Zendesk · 14 hours ago
Venture Capital Ecosystem Manager, Americas
California, United States
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level
$137K/yr - $205K/yr
6+ years expZendesk is seeking a Venture Capital Ecosystem Manager for the Americas to enhance its presence within the venture capital ecosystem. This role involves building partnerships with VC firms and high-potential startups to drive business outcomes and strengthen Zendesk’s brand in AI-powered service and customer experience.
Customer ServiceData ManagementEnterprise SoftwareSoftwareTechnical Support
Responsibilities
Act as Zendesk’s dedicated presence within top VC firms—building durable partnerships that drive qualified pipeline, strengthen brand affinity, and reinforce Zendesk’s position as the category leader in AI-powered Service and Customer Experience
Work closely with Bay Area– and Austin–based teams to consistently surface and engage high-potential startups and their investors, turning ecosystem access into measurable business outcomes
Shape VC engagement strategy while personally owning relationships, programs, and on-the-ground execution
Travel regularly across the US East Coast and Southeast to meet with fund operators and their portfolios
Deepen relationships with a curated group of venture capital firms across the Americas, elevate Zendesk’s thought leadership, and create scalable programs that convert influence into accelerated growth
Think strategically and lead with executive presence, working credibly with top-tier venture capital firms, their partners, and portfolio founders
Build and activate communities from VCs and founders to accelerators, ecosystem partners, or internal sales teams, translating relationships into durable growth opportunities for Zendesk
Represent the brand with passion and empathy at community events, partner forums, and industry conferences, elevating brand awareness while cultivating meaningful relationships
Design and execute end-to-end exclusive, experiential VC programs that give partners a compelling view into Zendesk’s platform, vision, and growth engine
Drive measurable business impact by converting ecosystem access into qualified pipeline, warm introductions, and faster deal cycles
Forge enduring partnerships that build repeatable, long-term VC partnerships that compound value and momentum for the Zendesk brand across investor and founder communities
Qualification
Required
6+ years of experience in venture capital, startups, or partnerships within the technology sector
Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, specifically with key stakeholders in the VC and startup ecosystem
Data-driven, strategic, with a knack for execution, delivering on-time and at a high bar
Deep understanding of the VC ecosystem, including key players, funding dynamics, and emerging trends—particularly in AI and agentic AI workflows
Demonstrated ability to build and sustain high-value relationships with investors, portfolio companies, and strategic partners
Strong track record of generating qualified marketing pipeline and contributing to revenue growth
Ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively in a fast-paced, sales-driven environment
Ability to travel (up to 35% of time) between key cities in the US East and Southeast, and LATAM (e.g., Mexico City and Sao Paulo)
Preferred
Background in venture capital or experience running startup programs, accelerators, or ecosystem partnerships; established investor network in the Bay Area, Austin, and/or New York
Proven experience partnering with early-stage VCs, CVCs, angel networks, accelerators, and incubators, with a record of successful, repeatable collaborations
Hands-on experience cultivating self-sustaining startup communities and facilitating meaningful engagement between investors, their portfolios, and ecosystem partners like Zendesk
Familiarity with Zendesk products (and ideally platforms like Salesforce or Airtable), plus a strong working knowledge of startup go-to-market motions, including acquisition, retention, and scaling
Benefits
Bonus
Benefits
Related incentives
Company
Zendesk
Zendesk develops a customizable customer service platform for organizations.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Zendesk has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (50)
2024 (69)
2023 (37)
2022 (92)
2021 (93)
2020 (44)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$85.5MKey Investors
RedpointMatrixBenchmark
2022-11-22Private Equity
2022-06-24Acquired
2019-09-18Grant
Leadership Team
Mikkel Asger Svane
CEO and Co-Founder
Adrian McDermott
Chief Technology Officer
Recent News
Index Ventures
2026-01-06
Small Business Trends
2026-01-04
Small Business Trends
2025-12-25
Company data provided by crunchbase