Founding Account Executive

The client is a well‑funded pre‑seed startup developing an autonomous physical‑security layer that fuses camera streams with robotic dispatch. As the Founding Account Executive you will join the founding team in Zurich and work side‑by‑side with the CEO to create a sales playbook from scratch, eventually stepping into a leadership position as the commercial engine expands beyond founder‑led deals. Your daily work will cover the entire sales cycle: sourcing and qualifying leads, running discovery calls and demos, negotiating terms and closing enterprise B2B contracts as well as longer public‑sector and defence procurements. You will also design and sell paid pilots that turn into long‑term agreements, keep the CRM up‑to‑date, capture winning tactics for the playbook and provide honest pipeline forecasts. The role requires at least three years of full‑cycle B2B sales experience with a proven record of closing deals, and a demonstrated ability to generate your own pipeline without relying on inbound traffic. You should have worked in a startup or early‑stage environment, preferably as an early or founding sales hire, and be technically literate enough to sell a sophisticated, hardware‑agnostic security product. Fluency with AI tools, high emotional intelligence, strong organisational habits around CRM hygiene and deal documentation, and a high‑agency, reliable, ambitious mindset are essential. Candidates must be based in Zurich or willing to relocate there; full‑time on‑site work is expected, with visa and relocation support available. Additional advantages include experience selling to government or defence organisations, a background in deep‑tech areas such as robotics, computer vision or complex enterprise software, and familiarity with subscription or recurring‑revenue models. An existing network of security operators, integrators or buyers in the DACH region or the UK, as well as German language proficiency, would further strengthen your fit. What the role asks for: - 3+ years full-cycle B2B sales with proven closing record - Demonstrated ability to self-source pipeline without inbound leads - Startup or early‑stage sales experience, preferably as early/founding hire - Technically literate to sell complex, hardware‑agnostic security product - AI‑fluent and high emotional intelligence - Organized with strong CRM hygiene and deal documentation - High agency, reliability and ambition - Based in Zurich or willing to relocate there - Visa and relocation support provided for on‑site work - Nice-to-have: experience selling to government or defence customers - Nice-to-have: background in deeptech, robotics, computer vision or security software - Nice-to-have: experience with subscription or recurring‑revenue models - Nice-to-have: network of security operators, integrators or buyers in DACH/UK - Nice-to-have: German language proficiency