Founding Sales Lead - SpacetimeDB

About SpacetimeDB SpacetimeDB is redefining how real-time applications are built. Instead of stitching together databases, application servers, APIs, and synchronization layers, developers write their backend as a module that runs directly inside the database. The result is dramatically simpler architecture, less infrastructure to manage, and a fundamentally better developer experience for building real time applications, multiplayer games, AI-native applications, collaborative software, and any application where live data matters. The technology is real, our developer community is growing, and we're building the commercial team to match. The Role This is our first dedicated sales role. Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll work closely with Engineering, DevRel, and Marketing to define how SpacetimeDB goes to market. There is no existing playbook, inherited pipeline, or mature sales organization. You'll build the sales function from the ground up while carrying your own pipeline and closing customers. You'll help define how we sell SpacetimeDB, who we sell it to, and how we scale over time. SpacetimeDB serves a broad range of customers, from individual developers making quick technical decisions, to startups building the next generation of real-time software, to enterprise engineering organizations with larger deployments and longer buying cycles. You'll need to know when to move quickly, when to invest in deeper technical conversations, and how to adapt your sales approach to each customer. This role is ideal for someone who has been an early commercial hire at a technical startup, or who wants the opportunity to build a sales function rather than inherit one. What You'll Do Build our sales motion from the ground up, including CRM, qualification framework, pipeline management, messaging, and outbound process. Qualify and convert inbound developer interest into paying customers. Build and execute outbound campaigns targeting technical founders, engineering leaders, game studios, AI-native companies, and teams building real-time applications. Identify high-potential verticals, develop repeatable sales plays for each, and continuously refine them based on results. Work closely with our DevRel team to align sales messaging with developer education and community engagement. Use content performance as an input to your outreach, while allowing DevRel to own technical content creation. Own customer relationships from initial conversation through commercial agreement, bringing technical teammates into the process when appropriate. Identify leverage opportunities through partnerships, developer communities, ecosystem relationships, and other channels that can accelerate adoption. Continuously improve your workflow using AI tools for research, prospecting, outreach, qualification, and follow-up. Help establish the foundation for a future sales organization as the company grows. Who You Are You've successfully sold developer tools, infrastructure software, databases, cloud platforms, or other highly technical products. You're comfortable speaking with engineers, founders, CTOs, and engineering leaders about databases, APIs, distributed systems, real-time applications, or developer infrastructure. You thrive in early-stage environments where ambiguity is expected and building systems is part of the job. You actively use AI to improve the way you work and enjoy experimenting with new tools and workflows. You're comfortable adapting your sales approach for individual developers, startup founders, and enterprise engineering teams. You know how to identify and engage technical buyers using modern outbound tools and thoughtful, personalized outreach. You'd rather build a process than inherit one. You enjoy learning new technologies and can quickly become credible with technical audiences, even if you're not an engineer. Strong Advantages Experience as a founding sales hire or one of the first commercial hires at a startup. Experience building AI-assisted outbound or sales workflows. Familiarity with modern sales tools such as Clay, Apollo, Instantly, Snov.io, or similar platforms. Experience developing partnership or ecosystem sales motions. An existing network within gaming, developer tools, cloud infrastructure, databases, or AI infrastructure. Experience selling developer tools, databases, cloud infrastructure, or other highly technical products. Compensation Target On-Target Earnings (OTE): Up to $200,000 USD annually, structured as approximately 60% base salary and 40% variable compensation . Base Salary: $40,000 to $120,000 USD, benchmarked to your local market. Variable Compensation: Up to $80,000 USD annually. Because this is a true zero-to-one role, your first six months will focus on building the foundation for long-term success. During this ramp period, performance goals emphasize pipeline development, market validation, outbound execution, and other foundational milestones rather than closed revenue alone. A portion of your variable compensation is guaranteed during onboarding to provide income stability while you establish the sales function. Beginning around Month 7, compensation transitions to longer-term revenue and growth objectives. We hire globally and tailor compensation based on local market benchmarks while maintaining competitive total compensation. In addition, we offer: Meaningful equity participation with significant upside Flexible, remote-first work environment Localized benefits where applicable The opportunity to build and lead the commercial function of a category-defining infrastructure company