About us
Chelsea Labs builds world-class software engineering teams for ambitious companies.
We partner with startups to help them move faster, build better products, and scale engineering without the overhead of building a full in-house team too early. Our work focuses on custom MVP development, software products, AI-powered workflows, and staff augmentation through top LATAM engineering talent.
AI has changed how software gets built. Great teams can now solve, design, and build faster than ever. Chelsea Labs helps startups take advantage of that shift by giving them access to high-quality product, design, and engineering talent at a more efficient cost structure.
About the Role
We are looking for a Head of Partnerships to lead Chelsea Labs’ sales and partnership efforts across the NYC startup ecosystem.
This person will be responsible for building relationships with pre-seed, seed, and Series A startups that need help building MVPs, scaling product development, or adding engineering capacity. You will be the face of Chelsea Labs in the NYC founder community and will help us become the go-to software development partner for ambitious early-stage startups.
This is a highly relationship-driven role. The right person is comfortable meeting founders, investors, accelerators, and operators, understanding their product needs, and turning those conversations into long-term partnerships.
What You'll Do
- Lead Chelsea Labs’ partnership and sales efforts in NYC.
- Build relationships with pre-seed, seed, and Series A founders.
- Develop referral channels with VCs, angel investors, accelerators, incubators, and startup communities.
- Identify startups that need custom MVP development, product engineering, AI implementation, or staff augmentation.
- Attend founder events, demo days, startup meetups, investor events, and community gatherings.
- Own outbound and relationship-driven sales efforts.
- Qualify opportunities based on product needs, timeline, budget, and engineering gaps.
- Work with Chelsea Labs leadership to create proposals, scopes, and partnership structures.
- Manage CRM, pipeline, follow-up, and deal progression.
- Help refine Chelsea Labs’ go-to-market strategy, messaging, and sales playbook.
- Represent Chelsea Labs as a trusted partner for startups looking to move at full velocity.
What we're looking for
- 3–7+ years of experience in partnerships, sales, business development, startups, venture, consulting, or technology services.
- Strong understanding of the NYC startup ecosystem.
- Existing relationships with founders, investors, operators, or startup communities is a major plus.
- Experience selling services, software development, staff augmentation, consulting, or technical solutions.
- Comfortable speaking with CEOs, CTOs, product leaders, and technical founders.
- Strong communicator who can build trust quickly.
- Organized, proactive, and disciplined with follow-up.
- Comfortable owning a pipeline and being accountable to revenue goals.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build a function from the ground up.
- Excited by startups, software, AI, and the future of how engineering teams are built.
What Success Looks Like
You will be successful if Chelsea Labs becomes known across NYC as the trusted software partner for startups that need to build, launch, and scale quickly.
Success in this role means:
- Building a strong network of founders, investors, and startup operators.
- Creating a repeatable partnership channel for new business.
- Generating qualified opportunities for custom MVP builds and staff augmentation.
- Helping Chelsea Labs close new clients.
- Turning founder relationships into long-term partnerships.
- Establishing Chelsea Labs as a serious brand in the NYC startup ecosystem.
Why Join Chelsea Labs
- Own partnerships and sales for a fast-growing software development company.
- Work directly with ambitious founders building new products.
- Help startups move faster with top LATAM engineering talent.
- Build deep relationships across the NYC venture and startup ecosystem.
- Join at a stage where your work will directly shape the company’s growth.
