Director, Corporate Development & Ventures

Keystone AI is hiring a Director of Corporate Development & Ventures to partner with senior leadership to shape and execute our inorganic growth strategy, including leading critical M&A and strategic investment activity. This role is for someone who has operated as a deal lead, not just a participant. You will be expected to independently originate, evaluate, and execute transactions—quickly, rigorously, and with sound judgment. You will work closely with senior leaders across Product, Engineering, and Finance to inform decisions that shape Keystone AI’s position in data infrastructure and the AI ecosystem. There is no room for passive execution in this role—you are expected to drive outcomes. Finally, you will build the corporate development capability to run multiple transactions in parallel, establishing the cross-functional cadence and playbooks required to execute at scale. The Team Corporate Development & Ventures at Keystone AI is a small team focused on high-impact work with a bias toward action. Our ventures platform maintains active coverage of the developer and AI ecosystem, providing consistent exposure to emerging companies, founders, and technologies. In this role, you will be expected to translate that visibility into well-defined M&A and investment opportunities, bringing the judgment and execution needed to move from insight to completed transactions. We’re looking for someone who Has 8–12+ years of experience in Corporate Development, Investment Banking, Private Equity, or Venture Capital Has led multiple M&A transactions end-to-end and can do so with limited oversight Is comfortable being the most experienced and accountable deal operator in the room Demonstrates consistently strong judgment, particularly under time pressure and incomplete information Holds a high bar for analytical rigor, but knows when to make decisions without perfect data Can engage credibly with technical leaders while maintaining a clear business perspective Is direct, low-ego, and accountable—focused on outcomes, not process Is motivated by building and operating at a high-performing standard, not maintaining one What you will do Lead Transactions That Matter Own M&A and investment processes end-to-end, from initial engagement through close Build and pressure-test valuation, structure, and strategic rationale independently Run tight, focused diligence processes across technical, product, commercial, and financial dimensions Drive decisions forward—without creating unnecessary process or delay Set the Standard for Execution Bring structure and clarity to complex, ambiguous situations Identify what matters quickly and focus the team accordingly Ensure transactions are well-understood, well-structured, and executed at a high level Raise the quality bar for how decisions are made across the function Convert Market Insight into Action Work closely with the Ventures team to identify actionable opportunities from a strong, continuously refreshed pipeline Maintain a precise understanding of the competitive and technological landscape Act decisively when conviction is high Operate Effectively with Senior Stakeholders Partner directly with Product and Engineering leadership on strategic fit and integration Work with Finance and Legal to structure and close transactions efficiently Communicate clearly and concisely with executive leadership Build Leverage for the Function Mentor junior team members through direct, hands-on involvement in deals Improve speed and consistency of execution across the team Contribute to building a function that can scale without losing quality What success looks like You independently lead and close high-quality, strategically important transactions Keystone AI can run multiple live deals simultaneously without loss of focus or rigor Decisions are made faster, with clearer reasoning and stronger conviction Internal stakeholders rely on you to drive clarity and momentum in complex situations The overall quality and effectiveness of the Corporate Development function increases materially Position Expectations Based in San Francisco, New York, or Austin Travel as required for transactions and relationship development About Keystone AI Keystone AI is built for change, empowering our customers and our people to innovate at the speed of the market. We have redefined the data platform for the AI era, enabling builders to create, transform, and disrupt industries with software. Keystone AI’s unified data platform, the most widely available, globally distributed data platform on the market, helps organizations modernize legacy workloads, embrace innovation, and unleash AI. Our cloud-native platform, Keystone AI Atlas, is the only globally distributed, multi-cloud data platform and is available across AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. With offices worldwide and over 67,000 customers, including 75% of the Fortune 100 and AI-native startups, relying on Keystone AI for their most important applications, we’re powering the next era of software. Our compass at Keystone AI is our Leadership Commitment, guiding how and why we make decisions, show up for each other, and win. It’s what makes us Keystone AI. To drive the personal growth and business impact of our employees, we’re committed to developing a supportive and enriching culture for everyone. From employee affinity groups, to fertility assistance and a generous parental leave policy , we value our employees’ wellbeing and want to support them along every step of their professional and personal journeys. Learn more about what it’s like to work at Keystone AI , and help us make an impact on the world! Keystone AI is committed to providing any necessary accommodations for individuals with disabilities within our application and interview process. To request an accommodation due to a disability, please inform your recruiter. Keystone AI, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and makes all hiring decisions without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Req ID: 1273414700 Keystone AI’s base salary range for this role is posted below. Compensation at the time of offer is unique to each candidate and based on a variety of factors such as skill set, experience, qualifications, and work location. Salary is one part of Keystone AI’s total compensation and benefits package. Other benefits for eligible employees may include: equity, participation in the employee stock purchase program, flexible paid time off, 20 weeks fully-paid gender-neutral parental leave, fertility and adoption assistance, 401(k) plan, mental health counseling, access to transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage, and health benefits offerings. Please note, the base salary range listed below and the benefits in this paragraph are only applicable to U.S.-based candidates. Keystone AI’s base salary range for this role in the U.S. is: $143,000 — $282,000 USD