What are the responsibilities and job description for the Business Development Manager position at Poseidon?
About Poseidon
Poseidon is building the data infrastructure the next generation of AI will depend on. Foundation models are not limited by compute. They are bottlenecked by rare, high-quality, IP-safe data that actually improves performance: the long-tail, edge-case, multi-modal datasets that cannot be scraped or synthetically generated.
We are creating a data layer connecting AI companies with the datasets they need. Poseidon is the infrastructure that makes scalable, compliant, demand-driven data sourcing possible. Backed by a16z, we are early, moving fast, and looking for mission-driven teammates to shape this category.
Examples of the datasets we work with include conversational audio, complex video, domain-specific imagery, and other real-world data that enables models to perform reliably outside controlled environments.
The Role
We are hiring a Business Development Manager to help build Poseidon’s commercial engine from the ground up.
This will be one of the first business hires at the company and will work directly with the founding team to help develop relationships with AI labs and enterprises on the demand side, while also helping secure data supply partnerships across industries such as telecom, mobility, media, and other large data holders.
Unlike traditional BD roles, this position sits at the intersection of sales, partnerships, and operations.
Founders will often originate and negotiate early deals. Your role will be to help drive those deals forward operationally from initial handshake to structured agreement and execution. This includes helping scope datasets, aligning on delivery timelines, coordinating internally, and ensuring successful outcomes for both sides. You will also source and develop your own opportunities over time.
This is a hands-on role for someone who wants to operate like an early startup builder rather than a narrowly defined salesperson.
What You Will Do
- Develop relationships with AI labs, startups, and enterprise teams that require high-quality training data
- Identify and develop partnerships with organizations that own valuable real-world datasets
- Source and generate new opportunities through outbound outreach, introductions, and industry relationships
- Work closely with founders to progress deals from early conversation to signed agreements
- Own the operational side of deal execution including scoping requirements, timelines, and delivery expectations
- Help translate customer data needs into structured dataset sourcing projects
- Build and maintain pipeline visibility and CRM hygiene
- Represent Poseidon at industry events and conferences to generate new opportunities
- Help develop Poseidon’s early go-to-market motion and BD playbook
What We Are Looking For
- 3 to 7 years of experience in business development, partnerships, or enterprise sales
- Experience closing deals or managing complex partnerships
- Strong ability to operate independently in early-stage environments with limited structure
- Comfortable working across both relationship development and operational execution
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to understand technical products and translate customer needs into clear requirements
- Curiosity about AI infrastructure, data pipelines, and emerging AI markets
- Willingness to roll up your sleeves and help build something from zero
Strong Candidate Backgrounds May Include
- Business development or partnerships roles at AI labs, data infrastructure companies, or developer platforms
- Enterprise sales roles selling technical products to AI companies or engineering teams
- Experience at data collection or data labeling companies
- Program or project leads responsible for delivering datasets to AI labs
- Early commercial hires at AI or infrastructure startups
Why This Role
- Founding business development hire in a venture-backed AI infrastructure company
- Direct exposure to founders and executive decision making
- Opportunity to build Poseidon’s BD motion from the ground up
- Early equity in a company defining a new layer of the AI data ecosystem
- Work at the center of the emerging AI data economy