Trust In SODA

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VP Strategic Partnerships & Commercial Development Confidential | Frontier AI / Physical Systems We’re working with a frontier AI company building systems that operate in the physical world, not software-only AI. Their technology enables AI systems to experiment, engineer, and interact with real-world environments, unlocking capabilities that don’t exist today. Backed by serious institutional and government programs, this team is moving from deep technical breakthrough to real-world deployment and is now hiring a VP of Strategic Partnerships & Commercial Development to help shape that transition. This is a foundational, hands-on leadership role working directly with the founders. The Role You will own and build high-impact external relationships with industry, enterprise, and institutional partners, helping translate frontier technology into deployed programs, early revenue, and long-term strategic value. The remit spans partnerships, customer development, commercial strategy, and operational readiness as the company scales. This is not a channel or SaaS partnerships role. Key Responsibilities • Initiate and own strategic partnerships across industrial, technical, and regulated environments • Develop partner and customer programs from early exploration through execution • Work closely with founders and leadership on commercial strategy and capital alignment • Support investor and institutional relationships as needed • Build early commercial and operational processes that enable deployment and revenue • Operate cross-functionally with technical, legal, finance, and operations teams • Contribute broadly as an early senior leader in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment Ideal Background • Proven experience leading strategic partnerships or commercial initiatives in deep tech, frontier tech, hardware, robotics, advanced manufacturing, or similar environments • Strong track record of working directly with senior executives at large enterprises or institutions • Experience operating in ambiguity, including pre-product or pre-revenue settings • Comfortable partnering closely with highly technical founders and research-led teams • Able to represent a company independently in high-stakes external discussions We are looking for operators with real ownership, not advisory-only or logo-driven profiles. Compensation & Location • Base salary: $300,000 – $400,000 • Bonus: Performance-based • Equity: Meaningful, VP-level ownership • Location: San Francisco Bay Area • Remote initially • Onsite in SF once the office is secured Process • 3-stage interview process • Executive-led, efficient, and high-signal Interested? If you’re excited by the challenge of taking frontier, physical-world AI from capability to commercial reality, we’d like to hear from you. Apply directly or reach out to me jacques@trustinsoda.com for a confidential conversation.