Enterprise Account Executive, Vespa
UK & Ireland
£220-280k
OTE
+ Uncapped commission
More information about location
AI search engine for big data
Be an early applicant
AI search engine for big data
1-20 employees
Be an early applicant
£220-280k
OTE
+ Uncapped commission
More information about location
1-20 employees
Company mission
To maintain and develop the Apache 2.0 licensed open-source project Vespa, and allow our users to run big data and AI online, at any scale, with unbeatable performance.
Role
Who you are
- You should be able to position a technical platform in today's AI market, connecting its capabilities to specific customer use cases and business value
- If you have a proven track record of selling technically complex platforms to engineering, data or AI teams and consistently exceeding quota, we'd like to hear from you
- Proven ability to generate and close your own business. You can give concrete examples of customers you identified and approached yourself, and opportunities you developed from first contact to a signed agreement
- Experience selling technical platforms to technical buyers. You've sold products such as search, databases, data infrastructure, developer tools or cloud services to engineering, data or AI teams, including working through technical evaluations and proofs of concept
- Practical understanding of AI applications. You understand where search, retrieval and data infrastructure fit in applications such as RAG and AI agents. You can ask informed discovery questions and connect technical capabilities to specific customer needs. You do not need to code, but you must be technically curious
- A strong sales track record. You have consistently met or exceeded B2B software sales quotas and can demonstrate strong discovery, negotiation, stakeholder-management and closing skills
- Independence and commercial judgment. You're comfortable in a growing company where processes are still evolving
- You create opportunities rather than relying on inbound leads, and recognise potential in both AI-native companies and established enterprises
- Based in the UK, ideally in or near London, with the right to work in the UK and willingness to travel within the UK and Ireland
What the job involves
- Vespa.ai is expanding its enterprise sales team to the United Kingdom and Ireland. We're looking for a results-driven Enterprise Account Executive to develop and close new business, grow existing customer relationships, and help organisations already using open-source Vespa evaluate Vespa Cloud
- You'll own the full sales cycle, including building your own pipeline, and work closely with technical and business stakeholders throughout the customer relationship
- Find and win new customers. Identify relevant accounts and use cases across the UK and Ireland, prospect, qualify and close new business. Build your own qualified pipeline through targeted outreach, relationships and industry engagement
- Own the full sales cycle. Lead discovery, business-case development, technical evaluations, negotiation and close. Work closely with Solutions Engineering while retaining ownership of qualification, next steps and the commercial outcome
- Develop inbound and open-source opportunities. Help organisations that discover Vespa through open source evaluate and adopt Vespa Cloud or our commercial self-managed offering
- Grow customer relationships. Own the commercial relationship from first sale through expansion and renewal, working with technical buyers, executive sponsors and procurement
- Stay close to the AI market. Recognise relevant customer needs and emerging use cases, and use those insights to sharpen your outreach and positioning
- Run your territory. Maintain an accurate pipeline and reliable forecast, and prioritise opportunities based on customer fit and commercial potential
Application process
- Apply with your CV or LinkedIn profile. A brief example of an opportunity you personally originated and closed is more useful than a generic cover letter
- Please do not include confidential customer information
Our take
As an independent venture spun out from Yahoo!, Vespa is addressing the growing need for advanced big data serving engines in the tech industry. Over its 20-year history, Vespa has evolved from a search tool within Yahoo! to a versatile platform handling complex tasks, including search, online personalisation, recommendation, and ad serving.
To tackle the evolving landscape of AI applications, Vespa is prioritising the development of features that simplify the creation of apps combining AI models with proprietary datasets. Its offerings set it apart by significantly reducing the costs associated with retrieving personal data. With its open-source release and cloud-hosted product, Vespa Cloud has gained widespread adoption, notably becoming a crucial component for brands like Spotify, OKCupid, and Vinted.
Recent funding will be instrumental in strengthening its emerging functions and accelerating the delivery of new features. As Vespa operates independently from Yahoo!, the funding positions it to expand its cloud services and capitalise on the substantial growth potential within its large base of open-source enterprise users.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (1 round)
Nov 2023
$31m
SERIES A
Total funding: $31m
Company benefits
- Be part of a cutting-edge team working on innovative search and recommendation technology
- Contribute to the development of a high-performance, open-source platform with a global impact
- Opportunities for professional growth
Company HQ
Trondheim, Trøndelag
Leadership
Jon Bratseth
(CEO)Over 20 years of experience working at Yahoo! and Verizon Media Platform as an Architect and Programmer on large distributed systems.
Kim Omar Johansen
(COO)Previously served as the Director of Engineering at Yahoo! and Verizon Media Platform for over 20 years.
Kristian Aune
(Head of Customer Success)Experienced Tech Product Manager who previously worked at Yahoo!, Oath, and Verizon Media Platform for over 20 years.
Frode Lundgren
(CTO)Previously served as the Director of Engineering at Yahoo!, Oath, and Verizon Media Platform for over 20 years.
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