The retrieval engine built for agents
Hornet is an ambitious startup building the next generation of retrieval infrastructure. Our engine powers agentic systems with an API surface that agents can configure, deploy, feed, query, and optimize autonomously. Building on battle-tested technology, serving billions of users, petabytes of data, and millions of requests per second, we're rethinking retrieval for the agentic era.
We serve enterprise clients globally, enabling them to get quality work done with agents. Most of our team is based in Trondheim, Norway.
The role
We are looking for a Founding Account Executive to work closely with the founders to develop and close strategic enterprise opportunities.
This is a technical enterprise sales role focused on complex, high-value customers. Hornet's current sales motion involves seven-figure contracts, senior technical buyers, and POC-led evaluations. You will be expected to understand customer architectures and requirements in enough depth to run credible technical conversations independently, before bringing in engineers to develop the details of the POC and deployment.
You will work alongside the founders on our largest opportunities, while gradually taking ownership of your own accounts and, over time, smaller and more repeatable sales motions. As our first AE hire, you will also help develop and refine the sales process as we learn what works.
What you'll do
- Work closely with the founders to develop and close strategic enterprise opportunities.
- Lead discovery with CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and senior search, retrieval, and data engineers.
- Understand customer architectures, data environments, technical constraints, and business requirements in depth.
- Identify where Hornet can create significant technical and commercial value for a customer.
- Run technical sales conversations independently across retrieval, infrastructure, APIs, distributed systems, and AI architectures.
- Qualify opportunities carefully and focus time on accounts with meaningful potential.
- Structure and manage complex enterprise sales processes from initial conversation through commercial agreement.
- Work closely with engineering and Forward Deployed Engineers to define POCs, success criteria, and deployment plans.
- Develop strong relationships with technical champions and executive decision-makers to keep commercial and technical stakeholders aligned throughout the evaluation process.
- Work with the founders, GTM Engineer, and your own network to develop new opportunities and conduct selective outbound to strategic accounts.
- Help develop Hornet's sales process, qualification approach, forecasting, and commercial operating cadence.
- Capture what we learn from customer conversations and feed it back into product, positioning, and go-to-market strategy.
What we're looking for
- 5–10 years of experience in enterprise software sales, solutions engineering, technical sales, or a similar customer-facing role.
- Experience selling complex technical products to enterprise customers.
- Strong technical understanding of infrastructure, APIs, data systems, distributed systems, search, retrieval, or AI architectures.
- Ability to hold credible technical conversations with senior engineers and technical executives without relying immediately on an engineering team.
- Strong discovery skills and an ability to uncover large, complex customer problems.
- Experience navigating enterprise sales processes involving multiple technical and commercial stakeholders.
- Experience working with technical evaluations, POCs, or pilot-led sales processes.
- Strong commercial judgment and ability to prioritize the opportunities most likely to create meaningful value.
- Comfortable working closely with founders and technical teams in an early-stage environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience working independently and taking ownership of complex opportunities from start to finish.
Experience in infrastructure, databases, search, developer tools, AI infrastructure, or similar technical markets would be particularly relevant. We are also open to candidates who have moved into sales from solutions engineering, founding, or other technically oriented commercial roles.
Who we're looking for
- Technically credible: You can understand how a customer's systems work and discuss them confidently with senior technical teams.
- Strong in discovery: You ask good questions, go deep, and understand the underlying problem before proposing a solution.
- Commercially sharp: You can identify where there is a significant opportunity and focus effort accordingly.
- Independent: You are comfortable owning complex work without needing a large support structure around you.
- Direct: You communicate clearly, honestly, and straightforwardly with customers and colleagues.
- High-agency: You take responsibility for moving opportunities forward and solving problems as they arise.
- Selective: You understand that good enterprise sales is as much about deciding what not to pursue as it is about progressing deals.
What we offer
- The opportunity to work directly with the founders on some of Hornet's most important enterprise opportunities.
- A front-row seat to selling and deploying advanced retrieval infrastructure into technically demanding environments.
- Significant influence over how Hornet develops its enterprise sales motion.
- A small, high-performing team with deep technical expertise.
- Close collaboration with both U.S. and Norway-based teams.
- Competitive salary.
- Equity: Significant equity stake from our ESOP in an early-stage, venture-backed company.
