Founding Account Executive

About this role

ABOUT PENSIVE

Please check our Notion doc https://www.notion.so/pensieve-inc/Pensive-Careers-280286c74744800da2eed681a77fc55e to learn more about our mission, founders, and culture.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We’re looking for a Founding Account Executive to bring our market-leading AI grading and tutoring platform to higher-education institutions around the world.

Higher ed is undergoing a once-in-a-generation shift. AI is changing how students learn, how instructors teach, and how institutions operate. We’re building the system that sits at the center of that transformation. We’re looking for an AE who wants to help define this category from day one.

This is an early, high-ownership role. You’ll work directly with founders, product, and customers to shape how we sell, who we sell to, and how we win.

WHO YOU ARE

- You have 5+ years of closing experience at a software company.

- You have consistently hit or exceeded quota and can point to concrete wins.

- You’re deeply ownership-oriented: you do more than what’s “enough” and surprise your team with your output.

- You’re AI-native in how you work. You actively automate research, outreach, follow-ups, and deal management using AI tools. Other reps ask you how you move so fast.

- You’re comfortable operating with ambiguity and enjoy building process from scratch.

- You care about education and believe technology should amplify human judgment, not replace it.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

- Convert high-intent inbound users (professors, TAs, departments) into paying customers.

- Proactively research and outbound into new opportunities across universities and institutions.

- Run compelling product demos, clearly articulating value to different stakeholders.

- Navigate complex higher-ed sales cycles by distinguishing between end users, buyers, and decision-makers.

- Close deals ranging from single-course pilots to larger institutional rollouts.

- Onboard new customers and handle early-stage support and FAQs.

- Act as the voice of the customer, feeding insights directly into product and roadmap discussions.