VC Partnerships Lead

Campfire; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Campfire, an AI-native ERP, is seeking a strategic partnerships leader to build our VC partnerships function from the ground up in San Francisco. You’ll design a scalable program engaging venture firms, VC-backed startups, and the broader ecosystem.

You’ll work closely with our Head of PE & VC Practice, build senior relationships, and create programs delivering value via introductions, co-marketing, thought leadership, and strategic intelligence. On-site role with frequent industry events.

Qualifications

• 3–7 years of experience in partnerships, business development, venture capital, startup ecosystems, strategic alliances, or related commercial roles.
• Proven experience taking a VC partnerships role, function, or program from zero to a repeatable operating model.
• Established relationships and credibility with VC firms, investors, founders, and startup ecosystem leaders.
• A track record of partnerships that delivered measurable business results.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to earn trust with senior external partners and internal stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Data-driven judgment, including defining KPIs and reporting on partnership performance and impact.
• Comfort working in a fast-moving environment.
• Collaborative, low-ego approach and willingness to be on the ground in SF.

Responsibilities

• Design, launch, and own our VC partnerships strategy.
• Build senior relationships with venture capital firms, accelerators, and other startup ecosystem partners.
• Create partnership programs that deliver value to both sides, including customer introductions, portfolio company engagement, co-marketing, thought leadership, and strategic intelligence.
• Serve as the main point of contact for VC partners with a clear story for why they should work with us.
• Work with Sales, Marketing, Product, Customer Success, Strategy, and Executives to turn partnership activity into pipeline and revenue.
• Build repeatable processes to source and manage opportunities from VC partners, including referrals and reporting.
• Develop executive relationship plans for priority firms and involve senior leadership when needed.
• Host VC events and represent the company at industry events and investor meetings.

Skills

Partnerships & BD

Venture capital networking

Executive relationship management

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

About Campfire

Campfire is an AI-native ERP built for mid-sized and enterprise companies. We help finance and accounting teams replace spreadsheets, manual reconciliations, and disconnected systems with one modern platform.

We’re backed by Y Combinator and have offices in San Francisco, New York, and London. We’ve raised more than $100 million, including a $35 million Series A led by Accel.

About the Role

We're looking for a strategic, well-connected partnerships leader to build our venture capital partnerships function from the ground up. You'll design and run a scalable program that engages venture firms, VC-backed companies, and the broader startup ecosystem. You'll work closely with our Head of PE & VC Practice, who will support you as you build the function.

The ideal candidate has already built a VC partnerships role or program from scratch, ideally at a technology startup. Experience selling or partnering around Office of the CFO technology is a strong plus.

What You'll Do

• Design, launch, and own our VC partnerships strategy.

• Build senior relationships with venture capital firms, accelerators, and other startup ecosystem partners.

• Create partnership programs that deliver value to both sides, including customer introductions, portfolio company engagement, co-marketing, thought leadership, and strategic intelligence.

• Serve as the main point of contact for VC partners, with a clear and consistent story for why they should work with us.

• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Product, Customer Success, Strategy, and Executive Leadership to turn partnership activity into pipeline, revenue, adoption, and brand impact.

• Build repeatable ways to source and manage opportunities from VC partners, including referral processes, partner enablement, reporting, and feedback loops.

• Develop executive relationship plans for priority firms, and bring in senior leadership where it will strengthen the partnership.

• Host and run our own VC events, and represent the company at industry events, investor meetings, portfolio company forums, and ecosystem gatherings.

• Track market trends, investment activity, and emerging companies to spot strategic opportunities and inform internal decisions.

What You'll Bring

• 3-7 years of experience in partnerships, business development, venture capital, startup ecosystems, strategic alliances, or a related commercial role.

• Proven experience taking a VC partnerships role, function, or program from zero to a repeatable operating model.

• Established relationships and credibility with VC firms, investors, founders, and startup ecosystem leaders.

• A track record of partnerships that delivered measurable business results.

• Strong executive presence and the ability to earn trust with senior external partners and internal stakeholders.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.

• Data-driven judgment, including the ability to define KPIs and clearly report on partnership performance and impact.

• Comfort working in a fast-moving environment.

• A collaborative, low-ego approach: you're happy to roll up your sleeves, work across teams, and learn from our Head of PE & VC Practice.

• Willingness to be on the ground in San Francisco, attending several VC and ecosystem events each week.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in B2B SaaS, enterprise technology, fintech, AI, cloud, cybersecurity, developer tools, or another high-growth technology category. Experience with Office of the CFO technology is strongly preferred.

• Experience building partner referral, co-selling, or ecosystem programs.