Commercial Co-Founder for AI-first SaaS company

Bifrost Studios is hiring a Commercial Co-Founder on behalf of Shortlists

Shortlists is an AI-first recruitment CRM built for solo recruiters, boutique agencies, and small-to-medium teams. We have a live product, paying customers, and approximately 50 active customer conversations per month. The founding team has validated the product through deep customer discovery and a sales-led outbound motion — now it's time to hand the commercial wheel to someone who wants to own it.

We are part of Bifrost Studios, a venture studio and fund that builds and buys companies. We build and validate new AI-first startups globally across a number of industries. As the commercial co-founder of Shortlists, you’ll become part of our growing US/European-based community of top entrepreneurs and operators, where you’ll be able to leverage our extensive shared knowledge and capabilities.

The Opportunity

This is not a sales job. This is a co-founder seat at a venture with real traction, a functioning product with revenue, and a team that has already done the hard work of validation and early customer acquisition.

You will come in as a Commercial Co-Founder with a clear path to CEO as the business scales. The technical and product side is handled — your job is to own growth: every demo, every deal, every dollar of MRR. You bring the commercial understanding and the founder mindset that will take this company to the next level.

What You'll Do

Drive Revenue

• Own the full sales cycle: outbound prospecting, demos, onboarding, and closing
• Run an account-based motion targeting solo recruiters and small boutique agencies
• Extend demo calls to include hands-on onboarding (calendar, Chrome extension, email) to reduce drop-off between demo and activation
• Establish a repeatable, documented sales playbook from day one

Build Brand Presence & Pipeline

• Be the face of Shortlists — visible, credible, and present in the recruitment community
• Build a personal LinkedIn presence that drives both brand awareness and inbound leads
• Source deals at relevant conferences and industry meetups
• Lay the early foundations of an SEO and content strategy to support future growth motions

Think Like a Founder, Not a Sales Rep

• Build commercial strategy, pricing, and positioning as the business evolves
• Work closely with the product team to translate market feedback into roadmap input
• Take the lead on future fundraising rounds
• Prepare the groundwork for adding new acquisition channels such as partnerships and paid promotions

What You Bring

Must-Haves

• Proven SaaS sales experience — ideally small-to-mid ticket B2B ($75-$400+/month per seat)
• Native-level English — you will be selling into the US and UK markets
• Comfortable working US-friendly hours, including evening calls
• Entrepreneurial mindset — you see this as your company, not just a job
• Willing and able to go all-in with startup-level intensity for 6–12 months
• Track record of closing: moving prospects from demo to signed deal

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience selling into or from the US market from the UK or Europe
• Background in recruitment, HR tech, or familiarity with the recruiting industry
• Prior experience at an early-stage startup or in a co-founder/commercial lead role
• Has been through a 1-to-10 growth journey before — ideally more than once
• Some exposure to fundraising or investor conversations is a bonus

Who You Probably Are

You've spent time in B2B SaaS sales — maybe as an AE, a sales lead, or a first commercial hire — and you've been good at it. But you're hungry for more ownership. You want your name on the door, not just your quota. You might be a former recruiter who crossed over into tech, or someone who's done the early-stage thing before and is ready to do it again, this time with AI tailwinds and a product that already works.

You're not looking for a cushy 9-to-5. You're looking for the chance to build something real.

The Process

• Initial conversation with our Talent Lead to explore fit and background
• Interview with founding team focused on your commercial approach and founder mindset
• Business case and psychometric assessment
• Final interview with core stakeholders from Shortlists or Bifrost Studios

Compensation & Location

• We offer a competitive compensation package that combines a base salary and meaningful equity in the business.
• We imagine you are located in either Copenhagen or London with the option to work remotely.

If you want to own the commercial engine of one of the most exciting AI-native CRMs in recruitment — and you're ready to build something that lasts — we'd love to hear from you.