Vertical Sales Representative (Video)

Company Overview: We are building Protege to solve the biggest unmet need in AI — getting access to the right training data. The process today is time intensive, incredibly expensive, and often ends in failure. The Protege platform facilitates the secure, efficient, and privacy-centric exchange of AI training data. Solving AI’s data problem is a generational opportunity. We’re backed by world-class investors and already powering partnerships with some of the most ambitious teams in AI. The company that succeeds will be one of the largest in AI — and in tech. We’re a lean, fast-moving, high-trust team of builders who are obsessed with velocity and impact. Our culture is built for people who thrive on ambiguity, own outcomes, and want to shape the future of data and AI. ROLE OVERVIEW Protege is seeking a Vertical Sales Representative with a specialization in video data for AI model training and evaluation. This role is responsible for driving revenue by helping organizations — including vertical AI labs, media companies, and enterprises — access, prepare, and scale high-quality video datasets used to train and improve AI models. This is a full ownership sales role. You will be responsible for building, managing, and closing pipeline, supported by outbound/BDR and marketing resources, while also proactively sourcing and creating your own opportunities. The ideal candidate brings a strong, early-stage sales background combined with fluency in AI and data use cases, and can translate complex data requirements into clear, actionable commercial solutions.   WHAT YOU’LL BE SELLING - High-quality video datasets used for training and evaluating AI models - Value-added data enrichment services, designed to tailor video data to the precise needs of model builders - Solutions that improve model performance, accuracy, and safety - Value-added managed services WHAT YOU’LL DO OWN PIPELINE & REVENUE - Own a revenue target, working closely with Protege’s Video GM and team - Build, manage, and close a pipeline of opportunities across new and existing accounts - Balance self-generated pipeline with inbound and outbound-supported opportunities DRIVE AI DATA OPPORTUNITIES - Identify and develop opportunities where video data is required for AI model training, fine-tuning, or evaluation - Engage data science, product, and business stakeholders to understand data needs - Position Protege’s capabilities as solutions to data quality, scale, and availability challenges LEAD CONSULTATIVE SALES CYCLES - Run full-cycle sales from discovery through close - Translate technical requirements into clear commercial scopes and proposals - Navigate multi-stakeholder environments including AI, legal, content, and product teams DEVELOP VERTICAL EXPERTISE - Build a strong point of view on how video data is used in AI/ML workflows - Identify repeatable use cases and patterns within the video vertical - Contribute to go-to-market strategy and offerings PARTNER CROSS-FUNCTIONALLY - Work closely with GM, Delivery, Data Lab, and Partner teams to scope and execute solutions - Partner with Product and Commercial Ops to improve packaging, pricing, and sales motion - Collaborate with outbound/BDR teams on targeted account strategies   WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR REQUIRED - 5+ years of enterprise or mid-market sales experience - Experience selling into AI, data, media tech, and/or video-related industries - Strong understanding of how data is used in AI/ML workflows, particularly for training models - Proven ability to generate pipeline and close deals in a fast-paced environment - Ability to engage both technical stakeholders (data science researchers, etc.) and business leaders - Strong ownership mindset and ability to operate in a build-stage environment - Experience selling SOW, SaaS, and Managed Services-oriented offerings PREFERRED - Experience with video datasets, content pipelines, or video generation + interpretation workflows - Experience with AI training data, labeling, annotation, or evaluation services - Familiarity with multimodal AI (video, text, audio) - Existing relationships within media, AI, or data ecosystems   WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE - Consistent pipeline generation across both self-sourced and supported channels - Ability to quickly scope and close video data opportunities - Consistently converting deals from pipeline to close, with strong pipeline velocity - Development of repeatable use cases within theVideo vertical - Clear contribution to revenue growth and vertical expansion - Deep cross-functional collaboration with teams across Protege   WHY THIS ROLE - Opportunity to sell at the intersection of AI, data, and media - High ownership role with direct impact on a strategic growth vertical - Balance of pipeline creation, consultative selling, and deal execution - Collaborative environment working across product, operations, and commercial teams - Ability to shape how organizations leverage video data to power AI 30 / 60 / 90 Day Plan 0–30 DAYS: LEARN FAST + START SELLING - Ramp on Protege offerings, AI/video data use cases - Pair closely with Media GM and Commercial Leadership to build target account list (media + AI buyers) - Begin outreach (with BDR + self-sourced) - Run early discovery calls Output: - 20-30 conversations - 5-8 early-stage opportunities - Clear POV on fastest-moving use cases 30–60 DAYS: BUILD PIPELINE + ADVANCE DEALS - Consistently generate pipeline (self + supported) - Independently run discovery and scope opportunities - Start moving deals into proposal stage - Provide consistent feedback to Media GM + Commercial team w/r/t to what’s working, what’s not, what we are seeing in market Output: - 3–5x pipeline coverage building - 8–12 active opportunities - 2–3 deals in proposal/scoping - First deals nearing close 60–90 Days: Close + Establish Rhythm - Close initial deals (focus on speed + repeatability) - Maintain steady pipeline creation - Build momentum within key accounts - Continued deep collaboration with Media GM, Commercial Leadership, broader Commercial teams, DataLab, Marketing, Media Solutions Output: - 1–3 deals closed (or late-stage with clear path) - Consistent deal flow - Repeatable motion for core video data use cases   SIMPLE SUMMARY - 30 days: In market, creating pipeline - 60 days: Pipeline + deals forming - 90 days: Closing + repeatable motion