Startups Marketing Lead

San Francisco, CA (Hybrid)

$130K/yr – $180K/yrSenior Level4+ years expFull time

Posted 2 months ago

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Job Summary

Own and scale Sentry's startup partnerships and funnel, turning accelerators, VC networks, and deal platforms into a measurable revenue channel while shaping onboarding and content for startups.

  • Growth/Partnerships: Build and scale startup partnerships, expand accelerators, incubators, VC platforms, and deal aggregators, and make credits a must-have perk.
  • Program Ownership: Own the startup acquisition funnel from free plan to paid expansion, instrumenting the pipeline and where it leaks.
  • Ecosystem Presence: Be the face in the startup ecosystem at events and build genuine relationships with founders and builders.

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Build and scale startup partnerships. Expand relationships with accelerators, incubators, VC platforms, and startup deal aggregators. Make Sentry's credits program a no-brainer inclusion in every startup perks stack.
  • Own the startup acquisition funnel. Design programs that move early-stage companies from free plan → credits program → paid customers → expansion. Instrument everything so we know where the pipeline is and where it leaks.
  • Be Sentry's face in the startup ecosystem. Show up at demo days, founder events, and SF tech week. Build relationships with the people building the next generation of companies. Not because it's a line item, but because you're genuinely in that world.
  • Create content and campaigns for startup audiences. Founders and early engineers don't read whitepapers (we don’t write them either). Figure out what they do read, watch, and share, then put Sentry in front of them in a way that feels useful, not salesy.
  • Shape the startup program itself. Evolve the credits structure, trial experience, and onboarding for early-stage teams. Advocate for what startups actually need from Sentry's product and packaging.
  • Measure and report on the program's impact. Define KPIs that connect startup program activity to revenue outcomes – not vanity metrics.

Requirements

  • 4–7 years in marketing, growth, or partnerships, with significant time spent working with or inside early-stage startups
  • Experience building programs from scratch – not inheriting and optimizing, but actually standing something up
  • Track record of working across growth, brand, community, and partnerships (not just one lane)
  • Familiarity with the developer tools or B2B SaaS ecosystem
  • Experience managing partner relationships (accelerators, VCs, deal platforms) and getting real results from them
  • Bonus: you came to marketing from somewhere unexpected – operations, policy, legal, engineering, and it gives you a different lens on the work

Preferred

  • Bonus: you came to marketing from somewhere unexpected – operations, policy, legal, engineering, and it gives you a different lens on the work
  • You've built a startup marketing or partnerships program at a company that sells to developers or technical teams, and you did it from close to zero.
  • You're a growth marketer who also knows how to work a room. You can run a paid campaign and also have a genuine conversation with a founder at a YC demo day afterparty.
Sentry logo

Sentry

In 1904, members of the Wisconsin Retail Hardware Association founded their own insurance company—one built on mutual support, shared strength, and a commitment to service. That legacy remains part of who we are today.Our continued focus on personal service and Midwestern values helped us earn the trust of businesses across the country. Many of our customers have worked with us for generations.And we can be there for you. Our business insurance products are designed to help protect what matters most—your operations and your people. This includes property, casualty, life, and specialty insurance, as well as annuities and retirement.Whether you’re a small business or a growing operation, we offer industry-specific expertise to help you manage risk with confidence.Our Stevens Point, Wisconsin, headquarters is the flagship of our business, which is supported by claims offices strategically located throughout the United States. With assets of $27.5 billion and a policyholder surplus of $8 billion, Sentry is rated A+ (superior) by AM Best, the industry’s leading rating authority.* To learn more about us, the industries we serve, and the products we offer, visit link.sentry.com/Sentry-HomePage.The content provided here is for informational purposes only: link.sentry.com/Sentry-Disclaimer.View our underwriting companies at link.sentry.com/Sentry-Disclaimer *Assets and policyholder surplus are as of December 31, 2024, and represent the aggregate total for all members of the Sentry Insurance Group and are not reflective of any individual underwriting company. Sentry has an AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (superior), current as of June 2024. For details about AM Best’s rating scale, see ambest.com/ratings/guide.pdf.

Founded in 1904
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA
4.5K employees (142 in marketing)