Business Development Associate

Job description

**About Abaka AI** Abaka AI is built on one mission: to be the world’s most trusted data partner for AI companies. More than 1,000 industry leaders across Generative AI, Embodied AI, and Automotive AI rely on us to power their data pipelines. With our headquarters in Silicon Valley—and teams in Paris, Singapore, and Tokyo—we support global partners with fast, reliable, and scalable data solutions. Our offerings include a diverse catalog of off-the-shelf datasets—including image, video, multimodal, reasoning, and 3D data—as well as comprehensive data collection and annotation services. Whether teams need raw data, curated datasets, or full-cycle data engineering, Abaka AI provides the foundation for building high-performance AI systems. **About the Role** We’re hiring a Business Development Associate to join our growing team and help expand Abaka AI’s customer base. This is an early-career, full-cycle sales role for someone who wants to build strong commercial judgment and grow into an independent business development professional. From day one, you will own your leads from initial outreach through qualification, discovery, solution development, negotiation, and close. You will work closely with an experienced mentor who will help you understand customer needs, develop solutions, structure deals, and navigate Abaka AI’s internal capabilities. As you demonstrate consistent performance and commercial readiness, you will progress toward operating independently. This is not a sourcing-only position. Although outbound prospecting and pipeline development are important parts of the role, you will also participate directly in customer meetings, coordinate samples and pilots, prepare proposals, support pricing and contract discussions, and help convert opportunities into long-term customer relationships. The ideal candidate is proactive, commercially curious, and comfortable learning technical concepts quickly. You should be excited to engage AI companies, understand their data challenges, and coordinate across internal teams to build solutions that meet their needs. **Responsibilities** - Own business development opportunities from initial prospecting through qualification, discovery, proposal development, negotiation, and close. - Research and identify prospective customers across AI, technology, and other relevant industries. - Conduct outbound prospecting through LinkedIn, email, events, referrals, and other channels to build a strong pipeline. - Lead and participate in customer meetings to understand technical requirements, business priorities, budgets, timelines, and decision-making processes. - Evaluate whether prospective opportunities align with Abaka AI’s serviceable capabilities and commercial priorities. - Develop a strong understanding of Abaka AI’s datasets, data collection and annotation services, and technical capabilities. - Coordinate with project management, technical, research, and operations teams to design solutions for prospective customers. - Arrange and manage data samples, demonstrations, pilot projects, and other technical evaluations. - Prepare proposals, pricing materials, contracts, and other commercial documentation with guidance from internal stakeholders and your assigned mentor. - Participate in pricing, contract, and commercial negotiations while developing sound judgment around deal structure. - Maintain accurate and organized records of leads, customer requirements, opportunities, follow-ups, and pipeline activity. - Build long-term customer relationships and identify opportunities for repeat orders, expanded projects, and new use cases. - Participate in regular pipeline reviews and proactively communicate risks, blockers, and next steps. - Work toward defined revenue and performance goals while progressing toward independent ownership of the full sales cycle. **Qualifications** - 0–2 years of experience in business development, sales, partnerships, account management, or another relevant customer-facing role. New graduates with strong internship, sales, or entrepreneurial experience are encouraged to apply. - Previous experience as an SDR, BDR, sales associate, or in another outbound or full-cycle sales role is preferred. - Experience with B2B SaaS, technology, AI, data services, or other technical products is a plus. - Basic understanding of the B2B sales cycle, including prospecting, qualification, discovery, solution development, proposals, negotiation, and closing. - Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate professionally with both business and technical stakeholders. - Comfortable initiating conversations with new prospects through LinkedIn, email, events, and other outbound channels. - Able to ask thoughtful questions, understand customer needs, and translate those needs into actionable internal requirements. - Tech-savvy and able to learn new products, technical concepts, industries, and sales tools quickly. - Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple prospects, customer requests, pilots, and follow-ups simultaneously. - Proactive about seeking context, asking questions, and collaborating with internal teams. - Coachable and receptive to feedback, with the judgment to apply what you learn to new situations. - Self-driven, adaptable, and comfortable taking ownership in a fast-paced startup environment. - Strong sense of urgency and accountability for moving opportunities forward. **Compensation & Benefits** The base salary for this position is $80,000 USD annually. In addition to base salary, the role is eligible for performance-based variable compensation. Variable compensation is tied to business development performance, based on closed-won business sourced by the employee, alongside qualified opportunity and meeting generation. Employees may have the opportunity to earn above target based on performance. Compensation may vary depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Base pay and variable compensation are part of the Total Package provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work at Abaka AI. This role is also eligible for equity, as well as a comprehensive benefits package (health, dental, vision, PTO, flexible work schedule).