Founding Account Executive
Role Overview
As our Founding Account Executive, you will be the driving force behind our early revenue engine. You will work directly with the founders to transition from founder-led sales to a scalable Go-To-Market motion. This is a true 0-to-1 role: you won't be handed a neatly packaged pipeline. You will be responsible for full-cycle sales—from hunting and generating your own leads to navigating complex enterprise procurement processes and closing six-figure deals.
What You'll Do
- Drive Full-Cycle Sales: Own the entire sales process from outbound prospecting and lead generation to discovery, demo, negotiation, and closing.
- Generate Your Own Pipeline: Act as your own SDR by researching target accounts, executing outbound campaigns, and building a robust pipeline of enterprise prospects.
- Define the Playbook: Partner with the founders to refine our ICP (Ideal Customer Profile), test different messaging, and build the foundational sales playbook for future hires.
- Navigate Complex Deals: Manage multi-stakeholder enterprise deals involving GRC leaders, CISOs, and IT procurement teams.
- Voice of the Customer: Act as a critical feedback loop to our Product and Engineering teams, translating customer pain points into actionable product insights.
What You Have Experience
- 5+ years of B2B SaaS sales experience, with a proven track record of closing complex, six-figure enterprise deals.
- Hunter Mentality: Demonstrated success in generating your own leads and building pipeline from scratch without relying heavily on inbound marketing.
- Domain Knowledge: Previous experience selling into Security, Compliance, Risk, or AI domains is a massive plus.
- Startup DNA: Comfortable operating in a highly ambiguous, fast-paced Series A environment where you must build the parachute on the way down.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
- 5+ years of B2B SaaS sales experience, with a demonstrated track record of closing six-figure enterprise deals
Location
Based in (or willing to relocate to) Palo Alto, working in-person with the team five days a week.
Compensation And Benefits
- Flexible PTO policy.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- Meals and snacks in the office.
- Relocation and immigration support.
About the role
Zania is building agentic AI for Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) to solve the massive problem of legacy systems in this industry. We have found exceptional product-market fit and are scaling our team very quickly.
Responsibilities
Some reasons to join Zania are: Dream Customers: Our customers are the most notable enterprises in the world, including FAANG, Big 4 firms and a portfolio of top customers. Tier 1 Backing: Funded by a leading Tier 1 venture capital fund, giving us the resources to build a generational company. World-Class Team: Zania is hiring the best. Our team includes AI and Security leaders from Airbnb, Microsoft, Bain & Company, Deloitte, PwC, Brex, and Instacart. Pioneering Technology: Our engineers and GRC experts work at the absolute forefront of applied AI, building the next generation of agentic systems that will define the future of compliance. Hyper-Growth: We have seen 10x ARR growth in the last year and are rapidly expanding.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience5+ years of B2B SaaS sales experience, with a demonstrated track record of closing six-figure enterprise deals
Qualifications
Previous experience selling into Security, Compliance, Risk, or AI domains is a massive plus.
Skills
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills — you will navigate multi-stakeholder enterprise deals with GRC leaders, CISOs, and IT procurement teams and must articulate complex AI concepts with credibility
Benefits
- Flexible PTO policy.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- Meals and snacks in the office.
- Relocation and immigration support.
Pay
Competitive Compensation & Equity
Schedule
Working in-person with the team five days a week in Palo Alto