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AfterQuery is an applied research lab curating data solutions for foundation model development, serving frontier AI labs with the mission of delivering the best data to power the best models. The company is YC's fastest unicorn, valued at $3.2 billion, backed by leading investors including Altos Ventures, BoxGroup, Y Combinator, and angels from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Microsoft AI.
As the Data Acquisition Lead, you will be the first hire developing AfterQuery's data acquisition strategy, responsible for sourcing, vetting, and acquiring real-world data assets. You will build scalable systems for finding and negotiating the purchase of large data assets; verifying content and quality; and altering/packaging assets as business needs require. You will work across Operations, Research, and Engineering to determine target data assets and how to effectively obtain and process them.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing and refining AfterQuery's enterprise data-acquisition strategy, identifying where proprietary enterprise data can meaningfully improve frontier model training and prioritizing target industries and partners
- Personally leading negotiation of AfterQuery's highest-value, most complex enterprise data-purchase agreements from term sheet through signature
- Building and maintaining a portfolio of enterprise data relationships, negotiating pricing, licensing terms, and renewal/expansion agreements
- Partnering with Engineering, Ops, Legal, and Research to ensure acquired data meets technical and compliance requirements and translates into usable training assets
- Ensuring all data purchases meet legal, IP/copyright, and data-governance standards
- Owning the data-acquisition budget, pipeline, and forecasting, reporting progress and ROI to executive leadership
- Contributing to company-wide initiatives across building, analysis, coordination, and execution as AfterQuery scales
REQUIREMENTS:
- 3+ years of experience in enterprise data acquisition, strategic partnerships, corporate development, or data/vendor licensing negotiation, including people-leadership experience
- Demonstrated track record personally negotiating and closing complex, high-value data-purchase agreements (seven figures or more)
- Deep understanding of data licensing structures, data rights/IP considerations, and data governance and compliance frameworks
- Excellent executive-level negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills
- High agency and strong work ethic; comfort operating with minimal direction in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
- Genuine passion for AI and an entrepreneurial inclination
- Demonstrated competitive success
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Prior leadership experience in an AI training-data, data-licensing, data-marketplace, or data-brokerage organization
- Existing network of enterprise data and content-owner relationships across target industries
- Financial modeling and deal-economics expertise
- Legal or compliance background in data rights and licensing
- Experience scaling a data-acquisition function within a hypergrowth startup
