Director, Startup Ecosystem

As the Director, Startup Ecosystem at DigitalOcean, you will shape and deliver on the strategy to build mindshare and broaden the use of DigitalOcean with venture backed startups. You will lead and innovate DigitalOcean's Hatch program, which is well established with thousands of active participants, hundreds of venture partners and notable alumni such as Hugging Face. Externally you will ensure that DigitalOcean has a differentiated value proposition for startups and is fully engaged with both startup founders and venture partners to further expand the use of DigitalOcean among startups. You will leverage your existing developer marketing expertise, technology startup insights, while leading a dedicated team to accelerate DigitalOcean's growth with the most innovative AI Startups. What You'll Do: Strategy and Leadership • Develop and execute the overall Startup strategy aligned with DigitalOcean's growth objectives with a focus on AI Startups and venture partnerships. • Lead the existing Startup team and collaborate cross functionally with internal stakeholders including Sales, Product, Marketing, Finance, Operations and the executive team to ensure alignment with company strategies and revenue goals Startup Program • Innovate the Hatch program to create a market-leading experience and value proposition for Startups • Develop and execute initiatives to support the growth and success of program participants Marketing and Community • Work with the Developer Relationship team to create and deliver content and in-person events to engage startup founders and enable them to scale their ventures with DigitalOcean. • Embed yourself personally in the startup community and seek out opportunities for DigitalOcean to be a trusted partner for startup founders in their entrepreneurial journey. Partnerships • Establish and manage relationships with venture partners to promote DigitalOcean's value proposition among startups • Collaborate with venture partners to develop joint marketing initiatives and support their portfolio companies What You'll Add to DigitalOcean: • Strong developer marketing background with the ability to understand and communicate complex technological concepts. • Proven track record of successfully establishing and growing venture partnerships, particularly in the AI and cloud computing space. • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and articulate a compelling vision. • Experience building and leading high-performing teams in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. • Deep understanding of the developer ecosystem and a passion for making developers successful. • Strategic thinker with the ability to align partnership initiatives with overall business objectives. • Experience with or knowledge of AI technologies and offerings is highly desirable. • Passion and empathy for the entrepreneurial journey. Key Metrics: • Number of active AI Startups: Attract and expand the number of active AI startups. • Gross AI revenue within DigitalOcean's Startup Program: Grow the AI usage from Startup program participants. • Partner Net Promoter Score (NPS): Assess partner satisfaction and loyalty, reflecting the health and mutual benefit of our venture partnership relationships. Compensation Range: • $192,800.00 - $241,000.00 • This is a remote role JR: 2026-7464 #LI-Remote