Partnerships Lead

About Firsthand

Firsthand has built the first AI-powered Brand Agent platform, transforming the way marketers and publishers engage consumers through their own AI agents, anywhere online.

While most AI applications in marketing and advertising focus on back-office automation, the Firsthand Brand Agent Platform™ powers front-line consumer engagement. Operating across both owned properties and paid media, Firsthand's Brand Agents make a company’s expertise accessible in real time, adapting to consumers’ interests and guiding them towards the information they need to take action. Central to the platform is Lakebed™, the company’s AI-first data and knowledge rights management system that ensures brands retain full ownership and control of their expertise.

Firsthand is led by Jon Heller, Michael Rubenstein, and Wei Wei, whose previous ventures helped build the foundations of modern digital advertising. Backed by Radical Ventures, First Mark Capital, Aperiam Ventures, and Crossbeam Venture Partners, Firsthand is shaping the future of AI-driven consumer engagement.

Firsthand is headquartered in NYC, with team members working together in-office three days a week.

Firsthand is hiring a Partnerships lead to be at the forefront of our growth, educating, evangelizing, and selling our AI-driven vision to premium publishers and large media organizations. In this role, you will play a critical part in developing and building our channel partner sales. While your direct clients are the publishers, your ultimate focus is delivering value to agencies, brands, and marketers in partnership with those publishers.

The ideal candidate will be located in the New York metropolitan area.

We’re looking for someone who ideally has experience in both sales and account management, brings a hunter’s instinct to identify and win new opportunities, and a farmer’s mindset to nurture, grow, and expand long-term publisher partnerships. You have the rare ability to translate technical complexity into compelling, audience-ready narratives. Most importantly, you measure success by the team crossing the finish line: you are energized by helping channel partners win and close new opportunities.

• Bridge publisher‑side technical and revenue needs with advertiser‑facing storytelling and ROI‑driven pitches.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive sales strategy targeting premium publishers and large media organizations. Accountable for meeting / exceeding revenue targets.
• Own the full lifecycle of channel partner relationships, ensuring their success through strategic alignment and effective collaboration.
• Build and manage both day‑to‑day and executive relationships within large media organizations and channel partners, establishing Firsthand as a trusted partner.
• Train, enable, and evangelize our publisher channel partners on our AI‑driven vision and product.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with marketing and product teams to align strategies, share client insights, and develop innovative solutions for the marketplace.
• Maintain accurate sales forecasts and manage CRM systems to ensure operational excellence and transparency.
• Drive partner success by prioritizing shared wins—supporting publisher partners through the finish line while ensuring agencies, brands, and marketers are ultimately served through the partnership.

• 6+ years of experience selling marketing and advertising solutions to premium publishers and large media organizations.
• Proven track record of introducing new products or concepts to market, with strong ability to educate customers and partners.
• Demonstrated success across sales and/or account management roles, with the ability to balance new business execution and relationship expansion.
• Strategic, consultative mindset with the ability to sell across multiple stakeholders and business units.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to translate technical concepts into clear business value for diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast‑paced startup environment with high autonomy, accountability, and ownership mentality.

If you are ready to embark on an exhilarating journey at the forefront of AI, seize this incredible opportunity and apply here. We eagerly anticipate hearing from you!

Note:

Compensation and equity will be market‑competitive for well‑capitalized, early stage startups and will be discussed during the interview process.