Location: Chicago, IL Headquarters
Type: Full-time, in office
Company Stage: Early-stage / startup
We’re a small, fast-moving team building something genuinely new. The right person for this role is naturally curious, relentlessly resourceful, and energized by creating opportunities where none previously existed. You don’t wait for leads or territories to be handed to you. You identify markets, build relationships, and create entirely new revenue streams.
Early-stage startup life means shifting priorities, lean resources, and high expectations. That’s exactly what excites you. You’ll spend roughly 70-80% of your time developing strategic relationships, opening new markets, recruiting partners, and closing high-impact opportunities, while the remaining 20-30% is spent refining our go-to-market strategy, partner programs, and expansion roadmap. As we grow, you’ll help shape how Autopilot expands into new industries and scales through strategic partnerships.
If you want real ownership, real impact, and the opportunity to help define the future of commercial robotics, keep reading.
About Us: Our Mission & Vision
At Autopilot, our mission is to free people up to do what they do best by automating everything else.
We’re building the infrastructure layer that powers autonomy in motion across the physical world, including sports, fitness, logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, commercial real estate, and beyond. Our platform enables organizations to deploy, manage, and optimize fleets of autonomous robots while capturing the operational intelligence they generate.
Our values are simple and non-negotiable:
- Do Good
- Have Fun
- Make Money
We believe these are mutually reinforcing, and we work hard to uphold them as we grow.
We move fast, operate scrappy, and care deeply about building something that works.
Benefits
You will be eligible to participate in company benefits and perks, which currently include:
- Base Salary & Uncapped Commission
- Equity Opportunity
- 100% Employer-covered Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- 401(k), company-administered plan
- Flexible PTO: time off as needed, coordinated with your team
- 18 Paid Holiday Days
- Travel Reimbursement: reimbursed in accordance with company policy
- Team & Culture Events: team offsites, social events, and company-sponsored activities
Benefits and policies may be updated from time to time at the company’s discretion.
The Role
We’re looking for our first Founding Partnership Lead to help expand Autopilot into entirely new markets.
You’ll identify high-value industries, recruit strategic partners, build relationships with robotics OEMs and system integrators, and develop new distribution channels that accelerate revenue growth.
This isn’t a traditional sales role.
Success won’t be measured by how many outbound emails you send. It will be measured by the strategic partnerships, new verticals, and long-term revenue opportunities you create.
This is a true builder role. You’ll develop strategy while personally executing it.
What You’ll Own
This is a revenue-producing role. In the first 12 months, you will be expected to build a qualified pipeline and close new business across strategic partnerships, new verticals and enterprise opportunities.
New Market Development
- Identify, evaluate, and validate new vertical markets for Autopilot.
- Build go-to-market strategies for emerging industries.
- Secure lighthouse customers that establish credibility within new markets.
- Develop ROI models and business cases for new applications.
Strategic Partnerships
- Recruit and develop system integrator relationships.
- Build reseller and channel partner programs.
- Develop strategic relationships with robotics OEMs.
- Identify complementary technology partnerships.
- Expand marketplace participation and ecosystem partnerships.
Business Development
- Own strategic opportunities from identification through commercial agreement.
- Build executive relationships across enterprise organizations.
- Negotiate partnership agreements and commercial terms.
- Collaborate with Sales to transition qualified opportunities into repeatable revenue.
- Represent Autopilot at industry events, conferences, and customer meetings.
Market Intelligence & Strategy
- Monitor industry trends and competitive activity.
- Identify emerging automation opportunities.
- Gather customer feedback to influence product direction.
- Recommend new commercialization models, pricing, and expansion strategies.
- Work closely with Product, Sales, Marketing, and Leadership to shape company strategy.
What We’re Looking For
You have a bias toward action.
You’d rather build relationships, validate assumptions, and create momentum than spend months analyzing a market from behind a spreadsheet.
You have strong opinions, held loosely.
You’re comfortable entering new industries, asking thoughtful questions, and quickly adapting your approach based on what you learn.
You’re a builder.
- You’ve opened new markets, not simply managed existing accounts.
- You’ve developed strategic partnerships that created measurable business value.
- You’re comfortable selling ideas before there’s a playbook.
- You thrive in ambiguity and enjoy creating structure where little exists.
- You’re resourceful and know how to create leverage through partnerships.
You’re accountable to outcomes.
- You think like an owner.
- You care about revenue, strategic value, and long-term market expansion.
- You prioritize opportunities with the highest potential impact.
- When something isn’t working, you adjust quickly rather than waiting for direction.
- You consistently bring market insights back to improve the business.
You’re an exceptional relationship builder.
- You earn trust with executives.
- You’re equally comfortable meeting with founders, Fortune 500 leaders, OEM executives, and channel partners.
- You know how to navigate complex organizations and multiple stakeholders.
- You’re an excellent communicator and negotiator.
Experience
- 7+ years in business development, strategic partnerships, enterprise sales, or corporate development.
- Experience building new markets, channels, or strategic partnerships from scratch.
- Experience selling enterprise technology, SaaS, robotics, automation, industrial technology, or adjacent markets.
- Demonstrated success creating measurable revenue through strategic partnerships.
- Comfortable operating independently in an early-stage, high-growth environment.