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Founding Sales Executive Jobs (NOW HIRING)

WilsonAI

Founding Sales Lead

San Francisco, CA · On-site

The role We are looking for an exceptionally driven Founding Sales Lead to build our sales function ... You will work closely with the CEO, GTM advisors, and over time help shape and grow the wider sales ...

Visa Hunt

Founding Sales Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Backed by Y Combinator ABOUT THE ROLE We are hiring a Founding Sales Engineer to help enterprise ... Partner with Account Executives throughout the sales cycle, from discovery through production ...

Retell AI

Founding Sales Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$170K - $260K/yr

Backed by Y Combinator ABOUT THE ROLE We are hiring a Founding Sales Engineer to help enterprise ... Partner with Account Executives throughout the sales cycle, from discovery through production ...

Wilson

Founding Sales Lead

San Francisco, CA · On-site

The role We are looking for an exceptionally driven Founding Sales Lead to build our sales function ... You will work closely with the CEO, GTM advisors, and over time help shape and grow the wider sales ...

Sphinx

Founding Sales

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$140K - $250K/yr

Work directly with the CEO to define our sales motion, hire the first AEs, and architect the revenue engine from the ground up. Do this well, and you'll grow into the sales leader of a category ...

Ajax

Founding Sales Development Representative

New York, NY · On-site

$110K - $130K/yr

Founding SDR role with a 6-12 month ramp to Account Executive. You'll work directly with Cofounder ... By booking demos, you'll be directly fixing the biggest bottleneck in our sales funnel. The target ...

talentpluto

Founding Account Executive

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$325K/yr

The Opportunity This is a founding Account Executive role: the first dedicated, quota-carrying ... You will own the full sales cycle end to end, from self-sourced pipeline through multi-threaded ...

talentpluto

Founding Account Executive

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$325K/yr

The Opportunity This is a founding Account Executive role: the first dedicated, quota-carrying ... You will own the full sales cycle end to end, from self-sourced pipeline through multi-threaded ...

talentpluto

Founding Account Executive

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$325K/yr

The Opportunity This is a founding Account Executive role: the first dedicated, quota-carrying ... You will own the full sales cycle end to end, from self-sourced pipeline through multi-threaded ...

talentpluto

Founding Account Executive

New York, NY · On-site

$325K/yr

The Opportunity This is a founding Account Executive role: the first dedicated, quota-carrying ... You will own the full sales cycle end to end, from self-sourced pipeline through multi-threaded ...

talentpluto

Founding Account Executive

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$325K/yr

The Opportunity This is a founding Account Executive role: the first dedicated, quota-carrying ... You will own the full sales cycle end to end, from self-sourced pipeline through multi-threaded ...

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Founding Sales Executive information

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$29.5K

$82.5K

$151K

How much do founding sales executive jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding sales executive in the United States is $82,500.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $57,000.00 and $98,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a founding sales executive?

Founding Sales Executives are senior sales professionals who join a company at its earliest stages, often as one of its first sales hires. Their primary responsibility is to develop and execute the company's initial sales strategies, acquire key customers, and build the foundation for a scalable sales organization. They often work closely with founders, influence product-market fit, and help shape the company's culture and go-to-market approach. This role is critical for startups aiming to establish a strong market presence quickly.

What unique challenges and opportunities can a founding sales executive expect when joining an early-stage startup?

As a Founding Sales Executive at an early-stage startup, you'll often face the challenge of building sales processes and customer pipelines from the ground up, often without established resources or brand recognition. However, this also presents a unique opportunity to shape the company’s go-to-market strategy, influence product development through direct customer feedback, and rapidly advance your career as the company grows. You'll collaborate closely with the founders, product, and marketing teams, and your contributions will have a significant, visible impact on the company's trajectory. This level of responsibility and autonomy is both demanding and highly rewarding for those seeking a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a founding sales executive, and why are they important?

To excel as a Founding Sales Executive, you need a strong track record in B2B sales, experience in early-stage startups, and a deep understanding of the target market. Familiarity with CRM platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot and proficiency in sales analytics tools are typically required. Exceptional communication, resilience, and entrepreneurial mindset are vital soft skills for navigating ambiguity and driving growth. These abilities are crucial because they empower you to build the sales pipeline from scratch, iterate on strategies, and establish a scalable revenue foundation for the company.

What is the difference between Founding Sales Executive vs Sales Manager?

AspectFounding Sales ExecutiveSales Manager
ResponsibilitiesBuilds initial sales strategies, acquires early clients, establishes sales processesOversees sales team, manages sales targets, develops sales plans
Experience & CredentialsSales experience, startup familiarity, entrepreneurial mindsetSales leadership, team management, proven sales record
Work EnvironmentStartups, early-stage companies, dynamic and flexibleEstablished companies, structured teams, target-driven

The Founding Sales Executive focuses on establishing sales processes and acquiring initial clients in startup environments, often wearing multiple hats. In contrast, a Sales Manager oversees ongoing sales teams and targets within more established companies. Both roles require strong sales skills, but the Founding Sales Executive is more entrepreneurial and hands-on during early growth phases.

What cities are hiring for Founding Sales Executive jobs?

Cities with the most Founding Sales Executive job openings:

What states have the most Founding Sales Executive jobs?

States with the most job openings for Founding Sales Executive jobs include:

What are popular job titles related to Founding Sales Executive jobs?

For Founding Sales Executive jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Founding Sales Executive job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 81% Full Time, 18% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 79% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 20% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $82,500 per year, or $39.7 per hour.

Founding Account Executive

San Francisco, CA

Success Matcher Recruitment
Recruiting and Staffing Services • 1 - 10 employees
Learn more about Success Matcher Recruitmentexternal

$150K - $300K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 10 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Build and nurture a portfolio of approximately 40 enterprise accounts, driving new acquisition and expansion within existing clients.

  • Conduct outbound prospecting, technical product demos, and close enterprise contracts ranging from $20K to $700K ACV.

  • Generate a self-sourced pipeline through cold outreach, partner channels, and event strategies without SDR support.

Job description

About the Role

Our client is a mission-driven, early-stage AI infrastructure startup dedicated to making voice AI feel truly human, warm, authentic, and emotionally nuanced. Founded by a Stanford PhD linguist CEO and an Amazon Alexa co-founder, they have raised $30M in total funding (including a fresh Series A) and built proprietary models already trusted by Fortune 500 enterprises and high-growth category leaders. They are expanding their founding sales team in San Francisco and are looking for a Founding Account Executive to build meaningful enterprise relationships and accelerate their market footprint.

Every enterprise partnership you secure translates directly to transforming how millions of people interact with healthcare, fintech, and customer service applications. If you are a deeply technical, resilient hunter with founder DNA who thrives in a fast-paced, zero-to-one startup environment, this full-cycle sales role is your opportunity to drive massive real-world impact while owning meaningful equity in a category-defining company.

What You Will Do

  • Drive full-cycle sales and close enterprise contracts: Conduct outbound prospecting, run compelling technical product demos, and close consumption-based contracts ranging from $20K to $700K ACV, targeting ~$2M in quarterly revenue.
  • Manage a high-impact book of accounts and pipeline: Build and nurture a portfolio of approximately 40 direct-sold accounts, driving net-new acquisition as well as expansion across departments within existing enterprise clients.
  • Execute pure self-sourced pipeline generation: Dedicate your focus to hunting without SDR support—leveraging cold outreach, partner channels, and event strategies to consistently generate high-converting pipeline from scratch.
  • Collaborate in-person in San Francisco: Work shoulder-to-shoulder with the founders and engineering team full-time in-office at our client's Telegraph Hill location.
  • Drive field insights back to leadership: Bring critical technical insights and enterprise buyer feedback directly to the CEO, CTO, and product teams to actively sharpen the evolving go-to-market strategy and shape the product roadmap.

What You Bring

  • 2 to 8 years of experience in full-cycle B2B sales, with a documented history of consistent 100%+ quota attainment.
  • Proven founder DNA and builder mentality, knowing how to operate without a rigid corporate playbook and comfortably navigating early-stage ambiguity.
  • Direct experience selling deeply technical products, specifically purpose-built API-first, AI/ML, or developer-facing infrastructure directly to engineering, product, and CTO buyers.
  • Experience managing complex sales cycles across deal sizes ranging from $20K to $700K ACV.
  • Deep technical fluency and genuine curiosity, leading with technical empathy, a deep understanding of voice/AI technology, and a passion for solving complex developer problems.
  • Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, ready to work full-time in-office in Telegraph Hill, and authorized to work in the US (US Citizen or Green Card holder).