Hire Founding AE
Founding AEs who can sell your product before they join
Founding AE recruiter for Seed and Series A. Mock cold calls on your product, pay nothing until start, 90-day replacement guarantee.
Bottom line
Vektor fills founding AE seats for VC-backed Seed and Series A teams. Candidates complete structured pre-screens and live mock cold calls selling your product. Fees are negotiated from a 20% floor of first-year base salary, paid only when the candidate starts, with a 90-day replacement search.
- Live mock cold call on your product before submission
- Typical fill in 2 to 4 weeks for founding AE seats
- Pay $0 until start; 90-day replacement guarantee
- Stage-fit candidates who can run a full cycle with limited support
FAQ
How do I hire a founding AE?
Write a clear ICP and motion brief, then run a specialist search with live selling tests. Vektor Talent sources founding AEs, runs a structured pre-screen, and a mock cold call on your product before you interview. Typical fill is 2 to 4 weeks. You pay nothing until start, with fees from a 20% floor of first-year base and a 90-day replacement search.
When should a Seed startup hire its first AE?
Hire a founding AE when the product can support a repeatable motion and revenue is the bottleneck: MVP shipped, some inbound or reference signal, and founders are the only closers. Do not hire a VP Sales or SDR first. Sequence the closer who can run a full cycle with little support.
What makes a founding AE different from a scale AE?
A founding AE builds pipeline with little support, lives in ambiguity, and runs a full cycle. Scale AEs need a playbook and enablement that often does not exist yet at Seed.
Do you work contingency or retained?
Vektor Talent runs contingency for founding AE and early sales seats. You pay nothing until the candidate starts. Retained fits rare leadership mandates, not most Seed AE searches. See contingency vs retained for the model split.
What does a founding AE search cost?
Placement fees are negotiated on your Order Form from a 20% floor of first-year base salary. Example: an $130K base is $26K at the 20% floor, invoiced at start. No retainer. If the hire leaves for performance or fit within 90 days, we run a replacement search at no additional placement fee.
How do mock cold calls work?
After a structured pre-screen on deal methodology and pipeline hygiene, the candidate sells your product live to a simulated buyer. We score discovery, ICP targeting, objection handling, and a next-step ask. Only candidates who pass that filter reach your calendar.
Are you a Los Angeles recruiting firm?
Yes. Vektor Talent is based in Los Angeles and places founding AE and early sales hires for VC-backed startups across the U.S. and Canada.
What if the hire does not work out?
If the hire leaves for performance or fit within 90 days of start, we run a replacement search at no additional placement fee.
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