Business Development Representative at Perplexity (San Francisco, CA)

Perplexity· San Francisco, CA· $75k–$120k·3d ago

Role details

Salary

$75k–$120k

Work type

Hybrid

Employment

Full-Time

Equity

Yes

Commission

Yes

Perplexity at a glance

AI-powered answer engine that returns real-time, cited answers, now expanding into an agentic browser and on-device agents.

Perplexity runs an AI answer engine that searches the live web and returns direct, cited answers instead of a page of links. It has extended that core into an AI browser (Comet), an on-device agent (Computer), a developer API, and vertical tools like patent search.

$1.7B raised · latest: Series E extension · $200M · 2025 (reported $20B valuation) · backed by Accel, IVP, NEA, SoftBank Vision Fund 2

Job description

What You’ll Do

Drive Revenue & Qualify Opportunities

Balance dual inbound and outbound responsibilities to drive pipeline growth
Qualify inbound enterprise prospects using BANT criteria to identify high-value opportunities for Account Executive handoff
Execute targeted outbound campaigns to penetrate specific industry verticals

Strategic Outbound & Market Development

Use social selling to represent the Perplexity brand—posting, commenting, and experimenting with new formats to stay top-of-mind with prospects
Research and map accounts within assigned verticals to build comprehensive prospect lists
Develop vertical-specific messaging that resonates with industry pain points and use cases for Perplexity Enterprise
Contribute to top of funnel strategy

Sales Operations & Excellence

Maintain pristine data hygiene in Salesforce, ensuring all prospect interactions and qualification criteria are documented
Respond rapidly to inbound inquiries with consultative, value-driven communication
Build and iterate on outbound sequences that drive consistent pipeline generation

What You'll Need

Core competencies

Exceptional communication skills: Ability to articulate complex AI/search solutions clearly via email and phone, adapting tone and technical depth to various stakeholders
Vertical expertise: Demonstrated understanding of at least one key industry (e.g., Financial Services, Healthcare, Legal, Consulting) with ability to speak to industry-specific challenges
Sales acumen: Proven ability to qualify prospects using BANT methodology while maintaining velocity in the sales cycle
Technical aptitude: Comfort discussing enterprise software, APIs, and AI capabilities at a high level
Self-starter mentality with ability to manage competing priorities (closing deals vs. qualifying for AEs)
Data-driven approach to tracking conversion rates, response times, and pipeline metrics
Intellectual curiosity about how AI and advanced search transform enterprise workflows
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment where processes are still being defined

Nice to Haves

9 months to two years in SaaS sales development or business development roles
Experience selling to technical and non-technical buyers
Familiarity with enterprise AI/ML solutions or search technologies
Track record of consistently achieving 100%+ of quota
Pulling data with Salesforce Reporting, SQL or Business intelligence tools
Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience
Experience at a high-growth technology startup

Why work at Perplexity

Culture & Environment: “Thoughtful support” culture with emphasis on craftsmanship, ownership, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and partnership. Hybrid schedule (4 days in-office) based on location.
Perks: Daily catered meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner in office), office snacks, ride home program, commuter benefits, home office reimbursement, fitness classes, gym memberships.
Compensation & Benefits: Competitive salary and equity packages; retirement plans with company match; flexible PTO; holiday shutdown between Christmas and New Year; 12 weeks paid bonding leave; comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
Relocation & Visa Support: Relocation assistance and visa/green card sponsorship for eligible roles. Partners with immigration firm to support the process.
Engineering Excellence: “Technical assessment for relevant roles”; values hands-on contribution, broad skill sets, and merit-based evaluation. Frequent Tech Talks and exposure to greenfield AI research problems.

About Perplexity

Company Overview

One-liner: Perplexity builds an AI-powered answer engine that delivers accurate, real-time answers to any question, serving curious minds and professionals who demand precision and speed.
Entity Type: Private (total funding $1.7B across 16 rounds)
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
Founded: 2022
Founders: Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, Andy Konwinski

Core Business

Primary industry: AI-powered search and knowledge retrieval, Software Development
Target customers: B2C (general users), B2B (enterprise API customers), and power users seeking reliable information
Mission: “AI for people who expect more – more accuracy, more agency, more signal, less noise.”

Products & Services

Perplexity AI (Free Tier): Real-time conversational search engine that synthesizes web results with citations, accessible via web and mobile app. Type: SaaS
Perplexity Pro: Subscription offering enhanced features such as advanced AI models, multimodal search, and increased usage limits. Type: SaaS (subscription)
Perplexity API Platform: Enables developers to integrate Perplexity’s search and reasoning capabilities into their own applications. Type: API
Perplexity Browser Extension: Brings AI-powered search directly into the browser for quick answers without leaving the page. Type: Browser extension

Market Standing

Valuation/Market Cap: Not publicly available in provided sources (prior reports indicate ~$9B valuation as of 2024, but not confirmed in this data set)
Key Metric: Total funding $1.7B (16 rounds); annual revenue ~$50M (LinkedIn estimate)
Notable Investors/Partners: Not explicitly listed in provided search results; widely known investors include IVP, NEA, Jeff Bezos, and others (not sourced here)
Growth Signals: Headcount grew 11.3% YoY to 1,152 employees; operates in 54 countries; LinkedIn followers grew 131.8% yearly to >1.6M; active hiring across 48+ open roles including AI Research, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams

Competitive Advantages

Real-time, cited answers: Unlike traditional chatbots, Perplexity grounds answers in live web results with transparent sources, building trust and accuracy.
Multimodal and agentic capabilities: Continuously pushes frontier research (e.g., query-aware context compression, agents for knowledge work) that differentiates from generic LLM interfaces.
Vertical integration from research to product: In-house AI research team tackles open problems unique to Perplexity’s scale, enabling fast iteration on novel methods.
Strong brand and user base: Rapid consumer adoption with millions of monthly active users and high engagement.

Strategic Focus

Pushing the frontier of search: Evolving from retrieval services to code generation, agents, and full autonomy in knowledge work.
Expanding enterprise and API revenue: Growing B2B footprint with API platform and enterprise solutions.
Global hiring and office expansion: Offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, Austin, Washington D.C., London, Berlin, and Belgrade, with “4 days in office” hybrid model.
Investing in AI research: Dedicated research division (Perplexity Research) exploring reasoning, agents, and systems to redefine how people navigate the internet.

Sources

Perplexity at a glance

Job description

What You’ll Do

What You'll Need

Why work at Perplexity

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