AI Accelerator Lead

About the role

Vercel is seeking an AI Accelerator Lead to own the Vercel AI Accelerator end to end and help make it the best program for pre-seed and idea-stage founders building the next generation of AI applications.

The Vercel AI Accelerator gives us early access to promising AI-native founders before they have made long-term infrastructure decisions, built their full stack, raised institutional capital, or locked in their go-to-market motion.

What You Will Do

• Own the Vercel AI Accelerator strategy, roadmap, operating model, and execution end to end, with the goal of running multiple high-quality cohorts per year.
• Design and run a repeatable program for pre-seed and idea-stage AI founders, helping them move from early idea to working product, clearer company narrative, and stronger technical foundation on Vercel.
• Own the full cohort lifecycle, including applications, selection, founder onboarding, programming, community engagement, partner credits, Demo Day, post-program follow-up and content.
• Partner with Startups, Community, Content, Media, Product Marketing, Vercel Media, Developer Relations, Product, and Engineering to create a world-class founder experience and surface strong founder stories.
• Build trusted relationships with founders, VCs, accelerators, operators, and AI ecosystem partners, and bring founder insights back into Vercel’s product, marketing, community, and startup strategies.

About You

• 5+ years of experience in startup programs, accelerators, ecosystem, community, partnerships, founder relations, venture, or strategic programs, ideally in a high-growth technology or developer-focused company.
• Experience owning complex programs end to end, from strategy through execution, measurement, and iteration.
• Deep understanding of early-stage founders, especially pre-seed, idea-stage, or technical founders building from 0 to 1.
• Strong interest in AI-native startups, developer tools, infrastructure, and the changing ways founders are building products with AI.
• Proven ability to build high-quality founder or community experiences that combine programming, relationships, content, and operational excellence.
• Strong cross-functional operator who can work effectively across Startups, Community, Content, Media, Product Marketing, Developer Relations, Product, Engineering, Partnerships, Events, Legal, and Sales.
• Strong editorial and storytelling instincts, with the ability to identify compelling founder stories and turn them into useful internal or external content.
• Clear, concise communicator who is comfortable engaging technical founders, managing ambiguity, and building repeatable systems for scale.

Bonus

• If You:
• Have built or run an accelerator, fellowship, founder community, demo day, or venture-backed startup program.
• Have worked directly with pre-seed or idea-stage founders, AI startups, OSS developers, or technical founder communities.
• Have experience creating content programs, founder spotlights, cohort announcements, or media moments around startup communities.
• Have worked with developer-first products or are familiar with modern web and AI tooling such as Vercel, Next.js, v0, AI SDK, AI Gateway, Cursor, Claude Code, or similar tools.
• Have hosted or produced founder-facing events, workshops, demo days, or community gatherings.
• Have been a founder, early startup employee, investor, operator, or community builder yourself.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package, including equity.
• Inclusive Healthcare Package.
• Learn and Grow - we provide mentorship and send you to events that help you build your network and skills.
• Flexible Time Off.
• We will provide you the gear you need to do your role, and a WFH budget for you to outfit your space as needed.

San Francisco, CA base pay range

The San Francisco, CA base pay range for this role is $114,000 - $172,000. Actual salary will be based on job-related skills, experience, and location. Compensation outside of San Francisco may be adjusted based on employee location. The total compensation package may include benefits, equity-based compensation, and eligibility for a company bonus or variable pay program depending on the role.