You just raised. The board deck says "triple ARR this year." And the first line item on your hiring plan? Account Executives.
Good instinct. AEs are consistently the #1 post-funding hire across the 400+ startups we've recruited for at Funded.club. But hiring the wrong AE — especially your first few — can burn six months of runway and momentum you can't get back.
Here's what actually works.
Investors don't fund ideas. They fund growth. And growth means revenue. Your product works, your founder-led sales got you here, but you can't scale a company on the CEO doing demos at 11pm.
Account Executives are the bridge between "we have product-market fit" and "we have a sales engine." They turn pipeline into closed deals while you focus on product, hiring, and not losing your mind.
This is where most founders get burned. They see "5 years at Salesforce" on a CV and think they've found their closer. Then three months in, the AE is asking where the SDR team is, why there's no sales playbook, and who handles procurement.
What startup AEs actually look like:
Red flags to watch for:
The best startup AEs are often at Series A-C companies right now, not at enterprises. Look for people who've already made the leap from big company to fast-moving environment — and liked it.
Getting AE comp wrong means either overpaying for mediocrity or losing great candidates to competitors. Here's what the market looks like in 2026:
Base salary ranges (USD):
OTE (On-Target Earnings) is typically 50/50 or 60/40:
A mid-level AE with a $90K base should have $170K-$190K OTE. That means $80K-$100K in variable comp tied to quota.
European market adjustment:
Salaries run 15-25% lower than US equivalents, but candidates increasingly benchmark against US remote roles. Amsterdam, Berlin, and London AEs at funded startups now expect €70K-€100K base with meaningful variable.
Equity:
Early AE hires (first 1-3) should get equity. Typically 0.05%-0.15% at Series A. It's a signal that you value them as builders, not just quota-fillers. After AE #5, equity becomes less standard.
Forget posting on a job board and waiting. The best AEs are employed and not actively looking. Here's where to actually source:
LinkedIn (but do it right). Search for AEs at startups in adjacent verticals who are 18-24 months into their role. They've likely hit their learning curve and might be open to a new challenge — especially if you're offering more ownership.
Your network and investors. Your VCs have portfolio companies with AEs. Some of those companies are further along and have AEs who'd be a great fit for your stage. Ask for warm intros.
Sales communities. Pavilion (formerly Revenue Collective), various Slack groups, and local SaaS meetups. AEs who invest time in communities tend to be more growth-minded.
Competitor customers. Someone who used to buy what you sell often makes a great seller of it. They know the pain points firsthand.
The classic mistake: hiring one AE and expecting them to figure it out alone.
Hire in pairs. Two AEs give you:
If your round supports it, start with 2-3 AEs. If it's tight, hire 2 and invest in the sales infrastructure (CRM, basic playbook, lead sources) before adding more.
Timing rule of thumb: If you're burning through founder-led pipeline faster than you can replenish it, you needed AEs yesterday.
A long interview process loses good AEs. They have options. Move fast.
Stage 1: Intro call (30 min) Chemistry check. Do they ask smart questions about your product, customers, and go-to-market? Or do they just pitch themselves?
Stage 2: Mock discovery call (45 min) Give them a real scenario. "You're selling [your product] to [your ICP]. Run a discovery call with me as the prospect." This tells you more than any behavioural interview question ever will.
Stage 3: Deal review (30 min) Ask them to walk you through their best and worst deal from the last 12 months. You'll learn how they think, how they handle adversity, and whether they actually closed what's on their CV.
Stage 4: Founder/CEO final (30 min) Culture fit and vision alignment. Do they get excited about what you're building?
Total time: ~2.5 hours across 4 sessions over 1-2 weeks. Any longer and you'll lose them to a faster-moving competitor.
A bad AE hire at a startup doesn't just cost their salary. It costs:
At a $90K base, a failed AE hire costs roughly $150K-$200K when you factor in ramp time, lost revenue, and rehiring costs. That's real runway.
We've placed AEs at over 400 startups. We know what "startup AE DNA" looks like because we see who succeeds and who flames out — across every stage, vertical, and geography.
Our fixed-fee model means you pay $4,900-$7,500 per AE hire, not 20-25% of their $170K OTE. For a pair of mid-level AEs, that's $10K-$15K vs $68K-$85K at a traditional agency.
First candidates in 7 days. Shortlist in 14.