Strategic Account Executive, Startups

Position Overview

Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems that are safe and beneficial for our users and society. As a Strategic Account Executive at Anthropic, you will partner with the most innovative AI-native companies in their hypergrowth journey—working directly with founders and leadership teams to shape the future of AI adoption. You will own our most strategic customer relationships, lead complex commercial discussions, and drive deep engagement between pioneering companies and Anthropic’s executive team.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and deepen relationships with founder/CEO-level executives at high-growth AI companies, serving as their primary strategic partner for AI infrastructure decisions.
• Lead complex, high-stakes commercial negotiations involving multiple stakeholders including founders, operators, and venture capital firms.
• Drive strategic alignment between customer roadmaps and Anthropic’s product vision, advocating for customer needs internally.
• Partner closely with technical teams to ensure seamless execution and customer success.
• Identify emerging market trends and opportunities based on insights into how leading AI companies build and scale.
• Develop and execute account strategies that support customers through various growth stages, from startup to category leader.
• Navigate complex organizational dynamics while maintaining strong relationships with both customer and internal stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategic sales or account management with a proven record of managing high-complexity, strategic customer relationships.
• Demonstrated success in leading and closing sophisticated commercial deals involving multiple decision-makers.
• Experience working directly with founders and C-level executives at high-growth technology companies.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to understand technical concepts for strategic discussions about AI implementations.
• Proven ability to influence product strategy and direction based on customer insights.
• Excellence in stakeholder management across multiple levels, from technical teams to the C-suite.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills with the ability to articulate complex value propositions.
• Education: At least a Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• Location: Currently, a location-based hybrid policy is in place with an expectation to work from the office at least 25% of the time. Some roles may require more onsite time.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in working with venture capital firms or a strong understanding of the venture ecosystem.
• Background in consumption-based or usage-based pricing models.
• Experience supporting customers through hypergrowth phases.
• Familiarity with the AI/ML landscape and current key trends.
• A track record of helping define commercial frameworks for emerging technology markets.

Benefits & Perks

• Salary: $360,000-$435,000 USD
• Competitive compensation with a mix of base salary and sales commissions/bonuses (OTE).
• Optional equity donation matching.
• Generous vacation and parental leave policies.
• Flexible working hours and a modern, collaborative office space in San Francisco.
• Visa sponsorship available where possible, with dedicated immigration support if an offer is made.