Sales & Business Development Jobs at Startups
There are 5,111 open sales and business development roles at 1,772 early-stage startups, 43% of them remote. Where pay is stated it is typically USD 100k to 205k, with a median of USD 147.5k.
Working in sales & business development at a startup
At an early-stage startup, sales and business development roles are often the first revenue-generating hires. They involve identifying potential customers, pitching products, negotiating contracts, and building a sales process from scratch. Since startups move fast, these roles require adaptability and direct ownership of outcomes.
What sales and business development work involves at an early-stage startup
You are often the first person selling, so there is no playbook and no inbound list. You find the buyers, run the pitch, then write down what worked so the next hire can repeat it. At a large company the territory and the price list already exist.
Day to day
- Prospecting and generating leads through outbound outreach (cold calls, emails, social)
- Conducting product demos and presentations to potential customers
- Managing the full sales cycle from initial contact to closing
- Building and maintaining relationships with clients and partners
- Collaborating with product teams to refine positioning based on market feedback
- Tracking and reporting on sales metrics and pipeline
Skills and tools
- Communication and negotiation
- CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Lead generation and prospecting
- Sales presentations and demos
- Account management
- Resilience and persistence
How to get into sales & business development at a startup
Background
Typical backgrounds vary widely; many roles value sales experience or transferable skills over formal degrees, and some companies hire career changers or people with domain expertise.
Career path
Sales roles often progress from individual contributor (SDR/BDR) to account executive, then to team lead, manager, or head of sales, with opportunities to move into broader business development or leadership roles.
Who is hiring sales and business development roles
Open roles by startup. Select a startup to see its jobs.
- 5,111open roles
- 1,772startups hiring
- 43%remote
Pay and the market
Industries
Fintech and payments (595), healthcare (495) and AI and machine learning (423) startups have most of the openings.
Pay figures come from the 2,036 postings on this page that state a salary.
Salary
43% of sales & business development postings are remote. Remote sales & business development jobs →
Where sales & business development roles are open
Open roles by place. Every row is a link.
Industries hiring sales & business development
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Experience level
Open roles by the experience the posting asks for.
Employment type
Open roles by full-time, contract, internship and the rest.
Sales & Business Development jobs
Questions people ask
How much do sales and business development jobs pay?
Typically USD 100k to 205k a year, with a median of USD 147.5k, where the posting states a salary.
Which startups are hiring sales and business development roles?
SpotHopper (56 roles), RepRally (41) and Aikido Security (38) have the most; 1,772 startups are hiring in total.
Can I work remotely?
43% of these roles are remote.
Do I need to be senior?
Most roles are senior (26% of those that state a level), and 18% are junior or intern.
Are new roles coming in?
335 were posted this week.