Founding Account Executive

a16z speedrun

$125K — $150K *
US-AnywhereRemote in San Francisco, CA
Enterprise Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of full-cycle sales experience
  • Deep understanding of SOX, internal audit, and compliance frameworks
  • Demonstrated success building a pipeline independently
  • Comfortable with selling to conservative financial and audit leaders
  • Proficient in utilizing AI tools for sales processes

Responsibilities

  • Own the entire sales cycle from prospecting to closure
  • Generate and manage your own sales leads through various channels
  • Engage with C-level executives and internal audit leaders
  • Handle complex buying processes across multiple departments
  • Define criteria for pilot success before execution
  • Contribute to the creation of the sales playbook for future Account Executives

Benefits

  • Competitive on-target earnings with potential for meaningful equity
  • Comprehensive medical insurance coverage
  • Relocation support for candidates willing to move to San Francisco
  • Opportunity to work directly with the founding team in a hands-on environment
  • Chance to significantly influence sales strategies in an emerging market
Full Job Description
What you'll do
  • Own the full sales cycle: prospecting to close
  • Generate most of your own pipeline: outbound, referrals, events, and account research
  • Sell to Internal Audit and SOX leaders (VPs, CAEs, Heads of SOX, SOX Managers) with sharp discovery, demos, and business cases tied to time savings, audit quality, and risk reduction
  • Navigate complex buying across Audit, Finance, IT, Security, Procurement, and Legal
  • Scope pilots - success criteria and conversion path - before they start
  • Help write the sales playbook for future AEs


This is a founding role: you'll help turn founder-led sales into a repeatable engine.

You are
  • A full-cycle seller today who can build a pipeline without SDRs or inbound
  • Fluent in SOX, internal audit, GRC, controls, risk, or compliance
  • Comfortable selling to conservative G&A buyers where trust and timing matter
  • Competitive, high-agency, low-ego, and willing to do the unglamorous work
  • AI-native: you use AI daily for research, prep, outbound, and follow-up


This is a great fit if you
  • Worked in audit, SOX, Big 4, risk advisory, IT audit, or public accounting
  • Built pipeline from scratch as a BDR/SDR
  • Have closed net-new, ideally selling audit, SOX, GRC, or compliance software
  • Want the ownership and upside of being the first AE


This won't be the right role if you
  • Don't have real SOX, audit, GRC, risk, or compliance experience
  • Are breaking into sales for the first time
  • Need SDRs or inbound to fill your pipeline
  • Prefer managing accounts over hunting net-new
  • Want a polished playbook and mature enablement
  • Aren't already using AI daily


What we offer
  • OTE: competitive, meaningful equity
  • Full medical insurance, relocation support
  • In-person team in San Francisco, working directly with the founding team
  • A real shot at defining how an entire category gets sold

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