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Instawork is building the data engine for Physical AI by connecting its AI-powered labor marketplace with robotics companies and businesses globally. The company operates a two-sided marketplace connecting skilled hourly workers with local businesses across hospitality, logistics, manufacturing, warehousing, and retail sectors.
You will lead the partnerships function for Instawork's India business, responsible for identifying, developing, and onboarding thousands of small, medium, and large businesses to build the pipeline for robotics data collection. This is a ground-up build role reporting directly to the CEO and Head of Robotics.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own the partnerships strategy across hospitality, logistics, manufacturing, warehousing, retail, and other labor-intensive industries in India
- Build and lead the partnerships team from scratch, establishing processes, systems, and operating cadence
- Establish clear goals and metrics for pipeline generation and business acquisition
- Execute large business partnerships with industrial, cooperative, and government bodies
- Develop repeatable playbooks for partner identification, outreach, qualification, negotiation, and conversion
- Partner closely with CEO and Head of Robotics on partnership strategy
- Bring market intelligence, partner feedback, and new opportunities directly to leadership
- Move quickly from strategy to execution with a strong bias toward action and measurable outcomes
Success metrics include building a strong pipeline of businesses across India, closing high-impact partnerships with multiple industrial/cooperative/government organizations, establishing a repeatable partnership acquisition playbook, creating a scalable partnerships organization, and positioning Instawork as critical infrastructure for Physical AI companies.
Instawork is backed by top-tier investors including Benchmark, Spark Capital, Craft Ventures, Greylock, and Y Combinator. The company operates hubs in San Francisco, Bangalore, and Chicago with additional offices in New York, Phoenix, and Singapore. The company has been recognized by Forbes (Next Billion Dollar Startups), RetailTech Breakthrough (Workforce Hiring Solution of the Year 2025), and Inc. 5000 (top 10% fastest-growing companies).
REQUIREMENTS:
- 10+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, strategic alliances, or similar commercial leadership role
- Proven track record of managing fleet on street and building/closing large B2B partnerships
- Experience building a partnerships or business development function from the ground up (highly preferred)
- Strong network across hospitality, logistics, manufacturing, warehousing, retail, marketplaces, or other labor-intensive industries (major plus)
- Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort building rather than inheriting established playbooks
- Extremely strong bias for action and ownership
- Comfortable operating with ambiguity, limited structure, and rapidly changing priorities
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills
- Commercially sharp, highly driven, and comfortable being measured by outcomes
