Director of Business Development (AI)

SBT is the exclusive executive recruiting firm for this confidential position.

This confidential startup is an emerging leader in semiconductor innovation, developing advanced silicon and platform technologies that enable the next generation of high-performance, AI-driven computing systems. Operating at the intersection of hardware and software, the company collaborates with industry leaders to address increasing system complexity and accelerate the adoption of new architectures across data center and hyperscale environments.

Strategic Business Development & Ecosystem Leadership

• Define and lead the company’s global business development strategy, with a primary focus on hyperscalers, cloud providers, and data center operators, aligning partnerships with long-term product and platform roadmaps
• Identify, structure, and execute strategic partnerships across the data center ecosystem, including hyperscalers, OEMs, system integrators, and silicon/platform providers
• Build and scale a global BD function oriented around deep, multi-threaded hyperscaler engagement, ensuring coordinated execution across regions and accounts
• Drive partnership frameworks that enable joint development, co-optimization, and long-term roadmap alignment for large-scale deployments

Strategic Customers & Industry Engagement

• Serve as a senior executive interface for hyperscalers and large-scale data center customers, building trusted relationships across engineering, infrastructure, and executive leadership
• Lead complex, consultative engagements focused on architecture alignment, workload optimization, and long-term infrastructure strategy, rather than transactional sales
• Position the company within the broader data center and AI infrastructure ecosystem, engaging in industry alliances, standards bodies, and strategic collaborations
• Partner closely with internal engineering and product teams to ensure hyperscaler requirements and data center use cases directly shape product direction and platform evolution

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in semiconductor or deep technology environments, with a focus on business development, strategic partnerships, or ecosystem leadership
• Proven track record engaging with hyperscalers, cloud providers, or large-scale data center operators on technically complex initiatives
• Strong understanding of data center architecture, including compute, networking, memory, and acceleration layers
• Experience structuring and managing long-term partnerships involving joint development, platform integration, and roadmap alignment
• Executive presence with the ability to influence senior technical and business stakeholders across large, complex organizations
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-growth environments, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and scale partnerships globally
• Willingness to travel globally to support key hyperscaler and ecosystem engagements