem

• Have experience working in or closely with startups, venture capital firms, or accelerators, with a strong understanding of how early-stage companies operate and grow

• Be highly organized and execution‑oriented, able to drive initiatives from relationship‑building through pipeline delivery while managing multiple stakeholders

• Communicate confidently and effectively with founders, investors, accelerator leaders, and senior internal stakeholders

• Operate with a high degree of autonomy, collaborating with a globally distributed team while maintaining an active presence within the Bay Area startup ecosystem

• Have genuine passion for the startup ecosystem, with consistent participation in VC, accelerator, and technology events

About the company

the company is built for change, empowering our customers and our people to innovate at the speed of the market. We have redefined the data platform for the AI era, enabling builders to create, transform, and disrupt industries with software. the company’s unified data platform, the most widely available, globally distributed data platform on the market, helps organizations modernize legacy workloads, embrace innovation, and unleash AI. Our cloud-native platform, the company Atlas, is the only globally distributed, multi-cloud data platform and is available across AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

With offices worldwide and over 67,000 customers, including 75% of the Fortune 100 and AI-native startups, relying on the company for their most important applications, we’re powering the next era of software.

Our compass at the company is our Leadership Commitment, guiding how and why we make decisions, show up for each other, and win. It’s what makes us the company.

To drive the personal growth and business impact of our employees, we’re committed to developing a supportive and enriching culture for everyone. From employee affinity groups, to fertility assistance and a generous parental leave policy, we value our employees’ wellbeing and want to support them along every step of their professional and personal journeys. Learn more about what it’s like to work at the company, and help us make an impact on the world!

the company is committed to providing any necessary accommodations for individuals with disabilities within our application and interview process. To request an accommodation due to a disability, please inform your recruiter.

the company, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and makes all hiring decisions without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

the company’s base salary range for this role is posted below. Compensation at the time of offer is unique to each candidate and based on a variety of factors such as skill set, experience, qualifications, and work location. Salary is one part of the company’s total compensation and benefits package. Other benefits for eligible employees may include: equity, participation in the employee stock purchase program, flexible paid time off, 20 weeks fully‑paid gender‑neutral parental leave, fertility and adoption assistance, 401(k) plan, mental health counseling, access to transgender‑inclusive health insurance coverage, and health benefits offerings. Please note, the base salary range listed below and the benefits in this paragraph are only applicable to U.S.-based candidates.

the company’s base salary range for this role in the U.S. is:

$101,000—$198,000 USD