Account Executive is the second most common open role on Employbl right now — 31 active openings tracked across the platform. In San Francisco alone, 649 startups are actively hiring across every function, and AE roles dominate the go-to-market side of that mix. If you're in sales and considering a startup move, here's what the market actually looks like.
How many Account Executive jobs are available at SF startups right now?
Across all roles on Employbl, Account Executive ranks second by open headcount. Browse Account Executive jobs in San Francisco to see the full live listing. What's notable about this cycle is how many of those openings are at companies that raised $50M+ in the last 12 months — they have the capital and urgency to build out GTM fast.
Top SF startups hiring Account Executives
- Sierra — enterprise AI agents, 129 open roles, $950M Series E
- Hightouch — data activation platform, 66 open roles, $150M Series D
- FieldGuide — assurance and advisory software, 29 open roles, $75M Series C
The AE role at a well-funded startup in 2026 looks different than it did five years ago. Deals are larger and more technical — buyers are often engineers or CTOs, not just procurement teams. AEs are expected to understand the product at a deeper level, partner closely with Solutions Engineers on demos, and contribute to early product feedback loops. The ramp period is longer (often 6 months), but OTE at Series B and C companies is frequently $200K–$300K with equity.
Also worth reading: our piece on the rise of the Forward Deployed Engineer — the technical counterpart to the AE that's appearing at the same companies. Browse all Account Executive jobs on Employbl to see the full current list.
